NurturMe, the family of certified-organic dried baby food and toddler snacks, has secured $1.5 million in growth expansion capital from EcoEnterprises Fund to help accelerate its growth as the first and only brand to offer pure organic quinoa products for babies and toddlers, as well as scale its social and environmental impact.
EcoEnterprises Fund was originally founded under the umbrella of The Nature Conservancy in 1998. NurturMe has also neared completion of a $1.2 million Series B1 round, which has raised equity financing from prestigious angel groups across the United States, including raising a portion of the funds on the crowdfunding platform, CircleUp.
A Certified B Corporation and eco-friendly option within the rapidly growing baby food category, NurturMe has experienced significant growth over the past year with the introduction of its innovative organic quinoa products. Since successfully launching the first-ever line of pure organic quinoa cereals for babies in 2014, the company has tripled its points of distribution and is on a trajectory to double its sales this year. With EcoEnterprise Fund’s guidance, NurturMe will continue to make quinoa an increasingly significant part of its core product offering as well as support the Fund’s charter to improve sustainable agriculture in South America, where its quinoa is sourced.
Tammy Newmark, CEO and Managing Partner at EcoEnterprises Fund, stated:
“NurturMe has done a great job at being innovative in the category and coming out with compelling new products. As a venture fund dedicated to nature, we look for opportunities in not only portfolio diversification, but more importantly, companies and mostly principals, that we can grow. NurturMe was very attractive to us from a growth company perspective, and they’re a natural fit for us based on the fact that our missions and mandates are aligned. We’ve been searching for the right quinoa product to add to our portfolio, and we value the fact that NurturMe supports their suppliers in Latin America.”
In addition to purchasing Fair Trade organic quinoa from local cooperatives instead of large farms in the region, NurturMe has launched a social initiative to support the children of Peru. As part of the new NurturNiños program, a portion of proceeds from all NurturMe quinoa products sold will be donated to support health, education and other basic needs in the farming and surrounding rural areas where its organic quinoa is sourced.
Caroline Freedman, Co-Founder and CEO of NurturMe, explained:
“NurturMe was originally born out of our desire to create a healthier and more sustainable alternative to the traditional options on the baby food aisle. Today, we are thrilled that the EcoEnterprises Fund has afforded us the unique opportunity to not only grow our company and quinoa product lines, but also our efforts toward improving social and environmental responsibility.”
Quinoa is a protein-packed ancient grain with a nutritional profile similar to breast milk, along with other superior benefits – including all essential amino acids, natural fiber, choline and antioxidants. Made from 100 percent supergrain, NurturMe’s Organic Quinoa Baby Cereals are a complete and balanced protein, iron fortified, easily digestible and gluten-free.