Building companies that sustain us.
Since our founding in 2002, InvestEco has invested in over thirty private companies.
Our Portfolio
Current Food Investments
Drink Proxies Inc.
Ontario-based Proxies (which split from Acid League, another of InvestEco’s portfolio companies) is focused on bringing unique products to market within the growing non-alcoholic wine sector. Unlike dealcoholized wine, Proxies aims to provide beverages designed for pairing occasions and layered by formulation rather than by further processing. To get at the complexity of wine (acidity, body, tannins), Proxies are made with a range of ingredients including wine grapes, fruits, teas, spices, and ferments. The product line-up includes non-carbonated and sparkling wine proxies across all categories (red, white, rosé, orange). Begun online, the company is now also sold in retail.
Greenhouse
From their 35,000 sq foot facility just outside of Toronto, Greenhouse is the only company in Canada set up to manufacture several categories of organic, plant-based, clean-label and sustainably packed beverages at scale, including cold-pressed juices, boosters, kombuchas, shakes, and plantmilks. A vertically integrated company, Greenhouse is involved in everything from R&D and state-of-the-art manufacturing to distribution through an omni-channel network, including seven company-owned shops.
greenhouse.ca
Mara Renewables Corporation
Mara Renewables Corporation (Mara) provides sustainable plant-based nutritional and nutraceutical ingredients for human health. Their global teams span Canada and the UK, with headquarters in Dartmouth, NS.
Since its inception in 2012, Mara has built a broad portfolio of patented technology, demonstrated world-class expertise in engineering and commercialized a high-quality algal omega-3 platform. Honored to serve leading health and sustainability focused companies and brands across the globe, the company’s mission continues to be dedicated to enabling a more sustainable future through plant-based technology and advancing food and health security across the globe.
Evive
Created in 2015 by a young, dynamic and inventive couple, Claudia Poulin & Dominic Dubé, Evive is the brand of ready-to-create food and beverage solutions that empowers you to own your everyday wellness. Now the fastest-growing food company in Canada, they’ve reinvented the wheel by packing nutritious and delicious ingredients into a set of small frozen cubes which unlocks a convenient and fun prep experience. Best known for their blender-free smoothies, Evive also offers delicious soups as well as nutritious pop & bake muffin bites. Their products are available via an online membership program as well as in many retailers across Canada and in the U.S. Evive strives to not only enhance the well-being of their community but to have a positive environmental impact by prioritizing plant-based eating, supporting organic farming, and reducing food waste.
Get ready to eat well, live fully, and feel great.
Acid League
Ontario-based Acid League is a unique brand that specializes in premium products made from living vinegars. Founded by seasoned food entrepreneur Scott Friedmann, the company is using a proprietary fermentation process to develop a growing line of attractively branded products, including a line of vinegars, living vinaigrettes, drinking vinegars, sauces and condiments, and non-alcoholic wines, which are sold both online and through retail channels. The company is driven by insights relating to the positive attributes of fermentation and the market opportunity available to a brand that could use vinegar to disrupt a broad array of food and beverage categories.
OM Mushroom
Om Mushroom Superfood is a leading producer of high quality, certified organic, functional mushroom products, including powders, capsules, functional drink mixes, broths, and more. On a mission to change lives via the benefits of functional mushrooms, the company is led by a seasoned team of health and wellness industry experts dedicated to product quality. Om grows in excess of 10 species of mushrooms in a state-of-the-art, USDA Certified Organic, cGMP and BRC Certified facility. Om Mushroom Superfood products are available online at www.ommushrooms.com and Amazon, and in grocery retailers nationwide including Whole Foods, Sprouts, and more.
Tiny Organics
New York-based Tiny Organics was founded in 2018 by Betsy Fore and Sofia Laurell with a view to reimagining early childhood nutrition through the delivery of vegetable forward, savoury food via a direct-to-consumer subscription model. The company offers frozen, portioned, finger-food meals for toddlers aged eight months to four years old that are organic, plant-based, and free from the big 8 allergens (soy, dairy, eggs, wheat, etc.). The current product suite includes adventurous flavours like Ratatouille, Coconut Curry, Baby Burrito Bowl, and Valencian Paella. Tiny Organics has a special collaboration with Tufts University, which boasts one the world’s preeminent schools of nutrition, and also has a partnership with Michelle Obama’s Partnership for a Healthier America.
Gusta Foods
Founded in 2015 by Sylvain Karpinsky, Montreal-based GUSTA creates and manufactures vegan and artisanal plant-based products including vegan sausages, seitan roasts, cheeses and pâtés. Their delicious and accessible products both treat the taste buds and inspire an easy and tasty plant-based cuisine, thus contributing to a better world.
Tree Island Yogurt
Since its founding in 2012, husband and wife duo Scott DiGuistini and Merissa Myles have built Comox Valley-based Tree Island into a differentiated brand in the premium yogurt space. The company processes milk from local grass-fed dairy cows into cream top, Greek style, and fruit flavoured yogurts that include exotic flavours such as Okanagan peach, pacific strawberry, orange blossom, coconut lime and prairie berry. In addition to its product innovations, the company is the first in Canada to use packaging for its 325g and 500g yogurts that is made with less than 50% of the plastic of standard containers.
