33 Exploding Food and Beverage Companies & Startups (2025)
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They might not grab headlines like SaaS startups, consumer tech companies, or e-commerce juggernauts.
But food and beverage startups are every bit as creative and exciting.
By leveraging technology, these startups have created new markets in everything from gourmet delicacies to time-saving food delivery services.
Discover some of the hottest startups in the food and beverage space below.
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1. Liquid Death
5-year search growth: 550%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2017
Location: Los Angeles, California
Funding: $267.6M (Series Unknown)
What they do: Liquid Death takes a unique approach to marketing its canned water by targeting the younger demographic with edgy, bold branding that stands out from traditional water brands. This tallboy canned water brand helps customers “murder their thirst.” The company also launched new flavored sparkling waters and iced teas.
2. Meati
5-year search growth: 277%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2016
Location: Boulder, Colorado
Funding: $483M (Series C)
What they do: Developing high-protein, sustainable, and environmentally friendly meat alternatives, Meati is pushing the boundaries in the plant-based meat industry. All Meati products are whole-food protein meals made completely from mushroom root.
3. NotCo
5-year search growth: 104%
Search growth status: Regular
Year founded: 2015
Location: Santiago, Chile
Funding: $466M (Series D)
What they do: NotCo uses the Giuseppe artificial intelligence program to create plant-based food products. NotMilk, NotChicken, and NotBeef taste and feel like animal-derived counterparts, but all ingredients are 100% plant-based. Giuseppe has quickly taken Notco from start-up to unicorn status.
4. Tru Fru
5-year search growth: 8,900%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2017
Location: Salt Lake City, Utah
Funding: Undisclosed
What they do: Tru Fru is a chocolate-covered fruit snack brand that offers frozen (Hyper-Chilled) and shelf-stable (Hyper-Dried) options. The fast-growing snack brand increased sales by 104% in 2023 to over $84 million in revenue.
5. Ryze Superfoods
5-year search growth: 7,000%
Search growth status: Regular
Year founded: 2019
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Funding: $2.2M (Seed Round)
What they do: Ryze Superfoods is an all-natural mushroom coffee brand. Their coffee is made with six medicinal mushrooms, including cordyceps, lion's mane, reishi, shiitake, turkey tail, and king trumpet. In 2024, Ryze Superfoods has more than 30,000 customers purchasing coffee and matcha subscriptions.
6. Bilt Rewards
5-year search growth: 8,300%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2021
Location: New York, NY
Funding: $563.3M (Series B)
What they do: Wildway takes pride in its all-natural, good-for-you range of snacks. They’ve kept their product line lean so far, focusing on Keto Hot Cereal, Snack Mixes, and Grain-Free Granola as their signature products.
Wildway’s been featured in major publications like Women’s Health and Paleo Magazine.
7. Everyday Dose
5-year search growth: 2,400%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2021
Location: Miami, Florida
Funding: $5.4M (Series A)
What they do: Everyday Dose is a coffee substitute startup that uses functional mushroom blends, collagen protein, and nootropics like L-theanine and Huperzia Serrata. Unlike a traditional cup of coffee, the brand uses much less caffeine (45mg per serving), so it can be used on its own or added to a regular coffee. The company sells both mushroom coffee and mushroom matcha blends.
8. Brewbird
5-year search growth: 62%
Search growth status: Regular
Year founded: 2012
Location: San Mateo, California
Funding: Undisclosed (Series A)
What they do: Brewbird is aiming to build a technology platform that “scales the specialty coffee experience”, providing a marketplace for entrepreneurial roasters to sell their coffee through Brewbird.
Brewbird’s signature product is a single-serve coffee brewer that uses whole bean pods. Through Brewbird’s marketplace, the independent coffee roaster will be able to sell their prized product in a single-serve format. Single-serve coffee is an enormous market. As of 2020, 40% of Americans own a single-serve coffee machine.
