Earth Balance
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersTallahassee, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Earth Balance does
Earth Balance is a US-based plant-based food brand founded in Boulder, Colorado in 1998 and currently operating as a wholly-owned brand subsidiary of Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG). The company manufactures and markets vegan, dairy-free, and largely Non-GMO Project Verified products spanning four core categories: Buttery Spreads (including its founding Original Buttery Spread using non-GMO, expeller-pressed oils), Buttery Sticks for baking, plant-based Nut Butters, and Savory Snacks. Its underlying technology centers on solvent-free expeller-pressed oil processing and RSPO Mass Balance-certified palm oil sourcing, with formulation expertise accumulated over more than two decades.
Earth Balance firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Earth Balance
- Legal name
- Earth Balance (brand of Conagra, Inc.)
- Website
- https://earthbalancenatural.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Earth Balance industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives
- NAICS
- Dairy Product (except Frozen) Manufacturing (31151), Food Manufacturing (311)
- SIC
- Dairy Products (2020), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Plant-Based Butter & Spread Alternatives Processing (Margarine-style, Cultured Spreads) (AFAHAJAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Dairy Alternatives (Plant-Based Milk, Yogurt, Creamers) (CRADACAF)
Keywords
Where Earth Balance is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tallahassee
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Earth Balance business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Consumer Packaged Goods Sales: Earth Balance generates revenue through the sale of consumer packaged goods including vegan buttery spreads, baking sticks, nut butters, and snacks. Products are sold through retail grocery stores and direct online channels as a CPG (consumer packaged goods) brand under parent company Conagra Brands.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels5 records
Earth Balance product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Earth Balance manufactures and sells a portfolio of plant-based, vegan, dairy-free food products including non-GMO, expeller-pressed buttery spreads, vegan buttery baking sticks, nut butters (including peanut butter spreads), and savory snacks. Founded in 1998 in Boulder, Colorado, the brand targets consumers seeking meltable, plant-based alternatives to traditional dairy butter for baking, cooking, spreading, and snacking. Products are sold under the Conagra Brands portfolio through grocery retail and direct online channels.
Product overview
Earth Balance is a plant-based food company offering a portfolio of vegan products including Original Buttery Spread (their founding 1998 product), Buttery Spreads in multiple varieties, Buttery Sticks for baking, Nut Butters (including peanut butter spreads), and Savory Snacks. All products are vegan, dairy-free, and non-GMO Project Verified (with palm oil sourced from RSPO-certified members). The product line spans spreads for cooking and spreading, sticks for baking, nut-based proteins, and snacks.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Original Buttery Spread The company's founding non-GMO, expeller-pressed buttery spread, designed to provide dairy-free, meltable buttery flavor for vegans, plant-based eaters, and mainstream consumers for use in cooking, baking, and spreading.
- Buttery Spreads (Varieties) Line of plant-based buttery spreads available in multiple varieties, offering dairy-free meltable buttery goodness for cooking, spreading, and baking.
- Buttery Sticks Vegan buttery sticks in stick format designed for baking, providing a dairy-free alternative to traditional butter for use in recipes.
- Nut Butters Plant-based nut butter spreads including peanut butter spreads, offering vegan protein-rich alternatives for snacking and spreading.
- Savory Snacks Vegan savory snack products complementing the company's plant-based butter and spread offerings.
Companies that use Earth Balance
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Earth Balance technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Earth Balance partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)coreEarth Balance sources palm oil from RSPO member organizations. The company is certified to the RSPO Mass Balance certification system, demonstrating commitment to sustainable palm oil sourcing. RSPO is a global organization promoting the growth and use of sustainable palm oil products.
- Non-GMO ProjectminorMany Earth Balance products are Non-GMO Project Verified, indicating third-party certification that products are made without genetically modified ingredients. This partnership provides credibility for the brand's non-GMO positioning.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Earth Balance competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Flora Plant-Based (Upfield): Flora is a plant-based spread brand owned by Upfield that competes with Earth Balance in the dairy-free butter alternative category, primarily in European and some North American markets, targeting similar use cases of spreading and baking.
