Mezcla raises $9.5 million | Food Business News

The plant-based protein bar startup will use the funding to expand its team across key functions, accelerate brand-building, support distribution growth across the natural, conventional, mass and club retail channels and invest in continued product innovation, according to Mezcla.

Following the funding round Lindsay Levin, venture partner at Bluestein Ventures and former chief marketing officer of RXBAR, will join the startup’s board of directors.

Founded in 2019 by Griffin Spolansky and Coco Sotelo, Mezcla is a startup producing plant-based protein bars formulated with pea protein crisps, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, nut butters and added flavors like pistachio and blueberry.

In 2024, the company raised $4 million in a Series A round that was targeted to fund growth within retailers, its team and scaling production.

Prior funding rounds included $1.1 million in a pre-seed and $2.3 million in a seed.

Mezcla is currently found in approximately 9,000 retail locations nationwide, including Whole Foods Market, Sprouts, Publix, H-E-B and select Target, Albertsons, Kroger and Costo locations.

“From day one, our goal has been to create a protein bar that feels modern,” Spolansky said. “Not heavy, built around adventurous flavors, and not stuck in old-school fitness culture. Protein bars have become crowded with products engineered for macro stats. We care deeply about nutrition, but we’re focused on more — superior flavor, texture, and how the product makes you feel. That’s how you build a balanced snack people come back to.”

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