FoodStory Brands

What FoodStory Brands does

FoodStory Brands is a privately held food and beverage brand incubator headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, founded in 2017. The company develops, brands, and distributes consumer packaged goods across multiple food and beverage categories by leveraging licensing partnerships with major entertainment IP owners including UFC, Paramount (Yellowstone), Universal Pictures, Netflix, BBC, Mattel, and others. Its product portfolio includes Upper Cut (premium deli snacking trays), Fresh Cravings (refrigerated salsas and hummus), Mad Genius (fusion cuisine mashups), a Yellowstone-licensed cowboy cuisine line (coffee, seasonings, Angus chili, breakfast meats), and an upcoming UFC Performance Institute-backed high-performance protein bar targeted at athletes and performance-minded consumers. To date, the company reports having developed 500+ SKUs and won 100+ industry awards.

The company's core capability is a brand incubation platform that integrates licensing origination, culinary R&D, consumer insights, creative design, influencer and shopper marketing, and speed-to-market execution to launch branded food products into national grocery retail. FoodStory Brands generates revenue through two primary streams: (1) licensing-based economics from rights to iconic entertainment IP applied to food and beverage product lines, and (2) sale of branded CPG products (refrigerated dips, deli snacks, mashup foods, licensed food lines) through U.S. retail distribution across 30,000+ store locations reaching 300M+ consumers. The go-to-market is sales-led, targeting national grocery retailers as primary B2B customers, with influencer marketing, social media, and shopper marketing used to drive consumer pull at the point of sale.

The business is organized as FoodStory Brands, LLC under Arizona law, with 11-50 employees. No parent company, institutional investors, or revenue figures are disclosed. The company is positioned as a B2B brand builder rather than a single-product CPG operator, using its licensing relationships and R&D pipeline to sequentially launch and scale sub-brands across distinct consumer occasions.

Name

FoodStory Brands

Legal name

FoodStory Brands, LLC

Website

https://foodstorybrands.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FoodStory Brands is a Phoenix-based, privately held food and beverage brand incubator that develops and licenses CPG products with major entertainment IP owners (UFC, Paramount, Universal, Netflix, BBC, Mattel), distributing 500+ SKUs across 30,000+ U.S. retail stores.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Packaged Goods (Snack Foods)

NAICS

Snack Food Manufacturing (31191)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Better-for-You / Functional Snacks (Low Sugar, Keto, Probiotic, Fortified) (CRADABAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Snack Bars (Granola, Protein, Cereal Bars) (CRADABAG), Frozen & Refrigerated Snack Foods (Ice Cream Novelties, Snack Bites) (CRADABAL)

Keywords

• Brand licensing
• Consumer packaged goods
• Food brand incubator
• Licensed snack brands
• Retail food products

Headquarters

HQ city

Phoenix

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Brand Licensing: Revenue from licensing iconic entertainment brands (UFC, Paramount's Yellowstone, Netflix, BBC, Jurassic Park, PawPatrol, Barbie, Bluey, Minions, etc.) for food and beverage product lines.
2. CPG Product Sales: Sale of consumer packaged goods including deli snacks (Upper Cut), refrigerated dips and hummus (Fresh Cravings), and mashup products (Mad Genius) through retail channels.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

FoodStory Brands is a brand incubator that develops and markets consumer packaged goods across multiple food and beverage categories by combining licensing partnerships with major entertainment studios (UFC, Paramount/Yellowstone, Universal, Netflix, BBC, Mattel) with proprietary product development. The company brings branded product lines to retail shelves nationwide through grocery and mass-market channels, leveraging expertise in culinary R&D, branding, licensing, consumer insights, creative design, and shopper marketing.

Product overview

FoodStory Brands is an award-winning brand incubator that develops consumer packaged goods across multiple food and beverage categories through licensing partnerships with major entertainment studios. The portfolio includes Upper Cut (elevated deli snacking), Fresh Cravings (refrigerated dips and hummus), Mad Genius (fusion cuisine mashups), and Yellowstone (licensed cowboy cuisine). A new UFC Performance Protein Bar is in development targeting the performance nutrition market. The company operates as a platform that leverages expertise in branding, licensing, culinary R&D, product development, consumer insights, creative design, and marketing to bring food stories to life for retail partners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Upper Cut: Elevated deli snacking brand designed for life on the go and moments worth savoring. Features premium meats and cheeses in convenient grab-n-go options with traditional and globally inspired flavors.
• Fresh Cravings
• Mad Genius
• Yellowstone