- Melt Organic: Melt Organic is a plant-based buttery spread brand made with virgin coconut oil and other plant ingredients. It competes directly with Earth Balance in natural and mainstream channels for health-conscious, dairy-avoiding consumers.
- Miyoko's Creamery: Miyoko's Creamery is a leading specialty plant-based butter and cheese brand. It directly competes with Earth Balance in the plant-based butter/spread category, targeting similar vegan and dairy-avoiding consumers with premium formulations.
- Country Crock Plant Butter (Upfield): Country Crock Plant Butter, made by Upfield, is one of Earth Balance's largest direct competitors in the plant-based butter/spread category. Both brands are positioned as accessible, mainstream plant-based alternatives sold through major US grocery chains.
Broad incumbents
- Smart Balance (Conagra): Smart Balance is another spread brand owned by Conagra, focused on heart-healthy spreads with plant sterols. As a sibling brand within Conagra's portfolio, it competes for adjacent spreads shelf space and shared parent-company distribution resources.
- Benecol: Benecol is a functional spread brand formulated with plant stanols for cholesterol reduction. It competes in the health-positioned spreads category and shares some health-conscious consumer overlap with Earth Balance.
- Oatly: Oatly is a leading plant-based dairy brand best known for oat milk but expanding into adjacent categories like cooking creams, spreads, and ice cream. It represents a broader plant-based dairy alternative competitor that overlaps with Earth Balance in usage occasions and consumer segments.
- I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (Upfield): I Can't Believe It's Not Butter is a long-established margarine/spread brand owned by Upfield. While traditionally dairy-based, its plant-based variants compete for the same grocery spreads shelf space and consumer occasions as Earth Balance.
Emerging players
- Fora Foods: Fora Foods is an emerging plant-based butter brand focused on clean-label, premium formulations. It targets the same vegan and health-conscious consumer segments as Earth Balance but at a premium price point in natural and specialty channels.
- Violife (Upfield): Violife is a plant-based cheese and dairy alternatives brand owned by Upfield, including vegan butter alternatives. While focused primarily on cheese, its butter products compete for plant-based dairy-alternative shelf space and consumer mind-share with Earth Balance.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Earth Balance social profiles
Digital presenceEarth Balance compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Earth Balance financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Earth Balance leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Earth Balance funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Earth Balance 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 Earth Balance
What does Earth Balance do?
Earth Balance manufactures and sells a portfolio of plant-based, vegan, dairy-free food products including non-GMO, expeller-pressed buttery spreads, vegan buttery baking sticks, nut butters (including peanut butter spreads), and savory snacks. Founded in 1998 in Boulder, Colorado, the brand targets consumers seeking meltable, plant-based alternatives to traditional dairy butter for baking, cooking, spreading, and snacking. Products are sold under the Conagra Brands portfolio through grocery retail and direct online channels.
Is Earth Balance a public or private company?
Earth Balance is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Earth Balance founded?
Earth Balance was founded in 1998. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Earth Balance based?
Earth Balance is headquartered in Tallahassee, United States, in the North America region.
How does Earth Balance make money?
One revenue line is on record: consumer Packaged Goods Sales.
Who are Earth Balance's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Flora Plant-Based (Upfield), Melt Organic, Miyoko's Creamery and Country Crock Plant Butter (Upfield). Broad incumbents are Smart Balance (Conagra), Benecol, Oatly and I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (Upfield). Emerging players are Fora Foods and Violife (Upfield).
Does Earth Balance have an API?
No public API is recorded for Earth Balance.
What industry is Earth Balance in?
Earth Balance's product category is Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAHAJAD, Plant-Based Butter & Spread Alternatives Processing (Margarine-style, Cultured Spreads), with a secondary code of CRADACAF, Dairy Alternatives (Plant-Based Milk, Yogurt, Creamers). Its NAICS code is 31151 and its SIC code is 2020.