Dive Brief:
- Daily Greens, a juice company that employs high pressure processing (HPP), has raised $5.5 million in a funding round from a single unnamed investor, according to Austin Business Journal, citing an SEC filing.
- Just over a year prior to this latest investment, Earthbound Farms, a subsidiary of WhiteWave Foods, invested $3 million in Daily Greens in exchange for a 26% minority stake, according to an SEC filing.
- Daily Greens primarily sells its organic green juices and hemp milks at natural food stores, particularly Whole Foods, but some conventional grocery stores, such as H-E-B and Kroger, also carry the company's products.
Dive Insight:
High pressure processing is picking up across the food and beverage industries, with major companies investing in the technology. WhiteWave Foods supports the processing method through Daily Greens, but another juice company that uses HPP is Suja, which has sold minority stakes to Boulder Brands Investment Group L.L.C., Boulder Brands' venture capital arm, in 2013 and Coca-Cola last year. Garden Fresh Gourmet uses HPP for its products, and Campbell acquired the company last June.
HPP remains cost-prohibitive for use on massive production scale, leaving major companies to primarily invest in smaller companies using the technology rather than employing it for themselves. In a few cases, however, major manufacturers have adopted the technology. In 2005, Hormel became the first meat processor to make a significant investment in HPP and commercialize the technology to a national market. Kraft, Perdue, and Foster Farms have also used the technology for various ready-to-eat meat products.
HPP presents an opportunity for natural food makers looking to extend the shelf life of their products without having to use the preservatives and other additives that would negate that "natural" or "organic" label.