Kuli Kuli Foods
AcquiredOakland, US · Founded 2011 · 9 known investors
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Kuli Kuli sells moringa-based food and wellness supplements, including gummies, capsules, and powders aimed at consumers focused on nutrition and wellness. Its product line covers offerings for hormonal balance, fiber intake, hair support, and general nourishment.
Also known as Kuli Kuli
Founders & leadership
Kuli Kuli Foods was founded in 2011 by Lisa Curtis.
Investors · 9
Reported raises · per SEC filings
Form D private placements$5.4M disclosed across 2 of 4 rounds · 2013–2016
▶$4.4MraisedApr 2017 · 44 investors · OtherRule 506(b)
- Anne TsueiExecutive Officer
- Derek ProudianDirector
- Valerie PopelkaExecutive Officer, Director
- Ahmed RahimDirector
- Jordan MoncharmontExecutive Officer
- Lisa CurtisExecutive Officer, Director
- Simon BurtonDirector
- Offering amount
- $4.4M
- Amount sold
- $4.4M
- First sale
- Dec 2016
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware
- Federal exemptions
- 06b
▶$1MraisedJul 2016 · 41 investors · OtherRule 506(c)
- Lisa CurtisExecutive Officer, Director
- Offering amount
- $1M
- Amount sold
- $1M
- First sale
- Apr 2014
- Incorporated
- Corporation, Delaware, 2011
- Federal exemptions
- 06c
Source: SEC EDGAR Form D. Amounts as filed; amended filings shown once at their latest values.
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Kuli Kuli Foods is a food and wellness brand built around moringa and other plant-based superfood ingredients. Its catalog spans organic pure moringa powder (7.4 oz and 10.6 oz) and moringa capsules, superfood gummies (including moringa with turmeric, chaga mushroom or super greens; sea moss and blue spirulina; hyaluronic acid, biotin and baobab), superfood drink mixes and blends (Crave Reset, Her Power, Marine Glow, Gut Bliss, Super Greens, In The Mood), instant superfood lattes (matcha moringa, hibiscus berry, ube coconut, blue chamomile), a chocolate peanut butter energy shake, pumpkin seed oil hair capsules, and gift/variety boxes. Retail prices on its own store range from roughly $19.99 to $49.99. Earlier product history includes moringa-based energy bars, wellness shots and teas.
The company positions itself around three claims: nutrient density and efficacy of its plant ingredients, climate-smart cultivation and packaging, and community-based sourcing through equitable trade with small growers. Ingredients include moringa, baobab, spirulina, ginger, lemon balm, biotin, hibiscus, lucuma and sea moss. Sourcing is described as organic-certified, regeneratively grown, harvested at peak potency, low-temperature dried, obtained through direct farmer relationships in remote and rural areas, then inspected and packed in the United States, with triple testing and third-party audits and certifications.
Kuli Kuli is described as a mission-driven B Corporation that introduced moringa to the U.S. market, working with women-led farming cooperatives across Africa, Latin America and Asia. It was founded in 2011 and is headquartered at 1611 Telegraph Ave, Suite 900, Oakland, California. In February 2024 it sold a majority stake to plant-based snack company Outstanding Foods, with Lisa Curtis continuing as CEO.
Founding story
Founder Lisa Curtis encountered moringa in 2010 while serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in a village in Niger, West Africa. As a vegetarian eating mostly rice and millet, she felt fatigued; women at the village health center suggested the local nutrient-rich moringa plant, which she mixed with a traditional peanut snack called kuli-kuli. After returning to the United States in 2011, she started Kuli Kuli Foods part-time while working full-time as communications director at a solar energy startup, then recruited three co-founders, and the team developed a first product line of moringa-based energy bars.
Business model
Kuli Kuli sells branded packaged superfood products both direct-to-consumer through its own Shopify-powered online store, including subscriptions, and through retail grocery distribution. Its DTC store offers free shipping on orders over $50 and on any subscription, and a 15% first-order discount for email signups.
Revenue comes from product sales of packaged superfood powders, capsules, gummies, lattes, drink mixes and gift boxes, priced at approximately $19.99-$49.99 per unit on its own site, sold as one-time purchases or recurring subscriptions, plus wholesale sales into grocery and mass retail.
Traction
Reported traction includes growth from a handful of stores to placement in over 7,000 retail stores within roughly five years, nationwide Walmart distribution announced in 2023, a current assortment of roughly two dozen SKUs on its own site, and marketing claims of thousands of five-star reviews. One profile lists 458 total employees.
