BRAMI, the innovative brand bringing the Mediterranean lupini bean to the snack aisle, announced today that it has closed on a $1.5MM Series Seed round of funding led by Lerer Hippeau Ventures, AccelFoods and Enlightened Capital.
New York-based BRAMI, offering a high-protein, low-calorie pulse-based alternative to traditional snacks, will use the investment to drive retail expansion, execute online and in-store marketing, and expand manufacturing capabilities.
"My thesis has always been that the best companies are those that fill a daily need. There are a ton of 'better-for-you' snacks out there, but BRAMI is truly unique -- and frankly, a no-bullshit, delicious, super healthy snack. Combine that with a massive market, booming demand for clean plant-protein, and a founder I've known since I was three and believe in emphatically, needless to say, I'm super excited to continue to partner with this company," said Ben Lerer, Managing Partner of Lerer Hippeau Ventures.
"With this round of investment, we will bring the incredible power of lupini beans to consumers looking for a great tasting, highly nutritious, and sustainable snack," says BRAMI founder Aaron Gatti. "We are introducing a product that is truly 'great-for-you' and will kick-start smarter snacking."
The investment exemplifies the growing trend toward alternative and plant-based protein sources that are resource efficient. The macronutrient packed "superbean" has the highest protein density per calorie of any other crop on the planet and are incredibly farmer-friendly. They are naturally pest resistant, low maintenance, non-GMO, and replenish nitrogen and phosphate into the soil.
Available in four delicious flavors, BRAMI Beans can be found online and in stores across the country. For more information, please go to: www.bramibeans.com
ABOUT LERER HIPPEAU VENTURES
Lerer Hippeau Ventures is a seed stage venture capital fund based in New York City. We respect and seek out entrepreneurs with product vision, consumer insight, focused execution, and unwavering ambition. When we are lucky enough to meet founders with these qualities, our hope is that they will choose us as a partner. All of us have started and run companies for a living. Lerer Hippeau Ventures is where we invest in our peers.
ABOUT BRAMI
BRAMI (which loosely translates to you desire in Italian) Snacking Lupini Beans are an ancient Mediterranean supersnack reinvented. Once used as portable protein for Roman soldiers, lupini beans have been enjoyed ever since as a festive appetizer in the region, much like edamame in Japan. BRAMI's innovation is to prepare them in snack packs, with only natural preservatives, in four exciting new flavors. Steeped in a brine of natural spices, sea salt, vinegar and citrus, they are a fresh alternative to the usual dry processed snack. BRAMI Beans are the only shelf-stable snack on the market that are not baked, fried or dried and have only a fraction of the usual calories, fat, carbs and sugar found in other snacks.
