BOULDER, COLO. — Bobo’s, a manufacturer of bars, bites and pastries, has received Series B funding from BIGR (Boulder Investment Group Reprise) and Ridgeline. The latest round of funding builds on the Series A round led by BIGR and Ridgeline in February 2017 and is expected to be used to increase production capacity and support national distribution gains at key customers.
Bobo’s said it has hired two executives to help increase capacity and set the brand up for the next stage of growth. Sarah Van Houten has been named chief financial officer. Ms. Van Houten most recently was senior director of finance transformation at Danone North America. Earlier, she spent 12 years at WhiteWave Foods in roles such as senior director of finance for premium dairy and yogurt and director of finance at Horizon Organic.
Rob Streight has joined Bobo’s as vice-president of operations. In his new role Mr. Streight will focus on growing Bobo’s manufacturing capabilities while also maintaining the same handmade process that the company’s customers have grown accustomed to. Before joining Bobo’s Mr. Streight was president of Agribusiness Solutions, L.L.C. and earlier was vice-president of Colorado operations at Colorado Premium Foods. Earlier in his career he was manager of process improvement at Keystone Foods and quality control, statistical process control trainer and facilitator at Campbell Soup Co.
“Bobo’s revenue has more than doubled since our Series A,” said TJ McIntyre, chief executive officer of Bobo’s. “With this growth, we need more ovens in our Boulder bakery to keep pace with the increased demand. As Bobo’s sets up for the next stage of growth, we wanted to ensure that Bobo’s had the strong internal team and the funding to expand bakery capacity and support new distribution across the country as we look to triple the business by 2020.”
Duane Primozich, co-founder and managing partner at BIGR, added, “Bobo’s has continued to see exceptional performance across all channels. We are thrilled to see strong velocities and the continued emergence of Bobo’s as a growth driver in the nutrition bar category. We are eager to deepen our partnership with the brand and team to support them through their next stage of rapid growth.”
Bobo’s offers 16 flavors of Bobo’s 3-oz bars, 6 flavors of 1.3-oz oat bites, 4 varieties of 2.5-oz nut butter-filled bars, and 4 flavors of 2.5-oz toaster pastries.
BIGR Ventures is a growth equity fund founded by industry veterans Carole Buyers, Bill Weiland and Mr. Primozich, all of whom worked with Boulder Brands Investment Group (BBIG) before Boulder Brands was acquired by Pinnacle Foods, Inc. During their time with BBIG, the fund invested in Suja Juice and Epic Bar. Based in Boulder, BIGR Ventures focuses on early-stage natural and organic products, and its portfolio includes such brands as High Brew Coffee, REBBL, Soozy’s, Bonafide Provisions and Hope Foods.