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Top CPG Startups to Watch (and Work for) in 2023

July 14, 2023
      |      Kieran Ryan
hand pouring an olipop into a glass next to a bunch of other olipop cans closed

My Background

Hi, I'm Kieran! I worked in startups for five years at On Deck and Wefunder. Some of my favorite things that I've worked on during my career include:

  • Wefunder Workaway: 12 founders working on a new idea, 7 days, 1 mansion in Hawaii. One of the teams we picked raised a Series A from Andreessen Horowitz, and two people who met during the trip got married...
  • On Deck: As employee #15, I contributed to the startup's growth from no revenue to a $20 million run rate in less than a year. I led the team that built the admission infrastructure to support and scale ~20 fellowships for founders, capital allocators, operators, and creators.
  • XX: Worked on a pre-YC accelerator program that invested $125K on an MFN SAFE into 8-10 teams per cohort.
  • ODX: Worked on a $100 million accelerator program that invested $125K for 7% into 100s of startups. We partnered with leaders like Flexport to build vertical industry tracks around supply chain & logistics, etc.
  • Ryan Marketing: Created an influencer marketing startup (2 million+ Instagram followers) during college with my twin brother and realized early that monetization for creators was broken. I learned a lot, and it paid enough to cover my schooling, rent, and meals.

The Methodology

I considered several data points to arrive at the startups selected on this list, including company traction, funding raised, valuation, and investors. From my initial list, I then referenced each startup with my personal network to narrow down the list to the one you see below. I take my credibility seriously, so I do not take any money from startups who want to be included on this list to remain impartial. If you want to understand my analysis of startups and prefer long-form content, read my research on the top startups of 2023 afterward.

Prime Hydration logo

Prime Hydration

Sports and energy drinks.

Headquarters

Louisville, Kentucky

Industry

Food & Beverage, DTC, Creators

Founded

2022

Funding

$21.1 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • In its first full year of operations, Prime Hydration reported $250 million in retail sales.
  • As of June 2023, Prime Hydration has 1.6 million Instagram followers, 14K Facebook followers, and 389.5K Twitter followers.
  • In June 2022, Prime Hydration reported $10 million worth of bottles in 2 months of operations.
Partake Foods Logo

Partake Foods

Super delicious cookies.

Headquarters

New York, New York

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2016

Funding

$21.3 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Partake Foods has 77.3K Instagram followers, 5.8K Twitter followers, 15K Facebook followers, and 1.3K TikTok followers.
  • As of June 2023, Partake Foods is in 11,000+ stores, up from 9,000 in October 2022 and 5,000 at the end of 2021, including Target, Whole Foods, Walmart, and Kroger.
  • Partake Foods' revenue increased 200% between 2020 and 2021 and 100% between 2021 and 2022.
Serenity Kids Logo

Serenity Kids

Baby food company.

Headquarters

Austin, Texas

Industry

Food & Beverage, DTC

Founded

2016

Funding

$11.5 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Serenity Kids has rated 5/5 stars from 5,020 reviews on its website.
  • In 2020, Serenity Kids doubled its revenue over the previous year.
  • As of June 2021, Serenity Kids was on pace to increase its revenue by 150% over 2020.
OLIPOP Logo

OLIPOP

A new kind of soda.

Headquarters

Oakland, California

Industry

Food & Beverage, DTC

Founded

2017

Funding

$55.4 million

Valuation

$200 million

Traction

  • As of June 2023, OLIPOP has rated 4.63/5 stars from 9,257 reviews on its website. 
  • As of June 2023, OLIPOP has 221K Instagram followers, 17K Facebook followers, 4.3K Twitter followers, and 233.9K TikTok followers.
  • As of April 2023, OLIPOP is on pace to cross $200 million in annual sales this year.
  • As of April 2023, OLIPOP is in 20,000 retail locations, including Whole Foods, Walmart, Target, Sam’s Club, and Kroger.
Sunwarrior Logo

Sunwarrior

100% plant-based proteins and supplements.