Love Good Fats
Toronto-based Love Good Fats was founded in 2017 by Suzie Yorke, an 11-time ironman competitor who had spent two decades adhering to a low-fat diet without success in either weight-loss or feeling healthy. When she shifted to a high-fat, low-sugar and low-carb diet, she quickly noticed positive results and set out to build a snack brand that aligned with her new food philosophy. Today, Love Good Fats is one of North-America’s fastest growing and largest better-for-you bar brands less than three years after selling its first box.
Chickapea
Founded by Shelby Taylor in 2015, Chickapea was created to provide nutritious, convenient and familiar meal options to families dealing with time constraints, picky eaters, allergies and health issues. As a former health shop owner and new mom herself, Shelby recognized the challenge parents can face in putting a healthy meal on the table that everyone will enjoy, so she turned a family favorite into a superfood. Chickapea pasta products, which include penne, spirals, shells, spaghetti, linguini and “vegan mac”, are made with only two wholesome ingredients – organic chickpeas and lentils – offering a clean, nutritious and high-protein plant-based pasta that tastes good and appeals to the entire family. The company’s product attributes are highly aligned with current consumer trends, including being certified organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, kosher and vegan/vegetarian. Chickapea has retail distribution across Canada and in the US.
The Jackfruit Company/jack & annie's
Founded in 2011 and located in Boulder, Colorado, The Jackfruit Company/jack & annie’s is an innovative entrant into the meat alternative space. Its CEO, Annie Ryu, was a Harvard medical student who was delivering a program for maternal health in India when she first learned about jackfruit. Intrigued by its meaty texture and delectable flavours, as well as its healthy fiber-rich nutritional profile, Annie saw an opportunity to repurpose this abundant Indian plant as a meat alternative for North American consumers. The Jackfruit Company/jack & annie’s is now a high growth company on a mission to mainstream the consumption of jackfruit for the good of farmers, consumers and the planet. The company has developed a number of award-winning product innovations that focus on simple, clean and real ingredients, which it sells to retail and food service customers under two brands, The Jackfruit Company and jack & annie’s.
Maison Le Grand
Montréal-based Maison Le Grand is leader in artisanal, 100% plant-based foods. The company’s roots stretch back 27 years to when founder Bernard Le Grand started a company to sell sprouted and fermented sandwiches and salads, which he distributed in downtown Montreal on his bicycle. Bernard was eventually joined by his wife, Tatiana Bossy, who became the CEO. Under their co-leadership, Le Grand has enjoyed tremendous success, and is now a leading manufacturer of high-quality branded pestos, sauces and soups under the tag line “Power of Plants”.
LesserEvil
LesserEvil is a fast-growing producer of organic and plant-based snacks sold through the United States and Canada. LesserEvil sells various SKUs of organic popcorn under its “Buddha Bowl” sub-brand, and a number of SKUs of GMO free potato chips under its “Green Elephant” sub-brand. The company has also recently launched a new line of organic grain-free Paleo Puffs. With the tagline “ingredients mean everything”, LesserEvil has become one of the fastest-growing brands in the snack food market by focusing on creating premium products that are clearly differentiated from the competition. With ingredients such as organic coconut oil, Himalayan pink salt, organic grass-fed ghee and extra virgin avocado oil, LesserEvil’s products are particularly attractive to consumers who are looking to indulge their taste preferences without sacrificing health.
NadaMoo
The fastest-growing non-dairy ice cream company in the United States, NadaMoo! has set the standard for delicious and high-quality frozen desserts. Featuring 18 flavours of ice cream, with an ever-expanding list of certifications — USDA organic, non-GMO, vegan, gluten-free, and fair-trade certified among them.
Kuli Kuli
Based in Oakland, California, Kuli Kuli is a leading moringa brand in the U.S. A complete plant protein, moringa is produced by trees grown in semiarid and tropical area. Its leaves, pods and oil can provide a good source of iron, calcium, Vitamin A, and other nutrients.
For more information please visit www.kulikulifoods.com
Maple Hill Creamery
Maple Hill Creamery is the leading brand of grass-fed organic yogurt and dairy products in the US.
Past Food Investments
Mama Earth Organics
Mama Earth Organics is a direct-to-home retailer of organic, local and healthy food.
SOL Cuisine
Based in Mississauga, Ontario, SOL Cuisine is a leading brand catering to a growing community of retail and restaurant consumers in search of Non-GMO, Wheat and Gluten-Free, Kosher, Halal and Organic vegan products. The company’s business — both in Canada and the United States — is split between branded retail sales, food service (for customers including Hero, The Works, A&W, Burger King, and Harvey’s), private label and ingredient sales. SOL Cuisine is a part of the growing plant-based food movement, which offers consumers significant health benefits and a much lighter environmental footprint in terms of GHG emissions and water use than diets that are based on meat.
100km Foods
100km Foods is a distributor of local produce into the Greater Toronto Area.
Rowe Farms
Rowe Farms is a leading retailer and supplier of locally-grown and sustainably-raised food products.
Sun Select
Chefs Plate
Horizon Distributors
Horizon Distributors is a national distributor of natural and organic food products.