“The demand for thoughtfully-made cookies, snacks, and treats is clear, and we are excited to continue to provide plant-based, safe, and crave-worthy foods to consumers.”

Recently, Partake Foods- a fast-growing vegan cookie brand closed a $4.8 million series A round in funding.

Investors participating in the round included pop star and make-up entrepreneur Rihanna- for whom this was her first investment beyond personal ventures – alongside Marcy Venture Partners, CircleUp Growth Partners, Black Capital, Bobby Wagner, Black Star Fund, Chuck Moth, and John Foraker.

This investment follows a seed round of $1 million in 2018 from some established investors, followed by another round of funding with new investors that include Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter H.E.R. last June.

According to a Forbes report, more than 50% of Partake Foods’ total $7.5 million in funding has come from Black investors such as Jay-Z’s VC fund,  and Marcy Venture Partners.

Woodward plans to invest this new funding in expanding her team, product line, marketing efforts, and retail growth. 

“With this group of strategic partners and added financing, Partake continues our mission of making super delicious and safe food that those with and without dietary restrictions can enjoy,” Founder Denise Woodward said.

“The demand for thoughtfully-made cookies, snacks, and treats is clear, and we are excited to continue to provide plant-based, safe, and crave-worthy foods to consumers.”

Partake Foods

This black female-founded snack company was founded in 2016 after Woodward realized her daughter Vivienne had several food allergies.

Unable to find adequate options, the concerned mother quit her executive job at Coca-Cola to set out to make a brand “that made products that had ingredients I felt good about, that tasted good and was, for lack of a better word, cool enough that people without food allergies would choose to also eat it,” Woodward said. 

The brand in the past four years has grown to include vegan cookies in five crunchy flavors and three soft-baked varieties, all of which are free from the eight major allergenic foods: dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat and soy. In addition, all Partake cookies are gluten-free and non-GMO.

Currently, Partake cookies are available in 2700 stores nationwide, and the brand plans to grow to 5,500 by the end of 2021.

• Read: NBA star Enes Kanter urges people to give ‘vegan a shot’ in new PETA ad

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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