MetaBrand Capital, a “conscious capital” private equity fund and the new investment pillar of MetaBrand, has invested $5.75 million in Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Runa LLC, supporting the growth of the natural, healthy-energy food and beverage category.
Taking the “triple-bottom-line” approach to corporate social responsibility one step further, MetaBrand founder and longtime natural products entrepreneur Eric Schnell embraces the “quadruple bottom-line,” a socially and environmentally aware business philosophy dedicated to people, planet, profit – and purpose. MetaBrand helps companies quickly and efficiently develop winning formulations for natural product concepts that are on-trend and efficacious, regulation-compliant, and scalable, the company said in a statement. Through the MetaBrand Capital fund, the company will primarily focus on growth capital investments in the food, beverage, nutrition and natural and organic product industries with strategic partners that embody and embrace a similar socially conscious business approach.
“This is the first major investment for MetaBrand Capital,” said Schnell. “Runa represents all the criteria that we see in the quadruple bottom-line business model. MetaBrand has previously partnered with Runa to help pioneer the healthy energy beverage category, and this strategic partnership allowed us to see that Runa truly is a perfect example of what a conscious capital investor cares about – fair trade, organic and natural, socially responsible with a strong moral obligation to give back. We absolutely believe in Runa’s authentic story, vision and potential for the brand. The investment was the natural progression of our commitment to their mission.”
Other notable investors joined MetaBrand Capital in the round, including Mark Rampolla, founder of Zico; and Brian Krumrei, managing director, TSG Consumer Partners; plus investors from the music and entertainment industry, including Jon Fishman, drummer for the band Phish; and Coran Capshaw, founder of artist management company Red Light Management.
Runa, co-founded in 2009 by college classmates Tyler Gage and Dan MacCombie, is a privately held company that sells beverages made from guayusa leaves, a native Amazonian super-leaf with as much caffeine as a cup of coffee and double the polyphenols of leading green tea products. Unlike traditional teas, guayusa has no tannins, so it tastes surprisingly smooth and naturally sweet. Indigenous peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon have brewed guayusa like tea for thousands of years as an essential part of what makes them “runa” – fully alive.
With a mission to improve the livelihoods of indigenous farmers in the Amazon, Runa’s founders believe that consumers everywhere can benefit from the bounty of the rainforest without destroying it, starting with the people who live there. Runa works directly with more than 3,000 indigenous farming families that are partners in Runa’s fair-trade relationship. The guayusa is also grown organically in traditional forest gardens that help protect the rainforest.
“We’re anticipating strong multi-category growth of the guayusa ingredient, and we’re truly excited to work with the powerhouse MetaBrand team in our efforts to become a leading brand and ingredient platform in the organic, specialty and conventional markets,” said Gage. “With this new investment, we plan to increase our support of the distributors and retailers that have helped us build our brand so far, and go deeper in key markets where Runa is growing. We are committed to being focused and targeted with our sales growth, and are excited to educate more consumers about the benefits of guayusa and the spirit of the Runa brand.”