9. Rheal
5-year search growth: 438%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2017
Location: Newcastle, United Kingdom
Funding: $13.8M (Equity Crowdfunding)
What they do: Rheal is a food startup that offers plant-based, ready-to-eat meals delivered straight to customers' doors. Their meals are made with sustainably-sourced ingredients and are free from dairy, gluten, and refined sugar. They aim to provide healthy and convenient options for those with busy lifestyles who want to prioritize their health and the environment.
10. Cometeer
5-year search growth: 2,633%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2015
Location: Gloucester, Massachusetts
Funding: $85M (Series B)
What they do: Cometeer is an American coffee technology and manufacturing company based in Gloucester, Massachusetts, known for its advanced brewing technology and flash-freezing process. The company sources high-quality beans from renowned roasters like Intelligentsia and Counter Culture, packaging the coffee in fully recyclable aluminum capsules to emphasize sustainability and convenience.
Cometeer primarily targets coffee enthusiasts seeking premium, convenient, and eco-friendly coffee solutions.
11. Goodles
5-year search growth: 4,350%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2020
Location: Santa Cruz, CA
Funding: $23.2M (Series A)
What they do: Goodles is a brand that offers gluten-free and vegan-friendly noodle products, particularly focusing on mac and cheese. Their products are designed to mimic the taste and texture of classic mac and cheese while providing added nutritional benefits, such as being enriched with protein, fiber, and plant-based nutrients.
Goodles primarily targets health-conscious consumers, including those with dietary restrictions, who seek nutritious and convenient meal options.
12. OLIPOP
5-year search growth: 2,067%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2017
Location: Oakland, California
Funding: $234M (Series C)
What they do: To combat the unhealthy ingredients in traditional soda, OLIPOP created a brand of prebiotic sodas that contain low sugar, plant-based ingredients, fiber, and prebiotics. It's available in many popular soda pop flavors, such as root beer, cola, and orange cream. OLIPOP was valued at $1.85B in early 2025.
13. Katkin
5-year search growth: 577%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2019
Location: London, UK
Funding: $28.1M
What they do: A company that creates personalized, fresh, and perfectly portioned meal plans for cats. Katkin differentiates itself by considering factors like age, weight, activity level, and current body shape to ensure optimal nutrition for each cat. The service is primarily targeted at cat owners who seek high-quality, tailored nutrition for their pets.
14. Voyage Foods
5-year search growth: 3,200%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2021
Location: Oakland, California
Funding: $117.2M (Series A)
What they do: A company that combines analytical chemistry, sensory, flavor science, and data analytics to innovate with natural materials. Voyage Foods differentiates itself by developing unique food products such as nut-free spreads, cocoa-free chocolate, and bean-free coffee, leveraging the expertise of talented food scientists and CPG experts.
The company's offerings are particularly beneficial for individuals with food allergies or dietary restrictions seeking alternative food options.
15. Bevi
5-year search growth: 40%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2013
Location: Boston, Massachusetts
Funding: $130.3M (Series D)
What they do: Bevi is a beverage startup. They’ve created the Bevi Bottleless Water Dispensers, which are essentially commercial-grade office-ready smart dispensers for sparkling (or plain) water in the office.
Dispensing is done entirely through a smartphone app with no touching of dirty screens required. Bevi has smart internet monitoring to make sure flavor supplies remain stocked and alert the office manager when anything is wrong with them.
A large Series D round means that Bevi can get a head start on modernizing the outdated office vending machines and water fountains, and make them relics of the past.
16. Remedy Organics
5-year search growth: 147%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2014
Location: Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey
Funding: Undisclosed (Non-Equity Assistance)
What they do: One of ten companies that PepsiCo sees as the future of food and beverage, NJ-based Remedy makes plant-based juices and smoothies that are packed with popular ingredients like cocoa, MCT oil, dates, and more. Sleek packaging and thoughtful, focused product lines also help drive Remedy’s growing market share.
17. Thistle
5-year search growth: 27%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2013
Location: San Francisco, California
Funding: $24M (Series B)
What they do: Thistle is a DTC subscription offering healthy salads and vegan or vegetarian options. With a similar business model to Freshly and other meal delivery providers, Thistle has taken the angle of being the healthy go-to choice in the marketplace.
