What started as an experiment in her parents' kitchen has blossomed into a full-blown enterprise with the backing of a professional athlete and well-known supermodel.
Abby Kircher, founder of Charlotte health-food startup Abby's Better, received an investment earlier this week from NBA star Kevin Love and model Kate Bock. Financial terms of the investment were not disclosed.
Kircher, who was named to Charlotte's 2020 Inno Under 25 list, began Abby's Better in 2015 when she was just 15 years old. Prior to starting the company, Kircher said, she was overweight and wanted to make changes to positively impact her overall health by focusing on ingredient labels.
The startup has grown tenfold since its inception, moving its operations into a manufacturing facility in 2018 and cultivating a massive online following. It has registered more than $400,000 in e-commerce sales since the beginning of 2020. Kircher said she began to shift focus away from in-store sales to online in January of last year and never looked back.
Love, forward for the Cleveland Cavaliers and founder of The Kevin Love Fund, and Bock, a Sports Illustrated cover model and former Victoria's Secret model, were introduced to Abby's Better through a current investor and company board member. Kircher said she was introduced to the pair and, almost immediately, they wanted to be involved with the startup.
"They're huge fans of nut butter, and they loved our products," she said. "They're investors in Abby's Better, which is so exciting, but we didn't want this to just be a hands-off ambassadorship. We wanted them to be as involved and as hands-on as possible."
Kircher said she'll work directly with Love and Bock on things like securing new retail partners, product launches and brand growth. The opportunity to work with two people she's admired for years is something Kircher said she never imagined would happen but is forever grateful for.
"It means more to me than I can even describe. It’s amazing to see people you’ve looked up to your whole life support what you’re doing," she said. "I have so many goals and hopes, and to see them believe in me and the brand as much as I do is indescribably amazing."
In a statement, Love and Bock said they were drawn to the nut butter's flavors, ingredients and consistency. Their favorite flavor is the Coffee Almond Butter.
"I'm impressed by the company that Abby has built and the products her team has brought to market," Love said. "I'm excited to work with a food brand that leads with both taste and natural ingredients, along with Abby's own strong entrepreneurial spirit."
In addition to the partnership with Love and Bock, Kircher said Abby's Better recently closed a $1 million seed round, which the pair participated in. The funds, she said, will be used to build brand awareness through increased marketing efforts, as well as scaling its national retail distribution.
She said Abby's Better will begin popping up with retailers on the West Coast later this year. The startup will also launch its next new offering in the coming months.
"I'm always in the kitchen working on new, innovative products," she said. "We're very close to have the Dough-to-Go finished and ready to launch, so that's taking up most of my time right now."
