Cleveland Kitchen, the culinary brand focused on delicious fermented foods, has received a $19M Series A financing led by Amberstone, with participation from existing investor Clover Vitality. The funds will be used to accelerate Cleveland Kitchen's growth in the fresh-fermented foods category, and to complete the acquisition of Sonoma Brinery, a premium pickle manufacturer focused on bringing customers all naturally fermented foods that taste great.
This strategic combination further positions Cleveland Kitchen as a vertically integrated, emergent category leader in the fermentation space. Cleveland Kitchen will now have the opportunity to serve West Coast-based retailers and customers seamlessly thanks to a brand-new state-of-the-art facility in Santa Rosa, CA.
Cleveland Kitchen has achieved 110 percent revenue growth since 2016 with retail door expansion, same-store velocity increases, and new product innovations. Cleveland Kitchen expects robust growth YOY in 2022 by investing in new operational and manufacturing capabilities, driving increased distribution and household penetration with the fresh kimchi and pickle products, continuing to support its cross-channel retail partners with world-class service, and releasing a new product line this fall.
Under Cleveland Kitchen's leadership, Sonoma Brinery's current output, drive cost and quality will quadruple. All 50 employees from Sonoma Brinery will be joining the Cleveland Kitchen team including Dave Ehreth the Founder and President of Sonoma Brinery. Ehreth will be consulting with the Cleveland Kitchen team to lend his background and nearly two-decade knowledge of fermentation science.
