Egglife Foods, which makes wraps made mostly out of eggs instead of flour, signed a national distribution deal with Whole Foods Markets this week.
As a fast-growing consumer packaged goods company, Egglife Foods is looking to disrupt the $3.5 billion tortilla category with a simple solution: eggs.
The Chicago startup launched in late 2019, and in its first year the company increased its reach across retail locations from 173 to 2,358. By its second year, the company reached more than 5,500 retail locations across the U.S. with another 4,500 locations launching by the end of the first quarter of 2022.
David Kroll, CEO of Egglife Foods, called the Whole Foods deal a "major win" for the Chicago startup.
"We launched on the eve of Covid and went from a pilot market where we were in a few hundred doors to we're now in over 12,000 doors with Whole Foods coming onboard nationally," Kroll told Chicago Inno. "That basically takes us from a retail sales standpoint from about $4 million to over $40 million in just three years."
Whole Foods will sell Egglife's original and everything-bagel wrap flavors near the hummus, dips and spreads at its stores.
Lauren Glanzer, principal category merchant for Whole Foods Market, said she expected the wrap alternative to traditional breads, wraps and tortillas to be a hit among their shoppers.
Previously chief marketing officer at MillerCoors, Kroll said that part of the reason he joined Egglife as CEO was because Chicago has become a "hotbed" for food-and-beverage innovation, especially as it relates to the wellness category. He was hired in October 2019 to spearhead commercialization for the company and the company has since seen 600% growth in its retail partner base.
"You'll see us grow even further in 2024 as we enter new markets," Kroll said. "You will see us build out from Chicago, across borders, and we are not looking to just be a U.S.-based business, we're setting out to be a global disruptor."
