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Little Spoon

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Little Spoon
Little Spoon, Inc.
IndustryFood and beverage
Founded2017
Founders
  • Ben Lewis (CEO)
  • Angela Vranich (CPO)
  • Michelle Muller
Headquarters
New York City
Websitelittlespoon.com

Little Spoon, Inc. is a direct-to-consumer, subscription-based business[1] specializing in foods for babies, toddlers, and children.[2][3][4] The New York-based company delivers their products within the United States to customers’ homes.[5] Many of their products are USDA Certified Organic[6] and Clean Label Project certified.[7][8][9]

History

[edit]

Little Spoon was launched in 2017[10][11] by Ben Lewis[12] and Angela Vranich, who were both working in the food industry and identified an opportunity in the baby food market. They were later joined by co-founder Michelle Muller.[13][14][15][16] Vranich came up with Little Spoon's name, developed the initial recipes, and led the branding and packaging processes. Lewis focused on supply chain, operations, capital and growth.[17]

The company launched its first product, a line of fresh baby food called Babyblends[18] [16] As the company grew, they introduced a line called Plates.[19][20][21]

In September 2024 Little Spoon became the first baby food company in the United States to hold itself to the strict safety guidelines of the European Union (EU).[22] The company set publicly facing limits on over 500 toxins and contaminants, including heavy metals like lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, for their Babyblends and is testing every batch of their food.[23][24]

Funding

[edit]

In February 2019, Little Spoon secured a $7 million round of funding led by Vaultier7.[25][26] In December 2020, Little Spoon raised $22 million in a financing round led by private investment firm Valor Equity Partners, with backing from Starbucks and other CPG and retail corporations.[27] In July 2021, Little Spoon announced a $44 million Series B funding round led by Valor Equity Partners,[28] with participation from Kairos HQ.[29][30]

In February 2023, Little Spoon raised new funding led by Valor Equity Partners, with existing investors also participating, resulting in a valuation of around $300 million.[31]