In addition to their healthy meal offerings, Thistle also makes their own cold-pressed juices that can be added to a meal plan or delivered individually.
18. Dash Water
5-year search growth: 50%
Search growth status: Regular
Year founded: 2017
Location: London, England
Funding: $23.2M (Series A)
What they do: Dash Water is a sustainable beverage startup that produces sparkling water infused with an assortment of fruit and vegetable flavors. The company aims to reduce food waste by utilizing imperfect produce that would otherwise go to waste, and their packaging is 100% recyclable.
19. LMNT
5-year search growth: 3,233%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2019
Location: Naples, Florida
Funding: $3.3M (Series A)
What they do: LMNT is a brand of zero-sugar electrolyte drink mixes that support hydration and electrolyte balance in the body. Each LMNT pack is mixed with water and contains 1000 mg of sodium, 200 mg of potassium, and 60 mg of magnesium. The brand also offers canned electrolyte sparkling water.
20. Cozymeal
5-year search growth: -29%
Search growth status: Regular
Year founded: 2014
Location: San Francisco, California
Funding: Undisclosed (Series A)
What they do: Cozymeal has dug out a niche in the food and beverage space by providing a marketplace that matches local chefs with teams or individuals who are looking for memorable cooking classes. Users can choose which city they want to take a class in, what kind of dish (risotto or Spanish tapas, or sushi) they want to learn how to cook, and then book.
During the pandemic, Cozymeal pivoted to offering select cooking classes online. Everything from mixology to whisky tasting is still on offer for company team-building activities or the individual connoisseur.
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21. Snackpass
5-year search growth: 27%
Search growth status: Regular
Year founded: 2017
Location: San Francisco, California
Funding: $95.6M (Series B)
What they do: Snackpass brings quick-serve restaurants online. Customers can pre-order takeout at local restaurants with no markups or hidden fees. Menus also automatically update with new pricing and listings.
The social aspect of the app has caused its popularity to explode. Users earn points with each order for future discounts. They can also share and gift points to their friends on the platform, incentivizing users to track their friends’ activities and share rewards.
22. Hungryroot
5-year search growth: 207%
Search growth status: Peaked
Year founded: 2015
Location: New York, New York
Funding: $75.4M (Series C)
What they do: Hungryroot is a meal planning and online grocery startup. Customers can access customizable meal plans, recipes, and grocery add-ons to automate their shopping.
Customers take a quick look when they sign up and get matched with a personalized plan based on family size, dietary restrictions, etc. Plans start at $65+ per delivery.
23. Tovala
5-year search growth: 144%
Search growth status: Peaked
Year founded: 2015
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Funding: $68.6M (Series C)
What they do: Tovala is a food-tech startup that delivers fresh meals every week. The twist is that these meals can be cooked in one minute using the Tovala Smart Oven.
The Smart Oven is programmed with cook settings for each meal type. Customers who sign up for meal delivery save $200 on the oven.
24. Misfits Market
5-year search growth: 38%
Search growth status: Peaked
Year founded: 2018
Location: Pennsauken, New Jersey
Funding: $526.5M (Series C)
What they do: Misfits Market is a subscription box startup that cuts the grocery bill and only ships organic, locally sourced products. The online grocery store works directly with farmers to reduce food waste by bringing hard-to-find fruits and vegetables into customers' homes.
25. Carnivore Snax
5-year search growth: 99x+
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2019
Location: Lewis Center, Ohio
Funding: Bootstrapped
What they do: Snacks designed to be suitable for various diets, particularly the Carnivore diet and low or no-carb high-fat diets. These snacks aim to help with cravings and provide a satisfying option for those following these dietary plans, differentiating themselves by focusing on high protein and fat content with minimal to no carbohydrates.
Carnivore Snax primarily targets individuals adhering to the Carnivore diet, keto diet, or other low-carb, high-fat dietary regimens.
