WASHINGTON — Foraged, a marketplace for wild and specialty foods, has raised $2.7 million in seed funding.
Founded in 2021, Foraged connects small-scale food producers, such as independent farmers and foragers, to consumers across the country, providing an end-to-end solution that includes shipping, secure payment processing and more. Products listed on the site range from wild grey morels and bison bone-in ribeye to frozen huckleberries and fresh wasabi root.
"Mainstream awareness of wild foods has been quietly, but intensely growing over the past few years,” said Jack Hamrick, co-founder and chief executive officer of Foraged. “More people than ever have discovered that there are alternatives to the local supermarket. This funding not only validates the potential of our platform but also moves us closer to realizing our vision for the food system of the future — where consumers can discover and connect with independent food producers in a more meaningful way."
The Foraged team includes professionals from technology, culinary and sustainability industries, including veterans of Apple, Squarespace, Anheuser-Busch and the Environmental Protection Agency, as well as a Michelin-experienced chef. The startup plans to use the new capital to enhance its suite of tools and features, supporting “a more seamless and robust platform” for its buyers and sellers.
The funding round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners with participation by the leaders and founders of technology companies including Etsy, Yelp, StubHub, Shopify and Fiverr. Chef and restaurateur Tom Colicchio previously invested in the company.
The startup has raised a total of $3 million to date.
“Bessemer is excited to lead this financing round," said Jeremy Levine, partner at Bessemer Venture Partners. "We believe in Foraged’s mission to empower independent food producers and provide consumers with a unique shopping experience. Foraged has reimagined the way consumers think about where and how they get their food."Enjoying this content? Learn about more disruptive startups on the Food Entrepreneur page.
