Five new companies have been selected to Kraft Heinz's incubator program for upstart food brands.
Kraft Heinz announced its latest Springboard incubator cohort on Tuesday, which includes startups ranging from allergen-free nutrition bars that use seeds instead of nuts, to a cold-pressed almond juice.
Kraft Heinz launched its Springboard program in 2018 and announced its first cohort in May. Among the five companies in that class were Chicago startups Poppilu, an antioxidant lemonade brand, and Quevos, a high-protein snack chip that won first place at the University of Chicago’s College New Venture Challenge.
Startups in Springboard participate in a 16-week program in Chicago where they receive business training, workspace and other resources. Companies in the program each receive $50,000, and the potential to get another $50,000 during the program.
Springboard is separate from Kraft Heinz's recently launched venture fund, called Evolv Ventures. The $100 million Chicago-based venture fund provides capital to tech startups disrupting the food industry and is led by former Lightbank partner Bill Pescatello and Grubhub executive Steve Sanger.
Here are the startups in the latest Springboard cohort:
Blake’s Seed Based: Based in Chicago, Blake's Seed Based is an allergen-free snack bar that uses seeds instead of nuts. The company's bars are "top-8 allergen free," meaning they're safe to eat for almost everyone. The startup uses pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds to create a product that's gluten free, vegan and non-GMO.
BRAMI: Brooklyn-based BRAMI has created an alternative to dry snack foods. The startup's lupini beans, a legume snack typically found in the Mediterranean, are marinated with flavors like sea salt & vinegar and chili & lime. Packed with plant protein and fiber, BRAMI cuts down on the calories, carbs, fat and sugar typically found in processed snack foods.
Ka-Pop!: Boulder-based KaPop! is a gluten free, vegan and non-GMO chip snack made with ancient grains. Its flavors include cheddar, salt & vinegar and rosemary garlic, and are packed with protein, fiber, omega-3s, potassium and vitamins.
Origin Almond: Based in New Jersey, Origin Almond is an almond-based juice alternative to surgery fruit drinks. Its cold-pressed almond juice is lightly sweetened and contains just 1g of sugar per bottle.
Tiny Giants: Los Angeles-based Tiny Giants has created a plant-based yogurt snack for kids. The product is organic, non-GMO and comes with no added sweeteners.
