Blue Prairie

Blue Prairie Brands, established in 2014, operated in the food technology sector as a producer of prebiotic ingredients designed to enhance the nutritional value of functional foods. The company's core offering was a proprietary flour made from chicory roots grown in Western Nebraska, which served as a natural source of inulin fiber. This ingredient was developed to help maintain a healthy gut environment and provided a solution for food and beverage manufacturers looking to replace starch and added sugars while increasing dietary fiber in their products.

The company's journey began with a focus on research and development to refine cultivation techniques for its specialized chicory. It marked its first commercial cultivation and processing year in 2015, transitioning from an R&D focus to market-oriented production. This move was supported by a $750,000 seed round in September 2015, led by Middleland Capital. Key leadership figures during this period included Uday Gupta, who served as president and CEO in 2015, and David Woodburn, who was CEO by 2016.

Blue Prairie Brands operated on a business-to-business model, supplying its chicory flour as an ingredient to the functional food, beverage, and supplement markets. The business attracted significant venture capital, securing a $6 million Series A round in 2016, which was led by S2G Ventures and included investors like Middleland Capital and Invest Nebraska. These funds were allocated to support pilot product launches and expand production capacity. After raising a total of $6.97 million and reaching a revenue-generating stage, the company was acquired in March 2020.

Keywords: prebiotic ingredients, chicory root fiber, functional foods, inulin fiber, food technology, dietary supplements, sugar replacement, starch replacement, food ingredient supplier, gut health, B2B food manufacturing, clean label ingredients, agtech, chicory flour, natural ingredients, food production, venture capital backed