LAS VEGAS โ An allergy-friendly snack company received a grant at the 2023 Emerging Brands Summit on Sept. 10 in Las Vegas.
The Emerging Brands Alliance, an organization dedicated to helping consumer products businesses scale manufacturing, awarded $50,000 to Whole & Free Foods LLC, the Chicago-based maker of Every Body Eat snack thins, crispbread crackers and cookies that are free from the top 14 allergens. Whole & Free Foods is building a new facility in Evanston, Ill.
โThis grant will enable us to purchase the packaging equipment โ a vertical form fill sealer โ that will enable us to sell our Every Body Eat thins in a variety of pack sizes, making it easier for people with special diets to eat in some of the most challenging places like airlines, airports, theaters, entertainment and sports venues, colleges, schools and vending,โ said Trish Thomas, founder and chief executive officer of Whole & Free Foods.
To be eligible for the grant, brands must produce and distribute a packaged consumer product in the United States or Canada and have annual revenues of $1 million to $20 million. Finalists included Baozza, Brutus Broth, Carnivore Snax, Char Crust Dry-Rib Seasonings, Dokkaebier, Dream Pops, Flouwer Co., Frutero Natural Foods, Jot Labs, Legally Addictive Foods, OffLimits Holdings, Ritual Zero Proof, Stack St Coffee, Tidal Foods, True Made Foods, Winnie Lou, Animal Health Solutions, Atlantic Sea Farms, B Nutty, BeeFree, Blk & Bold, Chia Smash, Craftmix, Graza, El Guapo, Fabalish, Jaju Pierogi, Kennedy Rice Mill, Lucyโs, Mochidoki, Morenita Foods, NuTreatments, Pacific Pickle Works, Popsalot Gourmet Popcorn, Pulp Pantry, Sugar Bliss, Sugardoh, Sun & Swell, Sweet Laurel, T-Rex Cookie Co., Tarnished Truth Distilling Co. and Coastal Cocktails.
โEvery Body Eat is a mission-based brand on the move,โ said Kim Overstreet, director of the Emerging Brands Alliance. โJurors scored based on product innovation, potential to scale, packaging and a well-articulated plan for how the award money will be used. We canโt wait to see how this impacts Every Body Eat’s growth as they finish their new facility and scale their operations.โ
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