Upcycling snack maker wins $100,000 grant from PepsiCo
A Californian-based snack food maker is the winner of a US$100,000 grant as part of PepsiCo’s second annual North America Greenhouse Accelerator program.
Spudsy was chosen as this year’s winner by a committee of leaders within PepsiCo. The company manufactures Sweet Potato Puffs that are certified non-GMO, vegan and gluten-free, and it sources ingredients in a way that reduces food waste by upcycling imperfect and ugly produce.
The six-month business program awarded 10 emerging food and beverage brands the opportunity to partner with PepsiCo as they looked to scale their businesses. PepsiCo mentors from brands including Bare Snacks, KeVita and Stacy’s addressed marketing, distribution, manufacturing, supply chain, packaging, label claims, fundraising and overall challenges related to growing and scaling a business.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions this year, the program switched to a virtual format and e-commerce capabilities became more essential. Therefore, PepsiCo also gave finalists an e-commerce immersion.
“We are so proud of all of the finalists in this year’s Greenhouse program who persevered during a time that has forced companies big and small to rethink and adjust their business strategies,” said Daniel Grubbs, Vice President, PepsiCo Ventures Group. “The Spudsy team was able to not only show tremendous growth in a few short months, but importantly was able to continue to build a strong purpose-driven brand. We look forward to seeing what they do with the $100,000 grant.”
Spudsy rose to the top of the finalists based on their business results during a challenging environment, overall engagement in the program and strong brand purpose. The company’s ‘Save the Spud’ mission helps reduce food waste by upcycling imperfect sweet potatoes to create its sweet potato flour.
“Our mentors really supported us in expanding our subscription business and overall strategy for expansion,” said Ashley Rogers, Founder of Spudsy. “They also helped us navigate the changing consumer landscape during a tricky time. We’re ecstatic to be able to use the $100,000 grant to continue to grow our internal team and support our key retailers.”
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