Michel et Augustin is on a mission to deliver delicious, indulgent recipes that are made with high-quality ingredients in France and beyond. Founded in 2004, the brand was first launched by Michel de Rovira and Augustin Paluel-Marmont, who started out whipping up their delectable cookies in Augustin's own kitchen after authoring a guide to Paris' best boulangeries. Since then, Michel et Augustin has grown into a renowned brand with a strong start-up culture.

Today, Michel et Augustin offers many tasty creations, including cookies, chocolate mousse, drinkable yogurts and more. Their recipes are simple yet gourmet and made with high-quality ingredients that offer maximum taste. Beyond their products, what makes Michel et Augustin a unique company, is the passion of the employees (a.k.a., the tribe) who all take courses to become certified pastry chefs, as well as the direct ways that they open their Banana Farm to connect with their consumers.

As the first investment for Danone Manifesto Ventures, Michel et Augustin holds a special place in the team's hearts.

Visit them at https://micheletaugustin.com

Farmer's Fridge was founded in 2013 by CEO Luke Saunders. Headquartered in Chicago, the company offers a network of connected fridges that are stocked daily with chef- and nutritionist-designed, restaurant-quality salads and snacks. The company makes it easy for everyone to enjoy flavorful, healthy food fast, with just a few taps at a fridge or on the Farmer's Fridge app. All un-purchased items are donated nightly to local food pantries, providing sustainable nutrition to community members in need.

With an interest in joining Farmer's Fridge on its mission to making healthy food accessible on-the-go, Danone Manifesto Ventures welcomed the company to its portfolio in March 2017. Through this first food tech investment, the team has gained valuable insight into this innovative distribution model.

Visit them at https://www.farmersfridge.com/

Founded in 2013 by Jordan Gaspar and Lauren Jupiter, AccelFoods invests in innovative food and beverage companies, by partnering with high-growth companies and their driven founders to bring unique products and go-to-market strategies to the forefront of the industry. With a great entrepreneurial spirit and an interest in helping exceptional brands scale to growth, AccelFoods partnered with Danone Manifesto to amplify its impact.

This investment in AccelFoods was seen by Danone Manifesto Ventures as a mutually beneficial partnership, and more than just an investment in a fund. This collaboration enables the Danone Manifesto Ventures team to gain first-hand experience in earlier stage companies from a hands-on and respected New York-based investor group.

Visit them at http://www.accelfoods.com/

French start-up Yooji was founded in 2012 in Bordeaux by a passionate team who set out to revolutionize baby food through innovative, portionable, frozen organic food for babies who are 4 months and older.

Their products contain carefully selected, 100% natural ingredients with no added salt or additives. Even more, through their preparation techniques, they preserve the organoleptic and nutritional quality of the ingredients. Their small, frozen portions of meat, fish or vegetables, are easy to unpack and quick to heat up, enabling parents to effortlessly serve food that rivals home-cooked meals in freshness and flavor.

Danone Manifesto Ventures welcomed the Yooji team to its portfolio in September 2017, bringing in Danone's early-life nutrition experts from Bledina to help guide Yooji through their continual growth and innovation. This investment has built on Danone Manifesto Ventures' commitment to supporting companies who aim to create a healthy and sustainable future of food.

Visit them at https://www.yooji.fr/

Kona Deep^TM represents a completely new category of water: deep ocean water replete with a unique blend of naturally occurring deep ocean electrolytes. Kona Deep is sourced from the deep ocean waters of Hawaii, 3,000 feet beneath the ocean surface, where cold, pressure and natural minerals combine to create an exceptionally high-quality water. Once brought to the surface, the water is desalinated and bottled at the source with absolutely nothing added.

After launching in Hawaii, Kona Deep has recently expanded onto the US mainland where the demand for premium waters and performance waters is growing rapidly. Hawaiian deep ocean water offers consumers both the purity of a trusted natural source and the performance benefits of naturally occurring deep ocean electrolytes.

Danone Manifesto Ventures invested in Kona Deep in November 2017, and both parties aim to combine Danone's resources and expertise in sustainability initiatives (notably with its iconic brand, Evian) with Kona Deep's passion to provide a disruptive, great-tasting and natural bottled water.

Visit them at https://konadeep.com/

Founded in 2009 by Justin Guilbert and Douglas Riboud, Harmless Harvest produces Organic, Fair-For-Life Coconut Water and Coconut Probiotics. As an "ecosystem-based business" and a pioneer of a proprietary extraction and filtration process, Harmless Harvest ensures the long-term welfare of all participants involved—from plant to purchaser. Harmless Harvest's unique business model includes investing in the Thai communities where their coconuts are grown. Harmless Harvest was the first in the coconut water category to achieve a Fair-For-Life certification.

Inspired by Harmless Harvest's product and mission to invest in communities at the source, Danone Manifesto Ventures invited the company to its portfolio in 2017. Danone Manifesto Ventures ambition is to keep supporting this iconic brand and their positive social and environmental impact.