Awards and recognition

[edit]
  • Featured on Time’s Best Inventions 2018[32]
  • Ranked #91 on Inc's Fastest Growing Companies 2022 list[33]
  • Named by Fast Company as one of the Brands that Matter in 2022[34]
  • Listed by Inc as one of The Best Workplaces in 2023[33]
  • Received an honorable mention at the Fast Company's Innovation by Design Awards in 2023[35]
  • Named by Modern Retail as a Retail Startup of the Year Finalist in 2024[36]
  • Listed in The Lead's Foremost 50 in 2024[37]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Little Spoon On Making Online Baby Food Subscriptions Flexible". PYMNTS.com. 2019-02-22. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  2. ^ McPherson, Gaby (2024-01-12). "Little Spoon Review 2024". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  3. ^ Hodgson, Lisa; Rees, Mathieu (2020-12-17). "Little Spoon review: Meal delivery for babies and children". medicalnewstoday.com. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  4. ^ Sassos, Stefani (2023-04-13). "Is Little Spoon Worth It? We Tested the Kids' Meal Delivery Service". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  5. ^ Collins, Katie (2017-11-15). "Silver spoons at the ready: Meal deliveries for babies are here". CNET. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  6. ^ Sassos, Stefani (2023-12-21). "Our Panel of Dietitians, Parents and Babies Named These the Best Organic Baby Food Brands". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  7. ^ Gruber, Bryce (2023-03-22). "Best Baby Food Delivery Services 2024". Today's Parent. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  8. ^ "The 2020 Best of Baby Winner for Top Baby Food Subscription". www.thebump.com. 2020-09-15. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  9. ^ "Little Spoon". Clean Label Project. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  10. ^ Hinchliffe, Emma (2017-11-22). "There are almost as many baby food delivery startups as regular food delivery startups". Mashable. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  11. ^ Petit, Zachary (2023-09-25). "Little Spoon redesigned Lunchables for a new generation of kids (and their picky parents)". Fast Company. Retrieved 2024-02-28.
  12. ^ Murphy, Aislinn (2023-03-13). "Little Spoon CEO says company 'dodged a bullet, discusses what SVB collapse could mean for startups". FOXBusiness. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  13. ^ "Little Spoons, Big Success: How Her Small Business Broke Into the Baby Food Industry". uschamber.com. 2019-10-07. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  14. ^ Suhrawardi, Rebecca. "Startup Founders of Little Spoon Talk Style and Entrepreneurship". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-02-26.
  15. ^ Swartvagher, Jennifer (2020-09-09). "Little Spoon Launches "Plates" For Toddlers & Big Kids". Tinybeans. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  16. ^ a b Watson, Elaine (2019-02-15). "The future of baby food is fresh, says Little Spoon: 'We believe your baby's food should never be older than your baby'". foodnavigator-usa.com. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  17. ^ Barker, Rebecca (2024-02-14). "How Little Spoon's Co-Founders Went From High School Sweethearts to Business Partners". inc.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  18. ^ "Little Spoon set to disrupt the baby food category". Packaging World. 2016-02-01. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
  19. ^ Lane, Anna (2021-03-18). "Little Spoon delivers pre-made kids' meals—are they any good?". Reviewed. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  20. ^ Carr, Elizabeth (2023-12-22). "Meal Delivery Services for Families to Make 2024 a Little Easier". Tinybeans. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  21. ^ "We Tried 7 Meal-Delivery Services for Kids on the Pickiest Little Eaters We Know". nymag.com. 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  22. ^ Miska Salemann,"Little Spoon is first US baby food brand to adopt EU-aligned safety standards". nypost.com. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  23. ^ Bailee Henderson,"Baby Food Company First in U.S. to Set EU-Aligned Safety Standards, Share Test Results for Contaminants". food-safety.com. 25 September 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  24. ^ "Little Spoon Campaigns For Stricter Baby Food Regulations in US". cheddar.com/. 15 October 2024. Retrieved 24 October 2024.
  25. ^ Clark, Kate (2019-02-05). "Little Spoon gets $7M for its organic baby food delivery service". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  26. ^ Watson, Elaine (2019-02-05). "Direct to consumer babyfood brand Little Spoon raises $7m". foodnavigator-usa.com. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  27. ^ Upshall, Emma (2020-12-21). "Organic baby food start-up Little Spoon secures $22m in financing". FoodBev Media. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  28. ^ Driebusch, Corrie (2021-07-20). "WSJ News Exclusive | Baby-Food Maker Little Spoon Raises $44 Million". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  29. ^ Upshall, Emma (2021-07-23). "Little Spoon raises $44m in financing to grow baby food delivery service". FoodBev Media. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  30. ^ Hall, Christine (2021-07-20). "Little Spoon scoops up $44M to grow its children's nutrition delivery service". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  31. ^ Driebusch, Corrie (2023-02-08). "Little Spoon Raises New Funding at Roughly $300M Valuation". WSJ. Archived from the original on 2023-02-08. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  32. ^ "Baby Food On Demand: Honorable Mention on Best Inventions of 2018". Time. Retrieved 2024-02-27.
  33. ^ a b "Little Spoon". inc.com. Retrieved 2024-03-02.
  34. ^ Beer, Jeff (2022-10-25). "These 19 brands are helping people sharpen their minds, look good, and improve their health". Fast Company. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  35. ^ Woodruff, Jay (2023-08-22). "The best designs by small businesses in 2023". Fast Company. Retrieved 2024-03-01.
  36. ^ "Instacart, Poshmark, Intuit Mailchimp, Best Buy and Poppi are finalists for this year's Modern Retail Awards". Modern Retail. 2023-11-28. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
  37. ^ Opfer, Caite (2024-01-28). "The Foremost 50 | 2024". The Lead. Retrieved 2024-02-29.
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