smoodi
Industry: Food and beverage equipment services
Founded: 2018
Top executives: Pascal Kriesche, co-founder and CEO; Morgan Abraham, co-founder and CTO
Address: 500 W. Fifth St., Winston-Salem
Phone: 617-795-6445
Despite having only been in Winston-Salem since last September, on-the-go smoothie and blender manufacturer smoodi has already begun to make a name for itself.
The company, originally from Boston, was one of nine startups awarded a $50,000 Venture Winston grant from Agile City earlier this year. It also received an undisclosed investment from the Winston-Salem Partners Roundtable as well as $8,000 from Winston Starts’ annual pitch event.
Smoodi offers healthy, fresh and customizable on-the-go smoothies with its proprietary, user-friendly blender that fits on a counter and allows customers to self-serve their desired frozen smoothie cups.
The startup has raised over $2 million to date, said co-founder and Chief Technology Officer Morgan Abraham. He said smoodi is looking to complete a more formal capital raise of $5 million to $10 million.
Coming down to Winston-Salem was like serendipity, Abraham said, with Venture Winston Grants the icing on the cake. While co-founder and CEO Pascal Kriesche remains in Boston, Abraham made the move to the Triad to be closer to Quality Mart, smoodi’s largest client to date, as well as Goldsboro-based Southco, the largest convenience store distribution company in the Carolinas.
The smoothie vending machines can be found at local locations such as Triad-area Quality Marts and Buie’s Market in Winston-Salem.
Abraham declined to disclose how many machines smoodi has deployed but said that the company’s blenders are in three regions in the U.S.. The company is beginning to pilot overseas and he said smoodi has a large waiting list and is ramping up manufacturing as fast as it can.
The company employs four full-time people, as well as about 30 part-time contractors.
The 16-ounce, 100-calories-or-less smoothie cups retail for $5.99 to $7.99, Abraham said. Smoodi's machine – originally built by Abraham and now manufactured through Alibaba – allows customers to select desired thickness, self-cleans between each use and self-sanitizes daily.
Smoodi also has technology that allows it to track each blender individually and log into it if needed. The startup also does its own maintenance servicing if a machine or part breaks down.
Abraham said that smoodi’s goal is to create a premium experience that heightens all five senses, which includes making the machines relatively quiet and having it with a transparent window to see the smoothie-blending process.
Currently, smoodi offers three all-natural, vegan flavors – called Tropical Vibes, Green Energizer and Brain Boost. Smoodi developed its own recipes in-house and sources its fruit and produces the smoothies in Mexico.
Abraham said he is working on an automated device that would allow customers to add boosters, such as protein powder or chia seeds, to their smoothies.
