SKU Announces the Brands for Fall '24 Track

SKU, the trailblazing consumer product accelerator, is excited to announce the eight brands selected for its Fall '24 Track. They include a dedicated group of food, beverage and wellness brands. It is SKU's largest cohort to date.

The SKU Fall '24 selected brands include Amia, Bala Enzyme, Foraged & Found, Kif & Co., Long Table, Modica, Peace Love Hormones and The Bloody Buddy.

"We had a number of exceptional applications for this track," said SKU Executive Director Buff Greebe. "We selected an incredible cohort of exciting and innovative brands with dynamic founders who really impressed the SKU team and our mentors."

The 12-week program kicks off Sept. 4. The final Showcase Pitch event which celebrates the culmination of the track will be held Nov. 19th in Austin. SKU's Showcase events are considered some of the CPG industry's most energizing happenings and attract industry leaders from around the country.

SKU empowers startups by providing the essential resources needed for their success. Throughout the experience, emerging brands get support and connections to help them successfully scale. SKU's tailor-made curriculum covers the breadth of the key topics, including operations, channel strategy, innovation, brand position, winning online, supply chain and fundraising.

"We intend to take full advantage of the program and utilize it as a process to truly accelerate our business," says Caroline Brain, founder of Kif & Co. "Our core interests in the program include building a greater network of advisors and mentors who can offer expertise and critical connections, developing a long-term sustainable growth strategy."

While the curriculum is best in class, SKU's mentors are the special sauce. Each brand is matched with a team of CPG leaders, exited founders, subject-matter experts and investors tailored to meet their individual needs. They include people who have held leadership roles at iconic companies such as 7-Eleven, Seventh Generation and Mars. These mentors are all united by a desire to help provide founders with the tools to successfully scale their brand.

"I love to share my experience to help founders not make common mistakes so they accelerate their growth and success," says SKU mentor Kelly Spillane, investment principal for Whole Foods Market.

SKU's track record speaks volumes and includes such brands as Siete Foods, EPIC Provisions, A Pup Above, Aura Bora and DUDE Wipes in its impressive alumni lineup.

The eight Spring '24 Track brands are:

Amia, founded by Jon Katz, is the first functional, better-for-you food brand offering trigger-free food options for the 40 million Americans suffering from migraines. Amia's first product is a soft-baked oat and seed snack bar, with a larger vision to create the trigger-free category, akin to gluten-free or allergen-free, where every grocery store nationwide offers a variety of trigger-free food options. Amia's co-founder is actor, director and entrepreneur Jennifer Morrison.

Bala Enzyme, founded by husband-and-wife team Dr. Arash Aftabi and Dr. Farnoush Fadavi, retired dental surgeons who researched plant-based alternative therapies to help patients recover from post-operative swelling, bruising and inflammation. Bala, which promotes recovery and rehydration, is the world's first and only nutrition powder mix that is made with a patent-pending blend of plant-based enzymes, turmeric, electrolytes and amino acids. It tastes great, is all-natural and has zero sugar.

Foraged & Found, founded by former marketing-executive-turned chef Jenn Brown, revolutionizes pantry staples by infusing everyday foods with sustainably harvested kelp. It offers innovative products like Kelp Pickles, Pasta Sauces, and Salsas that make it easy and delicious to enjoy the benefits of this nutrient-dense superfood.

Kif & Co., founded by Caroline Brain, is a probiotic beverage company that crafts kefir water, which is a low-sugar, less vinegar-y alternative to kombucha. The brand was Inspired by founder Caroline Brain's own personal gut health journey and her search for a probiotic solution that offered a low sugar content and was free from caffeine, gluten, and dairy. Kif is available in Cherry Lime Mint, Lemon Ginger Turmeric Cayenne, Passionfruit Lemongrass and Guava Basil.

Long Table is next gen pancakes from heirloom grains, powered by love. Founded by Samuel Taylor, Long Table makes nutrient-dense, regeneratively grown, heirloom whole-grain pancake + waffle mixes that are light enough to float but filling enough to power you through your day. In a quest to create a fluffier whole grain pancake, he invented a new one made out of popped popcorn. Long Table also offers a Blue Corn, Gluten-Free and Heirloom Grain mixes.

Modica, created by professional mixologist Eric Wentworth and business partner JD Mitchell, is a line of award-winning cocktail and mocktail mixers developed using better ingredients. Flavors include: Blueberry Lavender Lemon Drop, Tart Cherry Old Fashioned, Cacao Espresso Martini, Cucumber Aloe Margarita, and Turmeric Ginger Mule.

Peace Love Hormones (PLH) is an herbal-based supplement brand dedicated to women's health. Founder Maddie Miles launched PLH following her personal journey to overcome long-term health challenges, ultimately finding relief through herbal medicine. In addition to offering four specialized tinctures, each targeting specific aspects of women's health, PLH serves as an educational platform with a robust presence on social media and a popular podcast.

The Bloody Buddy is a perfectly handcrafted chili-pepper infused vodka and bloody mary mix together in one bottle. It was created behind the bar by former bartenders Buddy Jordan and Joey Kindred, made at their distillery in Dripping Springs, Texas. The Bloody Buddy is preservative free, gluten free and all natural.

SKU
620 Congress Ave. #320
Austin, TX 78701

Media Contact:
Alissa Bremner / Konnect Agency
sku@konnectagency.com

SKU was founded in 2011 by lawyer Shari Wynne Ressler and serial entrepreneur Clayton Christopher, founder of Sweet Leaf Tea and Deep Eddy Vodka, with the mission of accelerating CPGs. It has been a catalyst in establishing Austin as a CPG powerhouse. Since it was founded, more than 100 companies have completed the SKU program. SKU has gained a national reputation for excellence, with such publications as Forbes naming it one of the top CPG accelerators. Learn more at www.sku.is.

This release was published on openPR.