SCOTTSBLUFF, Neb.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blue Prairie Brands, Inc., a developer of functional foods and ingredients that benefit consumer health while providing functional benefits to foods themselves, is pleased to announce that it has completed its $6 million Series A Investment round. The financing was led by S2G Ventures with co-investors Middleland Capital, DSM Venturing B.V., Invest Nebraska, and a strategic venture fund. This round of financing will support pilot product launches and continued production capacity expansion.
Blue Prairie Brands’ flagship product is a slightly sweet flour made from chicory roots grown in Western Nebraska. Chicory is the primary commercial source of inulin fiber, and Blue Prairie Brands’ proprietary chicory flour is an easy-to-formulate ingredient that offers drop-in replacement potential for replacing starch and added sugars in existing food products. Moreover, it delivers health and functional benefits to other new product opportunities where inulin isolates are simply not compatible with production processes (e.g., extruded products like pasta, snacks, puffs and flakes) or are cost prohibitive.
A growing body of science supports the vital role that gut bacteria (often referred to as probiotics or gut microbiome) plays in a person’s overall health, with impact on body weight, digestion, appetite, and well-being. The composition of the gut microbiome is directly impacted by the food we eat, and high prebiotic fiber ingestion (food for good bacteria) helps maintain healthy flora in the gut. With about 80 percent total fiber, chicory root is one of the highest sources of prebiotic fiber made by nature. And with the average adult eating significantly less than the recommended amount of dietary fiber, chicory flour can make a significant impact on public health.
“Completion of an oversubscribed Series A reflects investor recognition of consumer demand for whole-food and natural methods of enhancing nutrition and texture in foods,” said David Woodburn, CEO of Blue Prairie Brands. “Fantastically nutritious by itself, our chicory flour serves as the missing link in many gluten-free and ‘free-from’ foods by contributing nutrition, texture, and extended freshness.”
“Consumer scrutiny of food product labels for unnatural or unrecognizable ingredients is becoming the new norm. CPG companies are acutely aware of this, and are continuously looking for novel products that afford a clean-label advantage over competitors,” commented Scott Horner, Managing Director with Middleland Capital. “As such, Blue Prairie Brands is extremely well positioned to leverage their healthy, all-natural products that enable the moderation of added sugars, starches, and other heavily processed ingredients. We look forward to working with the team to drive the success of the company.”
About Blue Prairie Brands
Blue Prairie Brands, Inc. is a
privately-held functional food company dedicated to discovering,
developing, and bringing to market novel foods and ingredients that
benefit the health of consumers while providing functional benefits to
foods themselves. Blue Prairie Brands completed a seed funding round in
2015 and is continuing the operational expansion and commercial launch
of its novel flour made from chicory roots grown in Western Nebraska.
For more information, please visit www.blueprairiebrands.com or www.chicoryflour.com.
