The Honest Stand, Denver, Colo., announced the completion of a $1 million seed round with The Giorgi Cos., Inc. (TGCI), Berks County, Pa. The Honest Stand will use the funds to provide working capital and sales and marketing resources to support growth.

“As a 90-year-old company in the agricultural and retail space, we are very clear on the consumer trends that are driving and transforming grocery,” says Brian Loiseau, senior vice president of sales, marketing and business development for TGCI’s foods division. “[Co-founders] Alex [Carone] and Jeremy [Day] are passionate and talented young entrepreneurs who have tremendous energy and a strong sense of purpose. Building a new food brand is very hard work. We have no doubt that this team has the discipline, drive and commitment to quality to build a trusted national brand among rising plant-based consumers.”      

“Our driving vision from the start was to develop plant-based convenient comfort foods that served growing dietary needs while not compromising on ingredients, taste or texture,” says Carone, who also serves as chief operating officer.

“Our grassroots company story and commitment to manufacturing excellence is genuinely exciting to share with retailers,” adds Day, who also serves as chief executive officer. “They understand the growing significance of this category and the desire of their shoppers to connect with authentic brands. “We’re so excited about this milestone partnership with The Giorgi Cos. With access to the capital and strategic support that TGCI brings to the table, we are well positioned to continue to grow our retailer partnerships nationwide while providing increased marketing support to connect our brand with new consumers.”