St. Louis Inno is publishing profiles of its 2022 Startups to Watch this week. See the entire list of honorees below.
CORE AND RIND
Headquarters: St. Louis
Founders: Rita Childers and Candi Haas
What it does: Core and Rind makes and sells plant-based and dairy-free "cheesy" sauce made from cashews. Co-founders Rita Childers and Candi Haas began the company after they started selling an array of “healthier-for-you” food products at the Tower Grove Farmers Market. Their cheese sauce is sold in three different flavors: sharp & tangy, bold & spicy and rich & smoky. Core & Rind says its sauce can be used as an alternative to traditional cheese for a variety of foods, including pasta, tacos and pizza. The startup sells its products in stores as well as online.
The latest: Within the past two years, Core and Rind has drastically expanded distribution of its cashew cheesy sauce. At the beginning of 2020, its products could be found in about 100 stores nationwide. Today, it sells its products in nearly 1,000 stores in the U.S. and Canada, including at more than 365 locations of Sprouts Farmers Market. Other major grocers carrying the product include Hy-Vee, Whole Foods Market and Schnuck Markets. In 2021, Core and Rind won a $50,000 grant from local nonprofit Arch Grants.
Why you should watch it: Core and Rind is part of a collection of St. Louis companies that are establishing the region as a focal point of the fast-growing plant-based foods industry. Those companies, which range from startups like Core and Rind to corporate giants like Post Holdings, are emerging as plant-based sales climb. U.S. plant-based product sales surged by 27% year over year in 2020, with plant-based cheese products experiencing sales growth of 42% in that time period.
What’s next: In 2022, Core and Rind plans to continue expanding its footprint with plans to expand into new retail locations. It’ll also expand its team, expecting to hire its first full-time employees. Core and Rind also plans to raise a funding round of roughly $1 million this year.
More about Core and Rind
Founded: 2016
Capital raised: Other than an undisclosed amount of funding from family and friends, Core and Rind has bootstrapped its operations. It also received a $50,000 grant from Arch Grants.
Employees: Core and Rind’s two co-founders are its only full-time employees.