Visit them at http://www.harmlessharvest.com/

Cassius Family, an early-stage venture capital fund in the content and consumer spaces, was founded in 2017 by Emmanuel Seugé, a former marketing executive for a well-known beverage corporation. Like Danone Manifesto Ventures, this venture fund aims to invest in emerging start-up companies that are building innovative approaches for people to engage with brands and media platforms, using technology as a disruptive accelerator.

With similar goals and values, Danone Manifesto Ventures partnered with Cassius Family in December 2017, again with an ambition to learn and explore the exciting space of digital engagement solutions.

Visit them at https://cassiusfamily.com/

Berlin-based startup Mitte was founded by an experienced and talented management team in June 2016 with the mission of “improving lives with healthy water”. The smart home water system allows consumers to purify and enhance plain tap water through a two-step proprietary method involving distillation and mineralization. The company offers a selection of mineral cartridges with varying levels of natural minerals, thus allowing consumers to personalize their water in a sustainable way. A dedicated digital app will further enhance the consumer experience, enabling users to monitor quality of water, insights into personal water consumption and cartridge ordering.

Danone Manifesto Ventures invited Mitte to join its portfolio in 2018, after a shared commitment to bring health through hydration. Danone looks forward to using its water expertise and resources to support Mitte’s growth opportunities and sustainability business agenda, in an endeavor to bring hydration solutions for all.

Visit them at https://mitte.co/

Founders Joanna and David Parker, parents of three, together with Dan Treiman, created Yumble with a mission of making healthy eating more accessible for kids and less stressful for parents. Through a direct-to-consumer subscription model, Yumble ships nutritious, fresh meals for kids on a weekly basis. Dinners, lunches and snacks are made from fresh, all natural ingredients, seasonally and locally sourced whenever possible. Through great tasting, nutritious meals and engaging educational activities for kids, Yumble is committed to making healthy eating fun and stress free for all.

Inspired by Yumble’s goal of bringing health through food to children, Danone Manifesto Ventures invested in the company in 2018. The team looks forward to using its expertise in children’s nutrition to accompany the startup through its next stages of growth and innovation.

Visit them at https://yumblekids.com/

Sons of farmers, founders Guillaume Fourdinier and Gonzague Gru created Agricool in 2015 with a mission of making locally-grown produce accessible to all and of promoting urban vertical farming. The company has developed a technology to grow pesticide-free produce (starting with strawberries) in recycled containers in city centers, in a highly efficient and sustainable way. Agricool “cooltainers” make it possible to grow strawberries all year round in a highly-controlled environment (temperature, humidity, light), while saving on transportation and delivery costs.

With a shared interest to invent the future of food and make fresh food available to as many people as possible, Danone Manifesto Ventures invested in the company in 2018. Through this first agtech investment, the Danone Manifesto Ventures team looks forward to learning from and helping expand this innovative and sustainable farming technology.

Visit them at https://agricool.co/

Mika and Helena, the Scandinavian founders behind Hälsa, launched the first plant-based yogurt made from whole grain oats in the United States in 2018. This organic drinkable oatgurt encapsulates their vision of the future of food: healthy products with 100% clean labels that do not contain artificial ingredients or added sugar. In addition to being a natural source of prebiotics, the clean and flavorful oats are sourced from Scandinavian family farms.

With a shared interest to bring delicious, plant-based products to the market, this partnership began in 2018. The investment builds on Danone Manifesto Ventures’ ambition to support innovative companies committed to bringing health through wholesome food.

Visit them at https://halsafoods.com/

Nature’s Fynd is on a mission to develop an edible protein that is high in nutritional value yet gentler on the planet. Founded in 2013 by Mark Kozubal to focus on sustainable energy, he along with co-founder Thomas Jonas quickly discovered the opportunity that existed in food. Their protein comes from a special type of microorganisms discovered at the heart of Yellowstone nearly a decade ago and has similar nutritional properties, including some key amino acids, to animal proteins like eggs. The benefits of this protein also extend to the impact on the earth as the fermentation process requires significantly less resources from the planet to produce when compared to other protein sources.

Following Danone’s mission to help the food industry to become more sustainable while bringing health to the world, Danone Manifesto Ventures invested in Nature’s Fynd in 2018. Danone Manifesto Ventures’ ambition is to support Nature’s Fynd along its way to becoming a sustainable model for the food processing industry in the years to come.

Visit them on https://www.naturesfynd.com/

Launched in June 2015 by Drums Food International, Epigamia is a leading start-up in India’s branded fresh food space. With innovation and great tasting products as their fuel, Epigamia launched India’s first branded Greek Yogurt and continues to bring new fresh, healthy products to the market. Their yogurts are made with real fruit and no artificial flavors or preservatives. They have quickly become the snack of choice for India’s health-conscious millennials and are bringing new taste experiences to the market by putting a contemporary spin on traditional Indian yogurts and desserts.

Given this perfect balance between health, taste and quality, Danone Manifesto Ventures invested in Epigamia in 2019. As its first investment in Asia, Danone Manifesto Ventures looks forward to putting Danone’s resources and expertise to use in supporting Epigamia’s talented team as the business continues to appeal to its ever-growing number of Indian consumers and expand across India.

