Yummers, the newly launched omni-channel pet lifestyle brand, announces that it closed a $6.3 million seed round led by L Catterton, the largest global consumer-focused private equity firm, along with Caravan, FS Investors, C&S Family Capital, Platinum Mile Ventures and Louis Kreisburg. The new capital will support Yummers' omni-channel brand strategy, including its national partnership with Petco.
Pet and consumer products industry leader Rebecca Frechette Rudisch joined forces with Antoni Porowski and Jonathan Van Ness, devoted pet parents and the stars of Netflix's Emmy award-winning series Queer Eye, to create Yummers, which had its official launch last month. Yummers' first line of premium products includes 18 varieties of high-quality food mix-ins for both dogs and cats, that add more flavor, variety and nutrients to pets' bowls for a complete and healthy meal.
"While pets have long been considered a member of the family, they are becoming increasingly humanized across the board," said Whitney Casey, venture partner at L Catterton. "Pet parents are focused on investing in premium products and experiences to provide their beloved animals with the highest quality care. Through its innovative products, which boast easy-to-use mix-ins, Yummers widens the aperture of personalization available to create holistic feeding solutions targeting specific nutritional needs. The Yummers team is led by unbeatable talent, and we look forward to leveraging our extensive experience investing in the pet food sector to support Yummers' continued expansion and success."
"I've believed for a long time that the pet space really deserves a brand that is all about bringing the emotion of pet parenthood to the forefront, giving pet parents permission to create the extraordinary lives their furry friends deserve," said Yummers Co-Founder Rebecca Frechette Rudisch. "This investment is a meaningful step and inflection point in the growth of Yummers as an omnichannel brand. It will help us scale our critical retail distribution and allow us to continue to push against the status quo in our ambition to become a mainstay in pet parenting culture. Furthermore, I am thrilled to extend my already more than decade-long relationship with L Catterton in such a meaningful way. Having worked with the firm on previous endeavors, I couldn't think of a better partner to embark with on the Yummers journey."
"At Caravan, we helped identify a unique opportunity in the fast-growing pet category to create a compelling brand that aligned with pet parents' elevated standards around feeding, nurturing and bonding with their pets," said Pauline Moller, Caravan co-founder and CEO. "We are thrilled to be a co-founding partner in Yummers and to have worked closely with Antoni, Jonathan and Rebecca to build and bring this brand to market. We are incredibly excited about its continued growth."
As part of its investment, L Catterton and C&S Family Capital will join the Yummers Board, which also includes Rudisch and Caravan.
