USA – PepsiCo has selected ten emerging food and beverage brands that will join its second annual North America Greenhouse program, an initiative aimed at accelerating growth of revolutionary food and beverage brands.

According to the food and beverage giant, the 2020 PepsiCo North America Greenhouse program is designed to support emerging entrepreneurs and brands in the food and beverage industry.

Each of the participating startups will receive US$20,000 in grant funding and participate in a six-month business program designed to accelerate their growth through personalized mentorship.

At the end of the PepsiCo North America Greenhouse program, one company will receive an additional US$100,000 in funding based on the company’s progress, level of collaboration and partnership with the PepsiCo mentors, and the effective use of the initial US$20,000 grant.

That company will also have the opportunity to continue partnering with PepsiCo to further their growth.

This year’s cohort include emerging brands selected PepsiCo North America Greenhouse program are:

  1. Beauty Gourmet (Boulder, CO) – A female-founded company that produces a range of sparkling teas with a focus on promoting health and wellness.
  2. Love Corn (Ho Ho Kus, NJ) – A plant-based startup that created the first delicious Premium Crunchy Corn brand that is a healthy swap for chips, pretzels, and crackers.
  3. MudLrk Snacks (LaPorte, IN) – Crafts plant-based food snacks in three flavors of shiitake, mushroom crisps and jackfruit crisps packaged in proprietary, innovative packaging made from compostable materials.
  4. Numilk – A New York based startup that offers machines and ingredients for grocery stores that allow customers to make their own fresh, plant-based milks in reusable bottles.
  5. Nuttee Bean (Miami, FL) – Makes whole roasted vegan fava bean snacks in three bold flavors: wasabi and ginger, chili and lime, and salt and vinegar.
  6. Shindig (Milwaukee, WI) – Which created a juice that blends all-natural fruit and vegetable ingredients into invigorating, nutritious recipes.
  7. Siren Snacks (San Francisco, CA) – A female-founded brand that makes a line bite-sized snacks that incorporate functional and superfood ingredients.
  8. Spudsy (Costa Mesa, CA) – Made the world’s first certified, non-GMO, vegan, and gluten free sweet potato puff and sources ingredients in a way that reduces food waste.
  9. Superfrau (Cambridge, MA) – Created an electrolyte elixir made with real ingredients in a unique process resulting into a refreshing, thirst-quenching sports drinks that also aims to build a more sustainable food system.
  10.  Synapse (Atlanta, GA) – Offers a plant-based alternative to energy drinks made with zero caffeine or artificial ingredients and harnesses the power of nootropics in a sparkling functional beverage.

The finalists were selected by a committee of leaders within PepsiCo based on their product and brand qualities, how they integrate purpose into their offering, and meet the needs of current and future consumers, communities and/or our planet.

Daniel Grubbs, Managing Director PepsiCo Ventures Group said, “PepsiCo’s Greenhouse program aims to accelerate growth for entrepreneurs who have built purpose-driven brands that are changing the way consumers eat and drink.”

“We provide a grant and mentorship to these companies, and we also draw great value from working closely with the entrepreneurs who are at the forefront of industry trends.”

PepsiCo first launched its Greenhouse program in Europe in 2017 and expanded the program to North America in the fall of 2018, awarding Hapi Drinks, a sugar-free kids drinks company founded with the mission to fight childhood obesity, as the winning brand in the spring of 2019.

Collectively, PepsiCo said that the 10 participating companies in the inaugural North America class grew their average revenues 200 percent through the six-month program.