Headquarters

Washington, Utah

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2008

Funding

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Sunwarrior has 111K Instagram followers, 597K Facebook followers, 27.8K Twitter followers, 1.5K TikTok followers, and 30.8K Youtube followers.
  • As of 2020, Sunwarrior had $168 million in lifetime sales and was sold in 12,000 stores.
Pipsnacks Logo

Pipsnacks

Popcorn, cheese balls, and corn chips.

Headquarters

New York, New York

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2012

Funding

$15.8 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Pipsnacks has more than 25,000 distribution points, including Sprouts, Whole Foods, Wegmans, CVS, Thrive, and Costco.
  • As of June 2023, Pipsnacks has 18.3K Facebook followers, 32.5K Instagram followers, and 3.7K Twitter followers.
  • In 2021, Pipsnacks popped more than 10 million kernels daily.
Petit Pot Logo

Petit Pot

French dessert.

Headquarters

Emeryville, California

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2015

Funding

$2.9 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Petit Pot has 30.3K Instagram followers, 6.2K Facebook followers, and 2.1K TikTok followers.
  • As of July 2022, Petit Pot was available in 6,000 retail stores, up from 1,700 in February 2019, including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Targets, Bristol Farms, and Lassen’s.
nutpods Logo

nutpods

Dairy-free coffee creamer.

Headquarters

Bellevue, Washington

Industry

Food & Beverage, DTC

Founded

2013

Funding

$35.1 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, nutpods has 137K Instagram followers, 34K Facebook followers, and 4.5K TikTok followers.
  • As of July 2019, nutpods was the #3 brand in the plant-based creamor category.
  • Between July 2018 and 2019, nutpods grew by 250% and expanded into 15,000 new retailers.
The Good Crisp Company Logo

The Good Crisp Company

Flavored potato crisps.

Headquarters

Boulder, Colorado

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2014

Funding

$5.3 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, The Good Crisp Company has 33.9K Instagram followers and 4.4K Facebook followers.
  • As of December 2021, The Good Crisp Company was available in 13,000 retail stores, up from 7,000 in April 2019, across the US, Canada, and Australia, including Walmart and Whole Foods.
  • As of December 2021, The Good Crisp Company was on pace for ~$30 million in sales for the year.
  • In 2020, The Good Crisp Company did $14 million in sales, 2x over the previous year.
Cali'flour Foods Logo

Cali’flour Foods

Low-carb cauliflower-based comfort foods.

Headquarters

Chico, California

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2016

Funding

Undisclosed

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Cali’flour Foods has 246K Instagram followers, 210K Facebook followers, 11K Youtube subscribers, and 10.8K Twitter followers.
  • As of May 2019, Cali’flour Foods was available in 3,000+ retail locations.
Koia Logo

Koia

Plant-based protein and keto shakes, drinks, and smoothies.

Headquarters

Los Angeles, California

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2014

Funding

$7.5 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Koia has 91.8K Instagram followers, 47K Facebook followers, 177.6K TikTok followers, and 1.3K Twitter followers.
  • As of February 2023, Koia was available in 25,000 stores, up from 17,000 in April 2022.
  • In 2021, Koia reported 35 million bottles sold, 100% YoY revenue growth, and a 400% increase in sales within the past three years.
  • In 2019, Koia added 4,000+ new retail stores, including Publix and Safeway.
GEM Vitamins Logo

GEM Vitamins

The first real food vitamin subscription.

Headquarters

Venice, California

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2018

Funding

$10.5 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, GEM Vitamins has 88.3K Instagram followers and 31K Facebook followers.
  • As of June 2023, GEM Vitamins reports they have delivered 10 million+ vitamin bites, up from 8 million in June 2021, to consumers.
  • As of June 2021, GEM Vitamins ranked in the 97th percentile of all vitamin and supplement brands tracked by CircleUp.
  • In 2020, GEM Vitamins grew revenue by 400%.
Everything Legendary Logo

Everything Legendary

Plant-based burgers.

