THOMASVILLE, GA — Flowers Foods, the baking giant known for its Nature’s Own, Dave’s Killer Bread and Tastykake brands, announced a partnership and investment in Base Culture, a fast-growing, better-for-you brand offering gluten- and grain-free sliced bread and baked goods.
This partnership will allow Base Culture to grow distribution, scale marketing and bolster its current manufacturing to offer products to more consumers.
Jordann Windschauer, CEO and founder of Base Culture, created the company in 2012 after being unable to find all-natural snacks that aligned with her paleo diet and lifestyle. Since then, the company has expanded out of Windschauer’s kitchen into a Clearwater, FL-based manufacturing facility with products available across 15,000 retail stores and online.
“The world of food is constantly evolving and seeing entrepreneurs like Jordann create a vibrant brand that resonates with health-conscious consumers is truly inspiring,” said Ryals McMullian, Flowers Foods president and CEO. “We look forward to supporting Base Culture as it continues to grow.”
“We are delighted that Flowers Foods has chosen to invest in the company, and we believe this is the start of an exciting chapter that will ultimately see Base Culture become a household name.” — Marcel Bens | managing partner and COO | Emil Capital Partners
Base Culture offers all-natural products that are paleo-certified, gluten-, grain-, soy- and dairy-free, as well as non-GMO verified and kosher. Some products are also keto.
“Flowers shares Base Culture’s values of putting people first, refusing to compromise on quality and taste, and driving action with insights. Together, we are committed to reaching more consumers around the country with Base Culture’s cleanly-formulated, high-quality and delicious products,” Windschauer said. “We are eager to partner with Flowers and leverage over a century of industry expertise as we embark on our next phase of growth.”
Flowers Foods joins existing investor group Emil Capital Partners in this investment.
“We have had the privilege of supporting Jordann and her team over the last several years as they reimagine baked goods on shelf, and they have proven to be bold, enterprising and determined every step of the way,” said Marcel Bens, managing partner and COO of Emil Capital Partners. “We are delighted that Flowers Foods has chosen to invest in the company, and we believe this is the start of an exciting chapter that will ultimately see Base Culture become a household name.”
For this transaction, Whipstich Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor to Base Culture.
