US-based high-protein crisps manufacturer Wilde Brands has raised $20m of investment in a bid to fuel distribution.
Announcing the news on LinkedIn, the business said the funding would be used “to drive retail expansion, fuel marketing initiatives and pilot new and exciting product innovation”.
The better-for-you snacks group added it plans “to double our business yet again in 2024”.
Private-equity group KarpReilly and Wilde board member, Bill Moses, led the investment round, the company’s founder and CEO, Jason Wright, said through a separate LinkedIn post.
Other investors included The Family Fund & Founder Community, nutritional supplements producer Pharmavite, and plant-based protein drinks maker Koia.
American musicians Machine Gun Kelly and Jack Harlow are also said to have contributed to the round.
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By GlobalData
The group doesn’t have plans to launch another fundraiser “in the near future”, Wright told Just Food.
Wilde declined to comment on the total funding it has raised to date.
Founded in 2015, the Nashville-headquartered business produces a range of high-protein crisps, made from chicken breast, egg whites and bone broth instead of potatoes.
Wilde’s portfolio is made up of seven varieties, including sea salt & vinegar, buffalo chicken, barbeque and spicy queso.
The crisps are manufactured at a processing plant in Lexington, Kentucky, which the group owns and operates.
Its goods are distributed to retailers across the US including Whole Foods, Target, Sprouts, CostCo, and Walmart, among others.
Wilde’s largest sale channels are retail and e-commerce, “especially Amazon“, Wright told Just Food.
“The business has grown like crazy – doubled each year for the last three years and we are expecting another solid growth year in 2024 – which has been amazing to see, and we are really grateful for the support of our current retail partners.”