Headquarters

Upper Marlboro, Maryland

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2021

Funding

$6.3 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Everything Legendary has rated 3.1/5 stars from 20 ratings on Amazon and 3.5/5 stars from 43 ratings on Target.
  • As of February 2022, Everything Legendary was in 1,500 stores, including Target, Walmart, Safeway, and Publix.
Pop & Bottle Logo

Pop & Bottle

Pure organic almond and oat lattes.

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2014

Funding

$5.2 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Pop & Bottle has 69.9K Instagram followers and 2.2K TikTok followers.
  • As of February 2023, Pop & Bottle was available in 10,000+ retail stores, including Whole Foods and Walmart.
Amara Logo

Amara

Organic baby food.

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2012

Funding

$12.8 million

Valuation

$100 million

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Amara has 61.4K Instagram followers, 6.6K Facebook followers, and 1K TikTok followers.
  • Between March 2020 and November 2021, Amara grew from 100 stores to 1,000 stores, including Walmart, Whole Foods, Amazon, and Costco.
Green Girl Bakeshop Logo

Green Girl Bakeshop

Dairy and gluten-free ice cream sandwiches and gelato.

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2011

Funding

N/A

Valuation

N/A

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Green Girl Bakeshop has 10.8K Instagram followers and 915 Facebook followers.
Partake Brewing Logo

Partake Brewing

Great tasting non-alcoholic beer.

Headquarters

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2017

Funding

$20.5 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Partake Brewing has 16K Instagram followers, 12K Facebook followers, 1.7K Twitter followers, and 211 TikTok followers.
  • As of March 2021, Partake Brewing was available in 5,000+ retail stores, including Total Wine, Whole Foods Pacific Northwest, Wegmans, BevMo!, Ralphs, Vons, and Pavilions.
Wave Soda Logo

Wave Soda

Healthy soda alternative.

Headquarters

San Marcos, California

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2017

Funding

Undisclosed

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Wave Soda has 17.7K Instagram followers, 10.3K Twitter followers, and 27K Facebook followers.
  • As of March 2022, Wave Soda was in 3,120 retail locations, up from 2,800 in 2021 and 1,630 in 2020.
Rowdy Energy Logo

Rowdy Energy

Energy drink company.

Headquarters

Mooresville, North Carolina

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2019

Funding

$13 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Rowdy Energy has 47.7K Instagram followers, 18K Facebook followers, 9.8K TikTok followers, and 13.7K Twitter followers.
  • As of May 2021, Rowdy Energy is available in 25,000+ retail stores, including Publix, Albertsons, H-E-B, Food Lion, Circle-K, CVS, Casey's General Store, Murphy USA, and WaWa.
  • As of May 2021, Rowdy Energy had the second highest proportion of 5-star reviews when compared to 14 competitor brands in a study conducted by CircleUp.
Roar Organic Logo

Roar Organic

An electrolyte drink.

Headquarters

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2012

Funding

$11.6 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, Roar Organic has 20.9K Instagram followers and 3.5K Facebook followers.
  • In 2022, Roar Organic increased its gross revenue by 116% over the previous years. 
IQBAR Logo

IQBAR

Keto protein bars.

Headquarters

Boston, Massachusetts

Industry

Food & Beverage

Founded

2017

Funding

$10.4 million

Valuation

Undisclosed

Traction

  • As of June 2023, IQBAR is available in 8,000 retailers across the US, up from 6,000 in October 2019, including Kroger and CVS pharmacies.
  • As of June 2023, IQBAR has 23.4K Instagram followers, 4.4K Facebook followers, 762 Twitter followers, and 867 TikTok followers.
  • IQBAR rated 7 out of 1500 nutrition bar brands based on data generated by CircleUp’s Helio platform.

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