The Ugly Company
The Ugly Company prevents imperfect produce from being thrown away and upcycles it into delicious, all natural, healthy dried fruit snacks.
| Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
|---|---|---|---|
| investor | €0.0 | round | |
| N/A | €0.0 | round | |
* | $9.0m | Series A | |
| Total Funding | 000k | ||
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Based in the agricultural heartland of Farmersville, California, The Ugly Company operates within the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) sector with a clear mission to combat food waste. Founded in 2018, the company has identified a significant inefficiency in the food supply chain where fresh produce is discarded due to cosmetic imperfections.
The venture was started by Ben Moore, a fourth-generation farmer who grew up in California's Central Valley. His direct experience on farms, witnessing millions of pounds of perfectly edible fruit being discarded simply because it did not meet the strict aesthetic standards of retailers, served as the catalyst for the business. This firsthand knowledge of agricultural waste provides the company with a foundational understanding of the problem it aims to solve.
The Ugly Company's business model is centered on upcycling this 'ugly' fruit. It procures cosmetically imperfect fruits, such as peaches, nectarines, apricots, and cherries, directly from farms and transforms them into a line of healthy, all-natural dried fruit snacks. By creating a market for produce that would otherwise be wasted, the company provides an additional revenue stream for farmers. The business generates revenue through the sale of these packaged snacks to consumers, positioning itself in the growing market for sustainable and healthy food alternatives.
The product portfolio consists of single-ingredient dried fruit snacks, with no added sugars or preservatives. The primary value proposition for consumers is a healthy, natural snack that also contributes to a positive environmental impact. For its farm partners, The Ugly Company offers a solution to monetize a portion of their crop that would typically result in a financial loss. The company's stated achievement of preventing 3.75 million pounds of fruit from being wasted in 2023 serves as a key performance indicator of its operational scale and impact.
Keywords: food waste reduction, upcycled food, dried fruit snacks, sustainable CPG, agricultural efficiency, value-added agriculture, healthy snacks, farm-to-snack, California agriculture, supply chain solutions