Latest developments
The most recent reported corporate event is the February 2024 sale of a majority stake to Outstanding Foods, under which Kuli Kuli is to continue operating with its mission and expand distribution, with Lisa Curtis staying on as CEO. Leadership as of April 2025 was listed as Lisa Curtis (Founder & CEO), Valerie Popelka (COO) and Anne Klassman (VP of Sales). The company continues to market new products, including gummies, lattes and superfood blends, through its online store.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
The company is characterized as a leader in moringa-based superfoods and as the brand that put moringa on the map in the U.S., having built a category around an ingredient that previously had little presence in the American market. Its founder cites unique, high-quality, natural and organic products sustainably sourced from a network of small farmers as its differentiator with retailers and consumers.
Differentiation rests on moringa as a proprietary-feeling category creation, organic and regenerative sourcing directly from smallholder farmers and women-led cooperatives, B Corporation status and social-impact positioning, and quality controls such as triple testing and third-party certification.
Technology
Product-side processes emphasized by the company include low-temperature drying for nutrient density, harvesting at peak potency, supplier testing standards, triple testing for cleanliness and nutrition, and third-party audits and certifications. The DTC storefront runs on Shopify.
Go-to-market
The company first built brand identity and demand through direct-to-consumer sales, online merchants and smaller brick-and-mortar stores, then moved into large retail. It launched online and in grocery in 2014 starting with Whole Foods Market in Northern California, followed by independent chains, and grew to placement in over 7,000 stores including Albertsons, Kroger, Wegmans, Sprouts Farmers Market and Whole Foods nationally, later adding Walmart nationwide. Management has said it met retailers largely at trade shows and followed up persistently, using proven sales performance at one chain as the pitch to the next. Marketing includes social channels (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) and email capture on its site.
U.S. consumers seeking better-for-you, natural and organic nutrition and wellness products, including buyers focused on energy, greens and gut, hormonal, skin and hair supplementation, reached through grocery, mass retail and online channels.
Geography
Headquartered in Oakland, California, with products distributed mainly in the United States through major retailers and online channels. Sourcing and impact operations span multiple countries: moringa from smallholder farmers in Ghana and elsewhere, baobab wild-harvested in Zimbabwe, hibiscus from Egypt, lucuma from Peru, sea moss from the North Atlantic, plus grower partnerships described across Africa (including Benin and Togo), Latin America and Asia.
History
Founded in 2011 after Curtis returned from Niger, the company raised $53,000 on Indiegogo in 2013 and $152,000 on AgFunder in 2014, and subsequently secured investment from Kellogg's corporate venture capital arm. It launched products online and in grocery stores in 2014, beginning with Whole Foods Market in Northern California. Distribution expanded to more than 7,000 stores across chains including Albertsons, Kroger, Wegmans, Sprouts Farmers Market and Whole Foods. In June 2023 it announced nationwide expansion into Walmart with Organic Moringa Vegetable Powder and launched a SuperGummies line. In February 2024 it sold a majority stake to Outstanding Foods, with Curtis remaining CEO.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 7
launches, deals, and filingsKuli Kuli Foods sold a majority stake to plant-based snack company Outstanding Foods, as reported by Forbes on February 21, 2024. Founder Lisa Curtis remains CEO, with the stated aim of using Outstanding Foods' resources to scale distribution and the company's sourcing mission.
Kuli Kuli announced expansion into Walmart stores nationwide with its Organic Moringa Vegetable Powder.
The company launched SuperGummies, a gummy-format line delivering moringa.
Following its crowdfunding raises, Kuli Kuli Foods landed an investment from Kellogg's corporate venture capital arm (referred to as 1894Capital / eighteen94 capital). No amount was disclosed.
Kuli Kuli launched its products online and in grocery stores, starting with Whole Foods Market in Northern California, beginning with a line of moringa-based energy bars.
Founder Lisa Curtis raised $53,000 for Kuli Kuli Foods via the crowdfunding platform Indiegogo.
$53K source ↗
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- Kuli Kuli Foodskulikulifoods.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Kuli Kuli Foods do?
- Kuli Kuli Foods is an Oakland-based brand of moringa and other superfood powders, capsules, gummies and lattes.
- Who founded Kuli Kuli Foods?
- Kuli Kuli Foods was founded by Lisa Curtis in 2011.
- Who are Kuli Kuli Foods's investors?
- Kuli Kuli Foods's investors include Astia, AUTHENTIC VENTURES, Ceniarth, Cerity Partners Ventures, InvestEco, Next Wave Impact, Portfolia, S2G Investments and 1 more.
- How much funding has Kuli Kuli Foods raised?
- Kuli Kuli Foods has disclosed $5.4M raised across 2 of its 4 known rounds.
- Where is Kuli Kuli Foods headquartered?
- Kuli Kuli Foods is headquartered in Oakland, US.