26. Serenity Kids
5-year search growth: 357%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2016
Location: Austin, Texas
Funding: $63.5M (Debt Financing)
What they do: A baby food brand that offers pouches made with ethically sourced meats and organic vegetables. Serenity Kids differentiates itself by focusing on healthy, clean ingredients and providing a variety of options such as grass-fed beef, free-range chicken, bison, and turkey. The target demographic includes health-conscious parents seeking nutritious and ethically sourced food options for their babies.
27. Banza
5-year search growth: 57%
Search growth status: Regular
Year founded: 2014
Location: Detroit, Michigan
Funding: $28.8M (Series B)
What they do: Banza is a chickpea-based pasta startup. Their pasta is higher in protein and fiber and lower in net carbs than traditional pasta. Banza’s goal is to encourage people to eat plant-based diets to improve health and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
28. Factor Meals
5-year search growth: 4,600%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2013
Location: Batavia, Illinois
Funding: $2.9M (Series B)
What they do: Formerly Factor 75, Factor Meals is a weekly meal delivery company that delivers healthy, microwave-ready meals. They offer various dietary options, including keto, vegan, high-protein, low-carb, and more. There are over 35 dietitian-designed meal choices every week.
In 2020, the company was acquired by Hello Fresh.
29. WeCook
5-year search growth: 25%
Search growth status: Regular
Year founded: 2013
Location: Dorval, Quebec, Canada
Funding: $44.2M (Series C)
What they do: The busy professional who likes to eat healthily has found the perfect match with WeCook. The nutritious meal delivery company brings healthy, prepared, and ready-to-eat meals directly to customers' doorsteps. The company focuses on using locally sourced, all-natural ingredients.
30. Táche Pistachio Milk
5-year search growth: 1,800%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2020
Location: New York, NY
Funding: $1.3M (Seed)
What they do: Táche Pistachio Milk is a plant-based milk alternative made from pistachios, offering a unique, dessert-like taste and a consistency thicker than almond milk but not as thick as oat milk. Available in varieties such as Original and Unsweetened, it is sold in 32 fl oz cartons and has a Barista Edition for bulk purchases. This product is targeted at consumers seeking a high-quality, flavorful, and nutritious dairy-free milk alternative.
31. Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn
5-year search growth: 1,600%
Search growth status: Peaked
Year founded: 2014
Location: Asheville, North Carolina
Funding: $3M (Series A)
What they do: Handmade and crafted with love, Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn offers a range of unique, gourmet flavors that elevate traditional popcorn snacking. All products are all-natural, non-GMO, with no artificial ingredients. Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn prides itself on sourcing local ingredients and making and making their popcorn with love in small batches.
32. Goldbelly
Search growth status: Peaked
Year founded: 2012
Location: New York, New York
Funding: $133.1M (Series C)
What they do: As a heavy display marketer and retargeting advertiser, users might be familiar with Goldbelly from popular social platforms. Goldbelly’s business model is simple: ship iconic dishes from famous restaurants around the U.S. directly to your doorstep.
Lobster Rolls from Maine’s finest, Philly Cheesesteaks from Philadelphia, bagels from Brooklyn. Goldbelly scouts for the most popular joints and then offers up their most popular menu item to hungry consumers.
With over $100M in funding, investors seem to love their careful curation and food offerings.
33. Once Upon a Farm
5-year search growth: 520%
Search growth status: Exploding
Year founded: 2017
Location: Berkeley, California
Funding: $116.8M (Series D)
What they do: Once Upon a Farm is an infant and children farm-to-fridge food startup. They sell portable cold-pressed baby food pouches made with organic fruits, vegetables, and superfoods. The idea is to give babies more nutritious foods while making the feeding process easier.
Key Takeaways
The future looks bright in the food and beverage space, with these startups going a long way to proving how tech can be combined with traditional space to create spectacular results.
Food delivery, sourcing world-class dishes, and shipping everything directly to doorsteps are just a few examples of what is sure to be a booming sector moving forward.
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Written By
Josh is the Co-Founder and CTO of Exploding Topics. Josh has led Exploding Topics product development from the first line of co... Read more