QUITO, ECUADOR — LiveKuna, an Ecuadorian superfood company, has announced a Series A round of funding led by bakery titan Grupo Bimbo.
The revered company will partner with LiveKuna on superfood innovations and support its plans to expand distribution throughout the North American region and increase its network of North American farmers.
Before launching LiveKuna, co-founders Carlos Gutierrez and Santiago Stacey set out on a mission to find Ecuadorian farmers who were growing superfoods, setting a precedent to sourcing from family farms. The company now works directly with 500 environmentally friendly farms to source chia and quinoa, telling a story of who, when and where the ingredients come from. The brand’s portfolio includes gluten-free flours, pastas, cereals, seeds and grains in addition to its superfood snack, KunaPops.
“LiveKuna exceeds the expectations of today’s consumers, delivering clean label snacks and traceable ingredients without sacrificing taste,” said Constantino Matouk, director of Bimbo ventures at Grupo Bimbo. “As we double down in the better-for-you category, we know LiveKuna — a purpose-led brand committed to sourcing superfood ingredients from family farms — will push the limits of what’s possible in snacking.”
LiveKuna successfully launched KunaPops in the US this summer at all 364 Sprouts Farmers Market locations. Revenue for the quinoa and chia puffed snacks doubled from 2020 to 2021 YTD, already proving to be a major growth-driver for the brand. The brand expects some serious growth in the future and will introduce sweet KunaPops in cereal and snack formats in Q1.
“Both LiveKuna and Grupo Bimbo have exciting advancements on the horizon,” said Stacey, who is not only the brand’s co-founder but also CEO. “Joining forces to help push the food category forward was a no brainer. As we look to launch new innovations, we’re positive our synergy will help create even better healthy options for consumers.”
The two companies began working together in July 2020 when Grupo Bimbo selected LiveKuna from a pool of applicants to develop a superfood bread. Furthering their partnership, a Grupo Bimbo representative will join LiveKuna’s board of directors, adding to the brand’s industry expertise.
“We’re thrilled to bring Grupo Bimbo’s experts into the fold,” said Gutiérrez, who is also LiveKuna president. “They have a long history of working with top CPG brands in the food industry, and their category know-how will be instrumental in evolving the LiveKuna brand.”
LiveKuna offers an omnichannel experience to consumers, with products available at regional and national retailers and online at Sprouts Farmers Market, Ralphs, Amazon, SnackMagic, Gopuff and beyond.
