(PRESS RELEASE) NEW YORK — Made by Nacho, launched in April 2021 as the world’s first cat-crafted, chef-approved cat food, announced it has closed a $14M Series A funding round led by CAVU Venture Partners with participation by New Fare Partners and Mars’ Companion Fund, while their initial seed round was led by Sonoma Brands. A leader in the premium cat space, Made by Nacho will use the funds to grow its team, scale its product offerings and expand its marketing efforts to continue to bring high-quality flavor-focused food to cats everywhere.
“The pet food industry is one of the largest and fastest-growing segments globally, and yet 95% of venture funding in the category goes to dog-focused companies,” said Tessa Gould, CEO of Made by Nacho. “In our first year, we’ve made it our mission to give cat parents the same type of innovation and excitement that we’ve seen with dogs, and the results to date really speak for themselves. We’re excited to be able to expand our efforts to not only make premium, nutritious and flavorful cat food the norm, but also to become the first, true lifestyle brand specifically for cats.”
Made by Nacho was founded by long-time cat dad and celebrity chef Bobby Flay and his cat, Nacho, alongside food industry veteran Elly Truesdell. The company launched with a six-month nationwide exclusive in more than 1,300 PetSmart stores, as well as on their own direct to consumer site. The company currently has 27 SKUs across four categories, including dry food, wet food in pouches, wet food in cups and single-ingredient freeze dried treats; with plans to rapidly expand their assortment this year. In their first nine months in business, over 195,000 Made by Nacho transactions were placed either in-store or online.
“As someone who has always had cats in my life I was determined to create food that was healthful, had the nutrition I wanted my cats to have, and of course tasted great. What cat doesn’t want delicious meals?,” said Co-Founder Bobby Flay. “Inspired by my cat, Nacho Flay, the co-founder of Made by Nacho, we continue to hit the taste-testing kitchen to ensure cats everywhere have what they need when it comes to mealtime and beyond.”
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