The founder of KIND Snacks and some of his former KIND colleagues have renamed their investment platform Camino Partners as the company seeks to partner with growth-minded, value-driven entrepreneurs.
Camino Partners, formerly known as Equilibra, was founded by KIND founder Daniel Lubetzky. The company is currently an incubator for better-for-you Mexican food brand Somos (co-founded and led by Lubetzky, Miguel Leal, and Rodrigo Zuloaga), and has invested in companies including European breakfast and snack brand Belgian Boys (led by Anouck Gotlib), Gimme Seaweed Snacks (founded and led by Annie Chun and Steve Broad) and CAVA Mediterranean foods (co-founded and led by Brett Schulman).
Other companies it has invested in, according to its website, include Ellenos, a Greek yogurt brand; Whataburger, a Texas-based restaurant and CPG brand; Krave, a maker of jerky, and Justin’s, a nut-butter brand.
“We partner with entrepreneurs to co-found, launch, and build new ventures together — and also take meaningful positions in entrepreneur-led ventures building through the next phases of their growth,” Camino Partners told SFA News Daily in a statement. “These brands are beyond the concept level, have a strong early demand and are ready to build across a broader set of sales channels.”
The company said while much of its experience has been in the food industry, its expertise translates across categories. It also has made investments in health-industry startups and other categories.
“Through KIND, we have amassed tons of expertise on what it takes to identify a true white space, develop a unique value proposition, and grow an iconic brand that ultimately gives way to a successful global business,” Lubetzky said in a statement. “Our team at Camino Partners is ready to help today's brightest entrepreneurs do the same.”
KIND grew from an initial $5 million investment to become a multi-billion-dollar global brand, known for its purpose-drive mission as well as its popular snack bars and other products.
“Too often in growth equity investing, entrepreneurs are forced to compromise their product, culture, vision or values to conform to an investor’s markers for short-term success,” said Elle Lanning, managing partner at Camino and a former Kind executive, in a statement. “We know that every company’s pathway to scale will look different, and we look forward to taking that journey with values-aligned partners.”
Related: Pick-Up Only Grocer Debuts; UNFI Expands Wild Harvest Line.