In my humble opinion, the McDonald’s sundae is the perfect companion for a road-trip.
It tastes like ice-cream. But because of some miracle of food science, it doesn’t melt like ice-cream. As long as the car isn’t too hot inside, it might last thirty or forty minutes.
On a long stretch of road in, say, Iowa or Nebraska, with nothing but corn fields as far as the eye can see, a frozen treat like that can keep a driver peppy for miles.
But a sad thing happened once I had kids: no more McDonald’s.
It was my wife’s decision. She was adamant. It was time for the family to embrace healthy eating. As she explained, by diving into the joys of grains and greens and whatnot, we’d soon be a foursome filled with vim and vigor.
But the truth of it didn’t quite match up to the sales presentation. Our family road trips were soon burdened by tofu and eggplant, raisins and beets. Friends, it was grim.
But a few weeks ago, on a long stretch of road in upstate New York, my wife handed me a hand-held wrap. I hesitated. Wraps, as I knew, tend to contain bunny foods like alfalfa sprouts and carrot peels. But the hunger was strong. I took the bait, popped it into the mouth — and let out a squeak.
Bold, spicy, fresh. This wrap was a winner.
Refreshed and energized after a few bites, I put the family car on auto-pilot and asked my wife to explain the origins of this surprising treat.
Today, I’ll share what I learned…
Then I’ll show you how it could lead you to profound profits.
The Importance of the Team
To set the stage here, let me refresh your memory about a series of articles I wrote recently.
Those articles (like this one) explained why the team behind a startup is so important.
As I explained, any company, private or public, will be more successful with a strong team. But for startups, a strong team is essential.
You see, few startups create significant revenues. These are early-stage enterprises in search of a business model. So the biggest risk to a startup — the existential threat it faces every day — is that it runs out of capital.
That’s why we should invest in the startups that have a lower risk of running out of capital.
And as it turns out, one of the best ways to lower this risk is to invest in a strong team.
One of the key elements of a strong team is what we call “domain experience.” In other words, members of the team have experience with all the ins and outs of their sector.
And when it comes to domain experience, a certain fast-growing food company has put together a team with significant domain experience…
Introducing: Cool Beans
Cool Beans launched in 2020 with a line of gluten-free, plant-based wraps you can stash in your freezer — or, as I recently discovered, your car.
What’s that you say? No big deal? Au contraire…
If you ask me, a former McDonald’s aficionado, turning a close relative of a plant into something one might choose to eat is newsworthy stuff.
Here are a couple of Cool Beans’ products:
Progress and Potential
Cool Beans started selling its products in natural and specialty channels. But now it’s made its way into mainstream grocery stores.
In its first two years, it brought in about $412,000 in revenues. And in 2022, it believes it will reach an annual run-rate of $1.2 million.
Its products are now available in about 1,500 retail stores including Wegman’s, Safeway, Whole Foods, Fairway, and many others.
Now it’s moving onto its next set of products, which include bowls, family meals, and sides.
How big could this company become? Big. Very big.
The markets for plant-based eating, frozen foods, and gluten-free foods are all on a long-term growth trajectory. Check it out:
As you can see, these are fast-growing, multi-billion-dollar markets.
And Cool Beans is smack dab in the middle of all of them.
That’s why, in the next few years, the company believes its annual revenue could potentially reach $40+ million. That could make it very valuable, indeed.
But Cool Beans also has something else up its sleeve…
And it’s something I believe could help it not just win, but win big.
What a Team!
The team behind Cool Beans is ridiculously strong. Check it out:
Tyler Mayoras — Co-Founder & Co-CEO
Tyler has 20+ years of experience as a Private Equity investor, including as Co-Manager of the $155 million Advantage Capital Food & Ag Fund. This fund invests in privately-held growth companies in sustainable agriculture and “better for you food.” During his career, he’s been involved with multiple high-growth food companies including Boca Burger (prior to its sale to Kraft), Simple Mills, and Farmhouse Culture. He also sits on the Board of Shenandoah Growers, Farmhouse Culture, and Snaxsational Brands.
Investing in a founder who has so much investment experience reduces our risk. Simply put, Tyler understands how to get a financial return from an early-stage investment.
Mike Brennan — Co-Founder & Co-CEO
Mike’s experience is at the intersection of food, technology, and last-mile delivery. Previously, he was COO and Senior Vice President at Peapod, a major online grocer. Over 19 years, he helped grow the company from $7 million to nearly $1 billion in sales.
Caryn Rowe Africk — Co-Founder & Sales and Marketing Leader
Caryn has leadership experience in Business Strategy, Marketing, Sales, and Operations. Her industry experience is broad — from e-commerce and CPG product-development, to technology and manufacturing. Her recent engagements include product development for a high-growth meal-kit business, and grocery e-commerce merchandising.
Eric Schnell — Co-Founder
Eric has 20 years’ experience in the Natural Products industry. He’s the co-founder of Steaz, which was acquired in 2016, and co-founder of BeyondBrands and Good Catch. Eric is a recipient of the Sustainable Business of the Year Award, 4-time winner of the BevNET.com Best Product of the Year Award, and a Beverage World Magazine Top 50 Disruptor.
The People Behind 1,000% Profits
Bottom line: if any team could take advantage of this opportunity…
If any team could give investors like us a shot at earning 1,000% in the food industry — which is our target for all of our early-stage investments — this is the one.
And now, if you choose to do so, you can make a small investment in it.
But keep in mind, this is still an early-stage startup that faces an uncertain future.
That’s why I’m not recommending you run out and blindly invest in Cool Beans, where the minimum investment is $100. This is still a risky venture. It requires substantial research to understand how things might play out, and what its true return profile might look like.
But if this high-octane team is willing to bet their careers on it, perhaps we should consider betting $100 on it, too.
Happy Investing.
Please note: Crowdability has no relationship with any of the startups we write about. We’re an independent provider of education and research on startups and alternative investments.
Best Regards,
Founder
Crowdability.com
