COLORKITCHEN

What COLORKITCHEN does

Color Kitchen (legal entity: ColorKitchen, Inc.) is a US-based natural food coloring and baking decoration company that produces plant-based food colors, sprinkles, frosting and icing mixes, Easter egg dye kits, and complementary gluten-free baking mixes. The company's core technology centers on concentrated powder formulations using non-GMO maltodextrin as a carrier, with pigments sourced from plants including spirulina, turmeric, beet, annatto, purple carrot, and butterfly pea flower. A notable technical achievement is a heat-tolerant red velvet color formulated to withstand baking temperatures at which most natural colors degrade (200-250°F), alongside a pH-sensitive blending system that enables users to produce a wide range of shades by adjusting acidity.

The company sells directly to consumers through its e-commerce site (colorkitchenfoods.com) with free shipping on orders over $50, and extends reach through Amazon, Amazon Prime, and an Etsy shop for international customers. Its wholesale arm, Color Kitchen Bulk (colorkitchenbulk.com), serves bakeries and commercial food producers, while the company also maintains shelf presence in over 1,000 US retail locations including Natural Grocers, Whole Foods Market, Michaels, and Thrive Market. Customer segments span home bakers (primarily health-conscious parents avoiding artificial dyes), professional pastry chefs and small commercial bakeries, and dietary-restricted consumers (vegan, gluten-free, allergen-friendly). Color Kitchen enforces channel discipline by prohibiting wholesale buyers from reselling on third-party marketplaces.

The company is privately held and founder-owned by Ashley Phelps, who established the business in 2013 after her earlier GLOB natural arts and crafts paints line generated grocery-store inquiries about food decoration products. Color Kitchen has raised only $250,000 in disclosed funding (a 2017 round with undisclosed investors), operates with a 1-10 person team, and has not disclosed revenue. It is incorporated in California with operational headquarters in Ojai, CA, and generates revenue exclusively through one-time product sales across DTC, wholesale, and retail channels.

Name

COLORKITCHEN

Legal name

ColorKitchen, Inc.

Website

https://colorkitchenfoods.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Color Kitchen is a US natural food CPG company that produces plant-based food colors, sprinkles, frosting mixes, and gluten-free baking mixes for home bakers, professional pastry chefs, and dietary-restricted consumers. It sells via DTC e-commerce, Amazon, Etsy, a wholesale division, and 1,000+ US retail stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Food Coloring

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Nonchocolate Confectionery Manufacturing (31134), Flavoring Syrup and Concentrate Manufacturing (311930)

SIC

Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Natural Colorants (Plant/Algae/Microbial Extracts: Anthocyanins, Carotenoids, Chlorophyll, Spirulina) (AFAJAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Clean-Label & Certified Colorants (Organic, Non-GMO, Kosher/Halal, Allergen-Free) (AFAJAEAI), Application-Specific Color Solutions (Beverage, Dairy, Confectionery, Bakery, Savory, Pet Food) (AFAJAEAH), Color Lakes & Pigment Preparations (Aluminum Lakes, Encapsulated Pigments) (AFAJAEAE), Color Blends & Formulation Systems (Standardized Blends, Shade Matching) (AFAJAEAF), Colors & Color Systems (Natural/Artificial, Caramel Colors) (CRADAOAG)

Keywords

• Plant-based food coloring
• Natural baking decorations
• Vegan frosting mixes
• Rainbow sprinkles
• Wholesale bakery colors

Headquarters

HQ city

Bend

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct Retail Sales: Products sold directly to consumers through the company's e-commerce website. Includes food coloring packets, frosting mixes, sprinkles, cake mixes, and Easter egg coloring kits. Revenue is generated through one-time product purchases with free shipping on orders over $50.
2. Wholesale/Bulk Sales: B2B sales to bakeries, food producers, and commercial food service operations through the dedicated wholesale platform (colorkitchenbulk.com). Products available in bulk sizes for professional use.
3. Third-Party Marketplace Sales: Sales through Amazon, Amazon Prime, and Etsy platforms. The company maintains control over pricing and brand representation on these platforms to ensure brand consistency and quality.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

COLORKITCHEN manufactures and sells plant-based food coloring products, including concentrated color powders, rainbow sprinkles, frosting and icing mixes, Easter egg dye kits, and gluten-free baking mixes. All products are made from natural pigments sourced from fruits, vegetables, and plants such as spirulina, turmeric, beet, annatto, purple carrot, and butterfly pea flower, serving as alternatives to artificial FD&C food dyes. The company sells directly to consumers via e-commerce and retail, and to bakeries and food producers through a dedicated wholesale platform.

Product overview

Color Kitchen is a food coloring and baking decoration company offering naturally colorful baking solutions. The core product portfolio centers on plant-based food color powders (Nature's Color Packets, Red Velvet Color, Unicorn Color Set) that replace artificial FD&C dyes with colors derived from spirulina, beet, turmeric, and other natural sources. This is complemented by ready-to-use frosting and icing mixes, rainbow sprinkles, and seasonal products like the Easter Egg Coloring Kit. The company also offers gluten-free baking mixes (Red Velvet Cake/Cookie Mix, Rainbow Pancake Mix) that incorporate their natural colors. The products work together as a system where customers use color packets to create vibrant frostings and icings for decorating cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and other desserts. Founded by Ashley Phelps after her experience with food sensitivities, the company emphasizes non-GMO, vegan-friendly, and allergen-friendly formulations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Color Kitchen Bulk: Wholesale division offering bulk sizes of products for commercial food producers, bakeries, and larger market operators.
• GLOB

Products and services

• Nature's Color Packets Concentrated plant-based food color powders in various colors (pink, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple) made from spirulina, beet, turmeric, and other natural sources. Used for coloring frostings, icings, batters, and desserts.
• Red Velvet Color Specialized plant-based red color powder designed to withstand baking heat and produce a true red or fire engine red color in red velvet recipes without artificial dyes.
• Unicorn Color Set Color packet set (pink, blue, and other colors) designed for creating vibrant unicorn-themed treats and rainbow color combinations.
• Rainbow Sprinkles All-natural, plant-based rainbow sprinkles made without artificial dyes for decorating cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and other desserts.
• Natural Frosting and Icing Mixes Pre-mixed frosting and icing powders including Plain Frosting Mix, Frosting Mix with Sprinkles, and Holiday Icing Mix. Users add butter and milk to create colorful frosting.
• Easter Egg Coloring Kit Plant-based egg dye kit designed for coloring Easter eggs with deep, rich natural colors using leaf and floral prints.
• Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cake Mix Pre-mixed gluten-free cake mix colored with plant-based red color for making red velvet cakes without artificial dyes.
• Gluten-Free Red Velvet Cookie Mix Pre-mixed gluten-free cookie mix for making red velvet cookies with natural plant-based colors.
• Rainbow Pancake Mix

Quantifiable outcome

• Colors rival artificial dyes in vibrancy and shade range, with the ability to create hundreds of shades through color mixing
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ColorKitchenFoods
• Xx.com/ColorKitchen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about COLORKITCHEN