Brami’s and Mosh’s recent funding rounds show what’s winning in food right now

New Economic Realities // June 8, 2026 Brami’s and Mosh’s recent funding rounds show what’s winning in food right now By Gabriela Barkho Ivy Liu As AI startups continue to dominate venture capital dollars, retail brands are left to vie for the rest of the capital. According to Carta data, 2025 was a rough year for consumer startups.

Combined, consumer startups raised about $800 million in the first quarter of last year, the lowest since 2019. The report also showed the median seed round raised by consumer startups in that period dropped to about $700,000, the lowest in six years.

While the jury’s still out on how VC funding will shake out this year, it’s clear that large rounds are becoming increasingly rare among brands trying to grow in retail. But some are proving to be the exception to the rule. In recent weeks, pasta brand Brami and snack brand Mosh both announced double-digit venture rounds to help them scale further.

Elly Truesdell, a partner at New Fare Partners, said the food and beverage companies that are able to raise money right now tend to have a very specific value proposition. That could mean being part of a better-for-you trend or being a high-velocity brand that’s growing at an exponential rate in retail.

Truesdell suspects that the large rounds going to the select few brands point to a concentrated effort among investors to bet on specific long-term trends. “A lot of investors are recognizing that food is really enduring and that there is such a macro shift in terms of how people are eating,” she said.

But these trends tend to have a long tail, and it could take years to see returns on investments. Truesdell pointed to recent mega-exits, like Grüns ‘ sale to Unilever, as exceptions to the rule.

She said that at this time, investors like herself foresee that it’s going to take several years for strategics and big conglomerates to reshape their portfolios, including selling off stagnant brands and scooping up hot, relevant companies. This leaves many investments up in the air as VCs await their brands’ exits.

For now, there will be gap raises that help certain brands reach the next stage of expansion. “One thing you will start to see more of – and we’re seeing it with our portfolio – is growth equity and PE firms doing a lot of secondary rounds,” Truesdell said.

A continued trend of category premiumization In May, Italian food brand Brami just raised $33 million in Series B funding led by VMG Partners, along with existing investors La Molisana, Pentland Ventures, Lerer Hippeau and Gather Ventures. Brami last raised capital in 2023, when it closed a $6. 53 million Series A round.

According to Brami, its pasta has 70% more protein and 25% fewer net carbs compared to traditional pasta. It also has three times the amount of fiber per serving. The brand is now sold at over 4,000 stores that include Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Costco and Sam’s Club.

Brami’s latest retail launches include Sprouts nationwide and Albertsons’ Intermountain Division, which consists of Albertsons, Safeway and Lucky stores. Founder and CEO Aaron Gatti told Modern Retail that new investment will fuel Brami’s manufacturing and continued retail expansion across the country.

Brami, which produces its pasta in Italy from durum wheat and lupini bean flour, will use the funds to increase manufacturing capacity and strengthen its supply chain. “Retail pasta is a $4 billion category that had significant growth during Covid and globally is growing quite strongly,” Gatti said.

He went on to say that while there are a number of better-for-you pastas on the market, the company is trying to merge premium dried pasta and functional health benefits. “We want to open people’s minds to the idea that you do not have to choose between enjoyment and health in pasta,” he said.

With that, Gatti said VCs participating in this round are betting on Brami being part of a wave of brands that are trying to take a more premium approach to a mass category. He explained that retail pasta, in particular, had become commoditized in the U. S. thanks to large players dominating the aisle.

“But supporting this level of growth is incredibly capital intensive,” he went on to say. “Half of the round is dedicated to supporting growth and expanding our retail reach.” Gatti said that Brami’s growing velocity was another point that investors considered.

Thanks to its latest retail expansion, the company expects a 400% year-over-year sales growth this year. Generally speaking, the other half of the funding round will go to sourcing Brami’s premium ingredients. “Lupini is still an emerging ingredient, and we maintain very high standards for our wheat,” he said.

“There is a continued trend of premiumization, and we fit perfectly into that,” Gatti said. “What is unique in our case is how impactful the pasta category can be, especially during