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In recent years the food sector has experienced a clear trend towards organic food. Factors such as sustainability, awareness, health or product quality have made many companies see in this type of procedure a clear way to position themselves in a market with an increasingly ecological mentality. Several reports, such as Statista’s or Grand View Research’s, estimate the organic food business with a revenue of more than 135,000 million per year; and with growth perspectives of 13% per year between now and 2030. Therefore, it is not surprising that many investors are betting on a booming sector, including several celebrities, some of them twice. Here are nine celebrities who have invested in organic food brands, although the list is much longer.
Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner is one of the co-founders of Once Upon A Farm, a brand of organic snacks and meals for babies and children, which aims to improve the quality of life and nutrition by offering delicious and nutritious snacks and meals. In addition, it also has a solidarity work towards families without resources. According to the brand’s website, Jennifer’s mission is to “guide the vision of Farm and the brand as a whole while ensuring that they give back to the community”.
They currently sell their products in more than 13,000 stores in the United States and the company employs 75 people. And from the figures, business is booming. A year ago now, Garner visited Fast Company’s annual innovation festival and told how much the business had grown. “In fact, when we were here last time we were under $1 million a year, and now at the end of this year we’re at $100 million.”
Katy Perry
It has been years since the singer left music to focus on her business side. She currently has shoe and beverage companies, as well as a host of other products that do not allow her to release new songs. In fact, she has just announced the sale of her catalog for 225 million dollars. When it comes to organic food, Katy decided to invest in the Bragg brand, a U.S. health food company, which is committed to helping people eat better, feel better and enjoy a healthier and more vibrant life. The company has been in the business for over 100 years, but Katy decided to get involved a few years ago, as she is a friend of Patricia Bragg, the current head of the company.
Sofia Vergara
The Colombian actress also invested in the organic food business. In 2015, she joined the long list of investors who own the Suja brand, which also includes names such as Leonardo DiCaprio or Jared Leto. Founded in 2012, this company’s mission is to inspire people to take charge of their wellness journey, through organic cold-pressed juices as a responsible way with plants. It is one of the leading organic beverage brands. In 2015 Coca-Cola bought a part of the shares, while 2021 annual sales were estimated at 200 million dollars, and Suja Organic was acquired in its entirety by an investor group.
Ashton Kutcher
Another celebrity who has also found his way into investing in different businesses is actor Ashton Kutcher. One of his forays into the organic food sector was with GrubMarket, a food technology company on a mission to digitally transform the U.S. food supply chain industry. It raised a $200 million round of funding in 2021, which came to value GrubMarket at more than $1.2 billion.
Bill Gates
The billionaire is another of the entrepreneurs who bets the most on this sector. The Microsoft co-founder has been investing in organic and vegan food businesses for more than 15 years. Gates invested in Beyond Meat, one of the most famous vegan meat brands. But he has become a recurring investor in the alternative protein business. He has also invested in other similar companies such as Impossible Foods, bringing in more than $50 million.
Beyonce
The singer, who is in the middle of a world tour, is also a business woman, with a lot of investments in different projects. Food was not going to be less. Among other companies, Beyonce decided to invest a few years ago in WTRMLN, a pioneer brand in the production of cold-pressed watermelon water. In a press release, the artist stated that she invested in this company because “it is the future of clean, natural hydration. As a partner, I share a simple mission to bring accessible wellness to the world. This is more than an investment in a brand, it’s an investment in women leaders, in fitness, in American farmers and in the health of people and our planet.” The brand is currently available in nearly 10,000 U.S. stores.
Leonardo DiCaprio
He is another of the celebrities most involved in causes that have to do with sustainability, philanthropy or organic food, among other aspects. The actor has invested in countless companies, many of them in the food sector. One of his most notable holdings was in the Hippeas brand, which produces healthy snacks based on chickpeas and peas. DiCaprio invested in 2017, helping to raise a $14 million round, a figure that by 2021 was up to $50 million.
But the list of companies in which Leonardo DiCaprio has invested is quite long. Other examples are the 100% plant-based hamburger chain, Neat Burger -which he also shares with other partners such as Lewis Hamilton-, the eco-friendly champagne Telmont or the aforementioned Beyond Meat.
Jared Leto
Leonardo DiCaprio also forms a good investment duo with Jared Leto. Both invested in the vegetable drink brand Califia Farms, in an investment round that reached 50 million. Leto is another of the celebrities with the largest business investment. The versatile artist has made more than 50 investments, many of them related to the technology sector.
King Charles III, a pioneer
The current king of England founded an organic food company in 1992: Duchy Originals, which began marketing a single product of oatmeal cookies, and now sells more than 300 in 30 countries around the world. It was a pioneering brand in organic food and also in the promotion of local and organic products. Despite the economic crisis of 2008, which left the company quite touched, it changed its name when it was acquired by the company Waitrose, being renamed Waitrose Duchy Organic and refloated to achieve sales of more than 4 million pounds in 2021. With the arrival to the throne, this activity was incompatible with his title of king, so it was said that the business had passed into the hands of his son William.
