The cash injection will allow the brand – which makes roasted kale, kale chips, beet chips and broccoli bites - to boost distribution, expand capacity, support sales and marketing initiatives and launch new products, said Jensen.
“We’ll double to triple capacity by the end of the year with some of the equipment we’re putting in. We’ll also be launching some new products and supporting them with pretty deep investment in field marketing and trade marketing.”
Beet chips, which Rhythm Superfoods launched in early 2016, have been a hit, he said: “It’s the highest velocity item we have on shelves right now.”
As for kale, “the girl that bought me to the dance,” he said, “I think we have another year, to year and a half of distribution growth… and we’re going to have another 20-30% growth in sales of kale, so it’s certainly not over for kale chips.”
New products will focus on nutrient density, he said: "We try not to make our movements based on what the chefs in New York City or San Francisco are saying should be the next big thing. We aim for nutrient density and try to make something shelf-stable and delicious."
Asked about online sales, he said: “[Bricks & mortar] retail is still 95% of our sales, but … in the last quarter our online sales tripled.”
Interested in healthy snacking trends? Tune into our FREE-to-attend online Snacking Innovation Summit on Feb 15, where you can hear from Dang Foods, Peeled Snacks, Field Trip Jerky, Protes and board advisor and guru Brad Barnhorn.