Chilau Foods has a line of Southern-inspired stew and boil bases. The company opened a crowdfunding round in January 2024, working its way toward its $1 million goal needed for expansion.

“The Chilau brand was developed by listening to our customers, and I am thrilled to give our early backers the opportunity to own a piece of the brand and grow with us,” said Michael Anderson, founder of Chilau Foods. “As Chilau Foods continues its rapid growth into retail, this community round of funding will play a crucial role in expanding our presence and meet growing demand.”

Plant Press is formulating a better-for-you energy drink it markets as “clean caffeine.” The beverages are formulated with electrolytes, vitamins and are free from preservatives, artificial sugars, gums, and  food colorings. The brand’s energy drinks are available in grapefruit ginger, passionfruit peach and watermelon varieties.

Co-founders Liam Gostencnik and Tim O’Sullivan are aiming to enhance the alcoholic beverage consumption experience without having the negative side effects the next day. Bae Juice is considered a natural option for hangovers with it being 100% Korean pear juice packaged in a pouch. The co-founders encourage consumers to drink Bae Juice before an alcoholic beverage and the next morning to lower the chances of a hangover.  

Pleese Cheese is looking to enter the pizza market with a plant-based pizza cheese formulated from fava bean protein, potato and coconut oil.

Paro launched in February 2023 with Tarka oil and ready-to-eat, homestyle South Asian inspired meals that feature lentils, spices, and basmati rice. The meals are ready to eat within 25 to 30 minutes by adding the mixes to boiling water.

The company got its start after first-generation Pakastani American Umaimah Sharwani moved to New York and struggled to re-create her childhood meals and often missed her mother’s home-cooked dishes. With the help of her mother Paro, whom the business is named after, Sharwani started her consumer packaged goods company based on her mother’s cooking expertise.

Griffin Spolansky, above, co-founder and CEO of Mezcla, founded the company with CoCo Sotelo in 2019.

Plant-based protein bar company Mezcla formulates its products with pea protein crisps, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, nut butters, and added flavors like pistachio and blueberry. The company recently raised $4 million in a Series A funding round, led by existing investors Dream Ventures and Santatera Capital, said Spolansky.

Farm to Summit manufactures dehydrated, plant-based meals that may be prepared in minutes by pouring boiling water into omni-degradable bags. Omni-degradable bags can break down in any environment where microbes are present, even in a landfill, according to the company.

A Friendly Bread offers a frozen grilled cheese that uses sourdough bread to offer consumers a convenient frozen product that would be perceived as a premium item.

“I originally began (this) as a fresh bread business in 2018 and started selling at farmers markets and doing bread delivery,” said Lane Levine, founder of A Friendly Bread. “When we would be at farmers markets, customers would come up to me and show me photos of what they were doing with my sourdough product; turning them into gourmet foods.”

Startup Equii is seeking to differentiate within the bread category by offering consumers healthy, balanced nutrition in a sustainable way. The company has developed a proprietary approach to discovering microbial proteins that may be used to ferment grains and produce high-protein grain flours.

Equii currently markets four sliced bread products — wheat, wheat with fiber, a multi-grain variety and a multi-grain variety with added fiber. The wheat and multigrain varieties feature 10 grams of protein per serving while the stock-keeping units with added fiber offer 8 grams of protein per serving.

Fair and Square Crackers are seeking to be a healthier snack for consumers facing dietary restrictions.

Alex Duong, founder, formulated the crackers with the intent of improving the consumers’ overall gut health. The crackers are gluten-free and plant-based. The main ingredient making the crackers gut-friendly is green banana flour, due to its high fiber content that supports healthy digestion.