Oakland, CA—Kuli Kuli closed a deal with Griffith Foods and Kellogg for $5M series B financing to make the superfood moringa a common household ingredient, according to a press release.
The release states that Griffith Foods and eighteen94, Kellogg Company’s venture capital fund, led the investment. Other investors include InvestEco, S2G Ventures, Authentic Ventures, VilCap Investments, Rocana Venture Partners, Portfolia, Astia Angels, Next Wave Impact, and individuals from Golden Seeds.
Kuli Kuli is a mission-based company that produces the superfood moringa as powder, bars, and shots. According to the release, the investment is to launch the moringa ingredient business while continuing previous production. The release also states that Griffith Foods plans to include moringa in ingredient offerings for foodservice customers, processors, retailers and distributors in 30 countries.
Lisa Curtis, Kuli Kuli’s founder and CEO, is proud of the investment made in Kuli Kuli: “After eighteen94 capital led Kuli Kuli’s Series A financing in 2017, Kuli Kuli’s retail business tripled. We’re thrilled to continue to partner with Kellogg to grow our retail business while partnering with Griffith Foods to expand into the foodservice and ingredient space.”
Moringa has a similar taste to matcha, and provides protein, vitamins, health benefits, and versatile applications within foods, according to the release. A study at Rutgers University found that moringa may contain more potent anti-inflammatory properties than turmeric.
According to the release, moringa is the fastest growing green supplement, with growth of 460% between years 2014-2017, as shown by the NEXT Trend database.