Visit them at https://www.epigamia.com/

Brothers and co-founders Alexander and Arthur Gillett created HowGood to bring much needed transparency to the food system. As a mission-based research company, HowGood has the most comprehensive database on food and personal care product sustainability in the industry — and is committed to using that data to help brands, retailers, and consumers make more sustainable choices. Through in-depth insights into the environmental and social impact of ingredients, HowGood data powers strategic decision-making for the sourcing, manufacturing, merchandising, and marketing of sustainable products.

Danone Manifesto Ventures is inspired and excited by HowGood’s mission to support the understanding and production of responsibly produced foods. The team looks forward to partnering to increase HowGood’s impact and further bolster Danone’s commitment to a healthy planet through sustainable food production.

Visit them at http://www.howgood.com/

Forager Project seeks to improve planet & human health by making organic, plant-based foods that are simple, pure and taste amazing. The delicate flavor and silky texture of cashews are the star of Forager’s milks and yogurts, allowing for a creamy, dairy-like taste experience. Believing that good food choices matter, Stephen Williamson and John-Charles Hanley co-founded Forager Project in San Francisco in 2013 and have built this creamery to their own exacting and high standards, resulting in exceptional plant-based, dairy-free foods.

Inspired by the company’s mission to create a more sustainable food system from and for our most precious resource, our planet, Danone Manifesto Ventures invested in Forager Project in October 2019. Danone Manifesto Ventures’ ambition is to support Forager Project in its quest to offer plant-based, refrigerated and pantry staples for everyday eating, snacking and cooking.

Visit them at https://www.foragerproject.com/

Experienced entrepreneurs Jean Moreau and Baptiste Corval created Phenix in 2014 with the determination to shape a world without waste. With roots in a desire to be a breakthrough digital food bank creating the link between French retailers and charity organizations, Phenix has evolved to be a French leader of the waste reduction sector. Phenix has saved more than 100 million meals since its creation through its network of professionals, NGOs and committed citizens. Between donations to NGOs and food banks, discounted sales via its consumer facing app, engagement with farmers for animal feeling and direct sales in its "Nous Anti-Gaspi" stores, Phenix continues to multiply its impact on society year over year.

With a shared focus on reducing food waste and the importance of balancing purpose and profit, Danone Manifesto Ventures welcomed this inspiring certified B Corporation to its portfolio in early 2000. Danone Manifesto Ventures is happy to partner with the Phenix team to amplify its impact to solve the important issue of food waste.

Visit them at https://wearephenix.com/

Co-Founded by world-renowned big wave surfer Laird Hamilton and serial entrepreneur Paul Hodge, Laird Superfood aims to be a driving force behind consumers living a conscious, healthful and vibrant lifestyle. They are doing this by providing functional and convenient, plant-based superfood products that deliver on taste and quality. Anchored by their signature superfood creamers, the company is focused on innovation and leverages organic coffee beans, functional mushrooms, and other real, natural and whole food ingredients to help keep people fueled throughout their days. Launched in 2015, this Oregon-based company meticulously hones its craft to serve the highest quality products and will serve as a mainstay in the industry for years to come.

Inspired by Laird Superfood’s commitment to a healthy lifestyle and its understanding of the needs of today’s consumers, Danone Manifesto Ventures invested in the company in 2020. The team’s ambition is to support Laird Superfood in its quest to offer the best plant-based functional foods to help fuel a better you.

Visit them at https://lairdsuperfood.com/

Co-founded by Dr. Andy Leitner, Daniel Zakowski, and Dr. Katie Marks-Cogan, Ready, Set, Food! is a leader in childhood food allergy prevention through early introduction of simple, high-quality food allergens. The Ready, Set, Food! team, supported by world-class physicians and allergists, developed an early allergen introduction system that provides a safe way for parents to gently introduce peanuts, eggs, and milk to their children, thereby reducing the risk of developing food allergies from an early age. The California based company was founded in 2017 and sits at the forefront of food allergy prevention. They strive to be a trusted partner and to help ensure all families with children have an opportunity for a healthier future.

Inspired by their passion and commitment to supporting parents in further reducing food allergies among babies, Danone Manifesto Ventures invested in Ready, Set, Food! in 2020. The team looks forward to working together to amplify the impact that Ready, Set, Food! will make in the lives of parents and their babies.

Visit them at https://readysetfood.com/

Founded in 2016 by CEO Sunny Jain, Sun Genomics was born out of his personal struggle to find an effective, targeted probiotic solution for his son’s GI distress. Based in San Diego, they create custom probiotics tailored and formulated to a person’s unique gut microbiota and specific needs. Through their flagship product Floré, Sun Genomics utilizes whole-genome sequencing to evaluate a consumer’s different digestive system data points and deliver completely personalized probiotics direct to them. With a repository of over 70 probiotic strains along with their end-to-end analysis, Sun Genomics addresses the needs of many with gut health issues.

Inspired by Sun Genomics' mission to improve the health and wellness of people, Danone Manifesto Ventures invested in the company in 2020. The team’s ambition is to support Sun Genomics in its path towards addressing the need for a more holistic gut health solution for those with digestive health issues.

Visit them at https://sungenomics.com/