Kellogg Co., Battle Creek, Mich., raised a seed round led by eighteen94 capital, Kellogg’s venture capital arm, in Bright Greens, a Canada maker of blender-free, plant-based frozen smoothies.
"We are excited to partner with eighteen94 and Blu to build our company," says Brian Mitchell, founder and CEO, Bright Greens. "The deep domain expertise and ability to help Bright Greens commercially was a true differentiator among the investors we met."
Bright Greens was founded in 2015 by Brian Mitchell, who started the company in the food incubator Union Kitchen, Washington, D.C. The capital infusion will be used to further product development, sales and marketing and expand the Bright Greens team.
"Bright Greens is reimagining the smoothie, making it more convenient for consumers to get their fruits and vegetables," says Simon Burton, managing director of eighteen94 capital. "We are very impressed with the innovative form factor Brian developed, and we see enormous potential for Bright Greens given the demand for convenience in our culture."
"Our Bright Greens smoothies are a quick and delicious way of getting healthy fruits and vegetables without added sugar or preservatives," Mitchell adds. "The smoothies have a short list of natural ingredients, making them a nutritious and delicious way to start your day."
Bright Greens offers frozen smoothie cubes in Bright Blueberry, Mintergreen, Peaches & Green and Pineapolis flavors. Consumers just add hot water to the frozen cubes and shake for a cold, fresh, fast, convenient and nutritious green smoothie. Bright Greens' products can be found in select Whole Foods markets and more than 1,000 Kroger stores.