-KH News Desk
True Food Kitchen, a restaurant and lifestyle brand with 42 locations across 17 states, has secured more than $100 million in capital to support faster expansion.
In 2008, Andrew Weil, an integrative medicine doctor, developed the anti-inflammatory food pyramid, the basis for the seasonal menu at True Food Kitchen. Salads, bowls, burgers, and sandwiches are among the selections, in addition to organic drinks and freshly squeezed juices. The business intends to develop more compact forms and increase its footprint.
Centerbridge Partners, an existing investor, joined HumanCo and Manna Tree in leading the financing round. Oprah Winfrey and Howard Schultz, the creator of Starbucks, were early supporters of the company.
“True Food Kitchen is in a category of its own, with a mission perfectly aligned with HumanCo to help people live a healthier life through epic food experiences,” said Jason H. Karp, Founder, and chief executive officer of HumanCo. “It’s an amazing, uniquely mission-driven brand that’s authentic, accessible, and unwavering at a time when a lot of health and wellness is not. While many companies are engineering man-made and synthetic products, True Food Kitchen looks to nature and farms for all of its food — and we believe this is how we can all build a better, more sustainable food system. Most of all, we love that it’s not just healthy food, but also delicious, crave-able food with fresh and intriguing options using only the best real food ingredients.”
The goal of True Food Kitchen and that of Manna Tree’s co-founder and president, Brent Drever, are complementary in terms of enhancing human health via nutrition.
“We’re looking forward to working closely with their management team and leveraging our expertise to help True Food Kitchen bring its revolutionary ‘better food for better living’ concept to a much wider audience,” he said.