Products and services

• Upper Cut Elevated deli snacking brand offering premium meats and cheeses in grab-n-go tray options, marketed as 'A Cut Above' for meal prepping, hosting, and quick bites. Targets mass market consumers via national grocery retail.
• Fresh Cravings Refrigerated dips and hummus brand offering authentic, vibrant salsas and flavor-filled hummus made with fresh ingredients and bold flavors, distributed through national grocery retail channels.
• Mad Genius Fusion cuisine mashup brand creating audacious flavor combinations that fuse global cuisines and reinvent comfort food favorites, marketed as bold, flavor-packed creations.
• Yellowstone Licensed Food Line Licensed cowboy cuisine product line developed with Paramount, bringing the Yellowstone TV series' rustic western roots to consumers' kitchens through high-quality coffee, seasoning and rubs, tender Angus chili, and breakfast meats.
• UFC Performance Protein Bar High-performance nutritionist-backed protein bar developed in partnership with UFC, targeting elite athletes and everyday performance-minded consumers with BCAAs for muscle recovery, natural carbohydrates for sustained energy, and prebiotic fibers for gut health.

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ SKUs developed across food and beverage categories
• +3 more outcomes

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

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• UFCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 February 2026Strategic partnership to develop and launch a nutritionist-backed high-performance protein bar. The collaboration combines UFC Performance Institute's sports nutrition expertise with FoodStory Brands' consumer product development capabilities. Target audience includes both elite UFC athletes and everyday performance-minded consumers. Product launch planned for 2026.
• IMG LicensingcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 February 2026IMG Licensing served as UFC's licensing agent in brokering the strategic partnership between UFC and FoodStory Brands for the performance protein bar product line.
• ParamountcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to curate an elevated, authentic line of cowboy cuisine bringing the rustic, western roots of Paramount Network's Yellowstone television series to life in consumers' kitchens. Products include high-quality coffee, seasoning and rubs, Angus chili, and breakfast meats.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Tribe Mediterranean Foods: Refrigerated hummus and Mediterranean dip brand sold through U.S. grocery retail. Tribe competes in the same category and channel as FoodStory's Fresh Cravings, targeting similar better-for-you snacking occasions.
• Lotus Bakeries: Specialty snack/confectionery company built around the Biscoff licensed brand (caramelized biscuit used in-flight by airlines) and other branded snack products. Lotus mirrors FoodStory's licensing-driven brand model and premium better-for-you snack positioning across grocery retail.
• Premier Protein: Functional protein nutrition brand (shakes, bars, powders) distributed through mass grocery and club channels. Premier Protein directly parallels FoodStory's upcoming UFC Performance Protein Bar in functional ingredients, retail placement, and performance-minded consumer targeting.
• Sabra Dipping Company: Leading refrigerated hummus and dips brand sold through national grocery retail. Sabra competes most directly with FoodStory's Fresh Cravings brand in the same refrigerated dip category with overlapping customer demographics and retail channels.
• Kettle Brand: Premium better-for-you potato chip brand distributed nationally through grocery retail. Kettle Brand competes in the same premium snack positioning and grocery channel as FoodStory's Upper Cut and Mad Genius sub-brands.
• Amplify Snack Brands (SkinnyPop): Better-for-you popcorn/snack brand sold through national grocery and club channels. SkinnyPop overlaps with FoodStory's premium snack sub-brands in better-for-you positioning, grocery shelf placement, and mass-market consumer targeting.

Emerging players

• HighKey Snacks: Better-for-you / functional snack brand (low-sugar cookies, crackers, protein snacks) sold through grocery and e-commerce. HighKey targets overlapping consumers with FoodStory's Mad Genius and Fresh Cravings on functional ingredient positioning, though at a smaller distribution scale.

Broad incumbents

• Post Consumer Brands: Large CPG cereal and shelf-stable food manufacturer with significant licensed brand activity (e.g., licensed characters, entertainment IP). Post's licensing-led model parallels FoodStory's approach to monetizing entertainment IP in grocery CPG categories.
• Kellanova: Major snack and packaged food company (Pringles, Cheez-It, RXBAR) with a strong better-for-you portfolio and global grocery distribution. Kellanova competes with FoodStory for premium snack shelf space and shares the licensing/brand-building DNA through RXBAR and similar acquisitions.
• Conagra Brands: Major diversified CPG portfolio company with significant presence in refrigerated snacks, dips, and shelf-stable foods through grocery retail. Conagra competes broadly with FoodStory's sub-brands for shelf space and shopper marketing budgets while also operating licensed food brands.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/foodstorybrands
• Xx.com/FoodStoryBrands
• Facebookfacebook.com/FoodStoryBrands

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 FoodStory Brands