For years, SKU has been helping launch consumer packaged goods startups. Now it's announcing a new cohort of companies whose products could soon be stocking people’s kitchens and wardrobes.
After announcing its expansion to North Texas in early July, CPG accelerator SKU has named the five later-stage startups that will make up its first SKU DFW track, along with one young startup auditing the program.
Ranging from jerky and ice cream to sustainable pet products, SKU said the startups were chosen based on innovation, market traction and founder leadership strength.
“Each founder was driven by a desire to create a brand that brings something new to the marketplace – products developed out of their personal experiences,” said Kirstin Ross, SKU managing director, in a statement.
The North Texas program kicks off on September 10 and runs through November 11. The eight-week course will combine in-person and virtual programming, as the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to still have lingering effects in the months ahead. Former Whole Foods co-CEO Walter Robb, will lead the first class, and local and national CPG founders and executives will mentor the startups on scaling their businesses.
SKU DFW is supported by a partnership with local mentoring organization DFW CPG, which was founded in 2019 by Richard Riccardi and Rick Jordan with the mission of building an ecosystem of food and beverage companies.
SKU was created by lawyer Shari Wynne Ressler and entrepreneur Clayton Christopher, who founded Sweet Leaf Tea and Deep Eddy Vodka. Since its founding, the accelerator has seen nearly 60 companies go through its program – 84 percent of which are still in business, SKU says. That includes Austin Eastciders, EPIC Provisions and Pure Active CBD. In 2016, Forbes called it one of the country’s top accelerators.
SKU hopes the Metroplex can become a hub of consumer goods by combining CPG startups with industry leaders. Its move to the region comes amid a national expansion. Last year, in a partnership with CPG consulting firm BeyondBrands, SKU launched natural brand accelerator BeyondSKU in New York. And “purpose-driven” startup program ImpactSKU kicked off in Minneapolis, in partnership with FINNOVATION Lab, last month.
“We hope to provide more opportunities for companies in the sector to learn from industry experts with an established track record of success,” Riccardi, a longtime mentor for SKU’s Austin program, said in a statement.
Check out the inaugural SKU DFW cohort below (descriptions are via SKU DFW).
All Y’alls Foods (Cross Roads, Tx.) - All Y’alls Foods was born from Brett Christoffel's love of cows. After spending over 40 years consuming them, he realized he loved all animals – from dogs and cats to bovines – and decided to stop eating them. He decided to support this lifestyle change by launching All Y’alls Foods in May 2018. The first products are It’s Jerky Y’all and It’s Big Crunchy Bacony Bits Y’all. It’s Jerky Y’all is available in a traditional black pepper & sea salt, prickly pear teriyaki and prickly pear chipotle. Barely two years after launching, the product is available in retailers nationwide, including grocery stores like H-E-B and specialty natural foods stores, as well as on Amazon and the company site.
Highwave (Oxnard, Ca.) - Griffin and Shannon Ross grew up in a family of inventors. Their father, Gary Ross, invented the first travel mug with a drink-through top. Now Griffin and Shannon are creating a line of sustainable pet products that solve pain points for the modern dog parent. Their first product is the AutoDogMug, a one-handed, spill-proof hydration system that fits in a cup holder.
Meli’s Monster Cookies (Austin, Tx.) - While baking monster cookies, a family recipe passed down from generation to generation, it dawned on best friends Melissa Mehall and Melissa Blue that there was a market for these delicious gluten-free cookies. Meli’s Monster Cookies are higher in protein and fiber than your typical cookie on the market. While flour and sugar are the first two ingredients in most cookies, Meli’s first two ingredients are gluten-free rolled oats and nut butter. Meli’s are available at a range of retailers, including Walmart, H-E-B and Whole Foods.
mmmpanadas (Austin, Tx.) - mmmpanadas is the creation of husband-and-wife team Cody and Kristen Fields. Cody fell in love with empanadas while working in Costa Rica. Then, on a trip to Austin in 2006, Cody met Kristen and fell in love with her, too. Together, they began making a variety of empanadas for local bars and coffee shops. Soon they were slinging their gourmet empanadas out of a big red truck. Now they have 18 different sweet and savory flavors available in the freezer aisles of stores such as Whole Foods, Albertson’s and H-E-B.
Re:THINK Ice Cream (San Francisco, Ca.) - Re:THINK Ice Cream is the first and only collagen-infused lactose-free A2/A2 Dairy ice cream. Re:THINK is the indulgent ice cream that’s better-for-you, diabetic and keto-friendly, gluten free with no sugar alcohol. Available in 12 flavors like chocolate majesty and cardamom pistachio, Re:THINK is infused with whey isolate protein and collagen, and made with lactose-free A2/A2 Dairy for a happy tummy. The name Re:THINK was born out of founder George Haymaker’s addiction to pain pills and alcohol. In recovery, he was forced to rethink everything in his life and the brand was born.
Auditing: Sienna Sauce (Houston, Tx.) - When she was 8 – an age when most kids are playing with toys – Tyla-Simone Crayton was concocting a sauce for wings. The sauce officially launched in 2017, and the teenage CEO has become known as the “Sauce Boss.” The home-based business now sells three flavors: tangy, lemon pepper and spicy. The brand, available in 70 stores and online, won “Best Sauce” in the 2018 and 2019 Sauce-A-Holic Fest, competing against 15 competitive brands. Tyla-Simone also won $25,000 in capital on ”Good Morning America’s Side Hustle Showdown” series as well as another $10,000 from the Revolt Pitch. She was the runner-up in a $100,000 pitch competition hosted by the Grammy Award-winning rapper Chamillionaire.
