Better Foods
Better Foods is a Sunnyvale, California-based plant-based food company founded in 2022 and operating as a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate Shinsegae Food, selling to both health-conscious consumers and food manufacturers through a sales-led go-to-market.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersSunnyvale, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Better Foods does
Better Foods is a plant-based food company headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, founded in 2022 and operating as a subsidiary of Shinsegae Food, the South Korean food conglomerate. The company is structured to serve two parallel customer segments: health-conscious consumers through what appears to be a direct-to-consumer proposition, and food manufacturers through a B2B ingredient or co-manufacturing channel. The dual-segment posture is consistent with a plant-based CPG attempting to monetize both finished retail SKUs and upstream formulation or supply arrangements.
The company employs between 11 and 50 people and pursues a sales-led go-to-market, evidenced by the hire of a dedicated VP Sales. Capital activity is limited: a single SEC Form D filing in February 2024 disclosed a $1.5 million equity raise, and an investment from Cleveland Avenue was recorded in January 2024. The SEC filing is classified under the Technology sector rather than Food & Beverage, which is atypical for a CPG and may reflect the parent corporate structure rather than a technology-driven business model. The founding team includes Alex Song (Founder & CEO) and Dongwook Fred Kim (Founding Member).
There is no documented proprietary technology platform, no disclosed AI/ML capability, no named customers, and no product launch cadence in the available data. The Shinsegae affiliation is the primary structural asset, providing potential access to Asian retail channels, food industry R&D, and corporate balance sheet support, though the degree to which these resources are actively deployed in the US market is not evidenced. The company's primary investor and commercial signals point to an early-stage operation that has not yet demonstrated scaled distribution or revenue.
Better Foods firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Better Foods
- Legal name
- Better Foods
- Website
- https://better-foods.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Better Foods is a Sunnyvale, California-based plant-based food company founded in 2022 and operating as a subsidiary of South Korean conglomerate Shinsegae Food, selling to both health-conscious consumers and food manufacturers through a sales-led go-to-market.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Better Foods industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plant-based Foods
- NAICS
- Food Manufacturing (311), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Alternative Protein Snacks, Bars & RTD Nutrition Manufacturing (AFAKAGAK)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Frozen Plant-Based & Vegetarian Meals (CRADADAF)
Keywords
Where Better Foods is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sunnyvale
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Better Foods business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Plant-based food products: Better Foods, a subsidiary of Shinsegae Food, specializes in plant-based products. Revenue is generated through the sale of plant-based food products.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Better Foods product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Better Foods is a U.S.-based plant-based food product company and subsidiary of Shinsegae Food. The company develops and manufactures alternative protein food products targeted at health-conscious consumers in the United States, leveraging its Korean parent company's food manufacturing capabilities.
Product overview
Better Foods is a subsidiary of Shinsegae Food specializing in plant-based products. The company received investment from Cleveland Avenue to enhance its research, development, and market expansion capabilities in the US and globally. Based on the available sources, specific product names, modules, or detailed service offerings are not identified. The company operates in the Technology sector according to SEC filings and is involved in plant-based food product development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Plant-based food products Plant-based alternative protein food products developed and manufactured by Better Foods for health-conscious consumers in the United States, leveraging Shinsegae Food's manufacturing capabilities.
Companies that use Better Foods
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Better Foods technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Better Foods partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- CerealiscoreCerealis and Better Foods, two Portuguese companies, agreed to merge their milling operations to form a group with a turnover of €300 million annually. The merger involves joining multiple units including Cerealis Moagens, Ceres, German, Granel, and Carneiro Campos.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Better Foods competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Beyond Meat: Beyond Meat is a leading US plant-based meat alternatives company. It is directly comparable to Better Foods as both target health-conscious consumers with plant-based protein products and compete for the same retail and foodservice channels.
- Impossible Foods: Impossible Foods develops plant-based meat substitutes sold through US grocery and restaurant channels. Direct overlap with Better Foods' plant-based product positioning for health-conscious consumers and foodservice partnerships.
- Oatly: Oatly is a plant-based dairy company (oat milk and adjacent products). Comparable to Better Foods as a plant-based CPG brand targeting the same health-conscious consumer segment with packaged food/beverage products.
- Eat Just: Eat Just produces plant-based eggs (JUST Egg) and mayonnaise. Direct peer as a venture-backed plant-based food company pursuing retail and foodservice distribution with health-conscious consumer positioning.
- Califia Farms: Califia Farms produces plant-based beverages (oat, almond, coconut milks) and creamers. Comparable to Better Foods as a plant-based CPG brand in the US market with overlapping retailer distribution.
Emerging players
- Good Catch Foods: Good Catch produces plant-based seafood alternatives. Comparable as an emerging plant-based food brand pursuing retail and foodservice channels targeting health-conscious consumers.
Broad incumbents
- Gardein: Gardein is a plant-based protein brand owned by Conagra Brands. As a broad incumbent's plant-based portfolio, it competes with Better Foods for the same shelf space and consumer occasions.
- MorningStar Farms: MorningStar Farms is a plant-based food brand owned by Kellanova (formerly Kellogg's). Comparable as a long-established plant-based CPG brand serving health-conscious consumers in the same grocery channels.
- Sweet Earth Foods: Sweet Earth is a plant-based and vegetarian food brand owned by Nestlé. Comparable as a Nestlé-owned plant-based brand competing for the same consumer occasions and retail distribution.
- Maple Leaf Foods: Maple Leaf Foods owns the Lightlife plant-based protein brand in North America. Comparable as a major food company with an active plant-based portfolio competing in the same category as Better Foods.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Better Foods financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Better Foods leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Better Foods funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Better Foods M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Better Foods
What does Better Foods do?
Better Foods is a U.S.-based plant-based food product company and subsidiary of Shinsegae Food. The company develops and manufactures alternative protein food products targeted at health-conscious consumers in the United States, leveraging its Korean parent company's food manufacturing capabilities.
Is Better Foods a public or private company?
Better Foods is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Better Foods founded?
Better Foods was founded in 2022. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Better Foods based?
Better Foods is headquartered in Sunnyvale, United States, in the North America region.
How does Better Foods make money?
One revenue line is on record: plant-based food products.
Who are Better Foods's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, Oatly, Eat Just and Califia Farms. Good Catch Foods is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Gardein, MorningStar Farms, Sweet Earth Foods and Maple Leaf Foods.
Does Better Foods have an API?
No public API is recorded for Better Foods.
What industry is Better Foods in?
Better Foods's product category is Plant-based Foods. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAGAK, Alternative Protein Snacks, Bars & RTD Nutrition Manufacturing, with a secondary code of CRADADAF, Frozen Plant-Based & Vegetarian Meals. Its NAICS code is 311 and its SIC code is 2000.