Next in Natural
Brooklyn, US · Founded 2017 · 24 employees on LinkedIn · 1 known investors
Next In Natural is a boutique hybrid holding company and venture studio that invests capital and operational expertise in early-stage organic and natural food and beverage brands, helping them scale into category leaders. It works with better-for-you CPG entrepreneurs across offices in the USA, Spain, Brazil, Israel, and the Philippines.
Also known as Next In Natural · NextInNatural
Founders & leadership
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Next in Natural describes itself as a boutique hybrid holding company and venture studio focused on scaling selected early-stage organic and natural food and beverage companies. It contributes both working capital and what it calls intellectual equity — operational, commercial and marketing expertise — to better-for-you CPG entrepreneurs, with stated emphasis on plant-based, organic, plant-forward and phytonutrient-oriented products and sustainable sourcing.
The firm organizes its work around a cross-functional team spanning business development, marketing, operations and international trading. Its stated mission is built on three pillars: building value through operational excellence and an innovation pipeline, creating brand loyalty among health-oriented consumers, and pursuing long-range financial outcomes shared across its team, farmers, customers and investors. The company positions operational excellence as the central capability it seeks to instill in portfolio companies.
Founding story
The company is led by founder-CEO Jeff Lichtenstein, who previously founded Gourmet Guru, described as New York City's first all-natural and organic CPG incubator and distributor. At Gourmet Guru he co-wrote go-to-market strategies or business plans for early-stage US brands including Chobani, Stumptown and Hu, and later combined the business with UNFI to form UNFI Next.
Business model
Next in Natural operates as a hybrid of a holding company and a venture studio, taking positions in early-phase natural and organic food and beverage companies and supplying operating support across business development, marketing, operations, accounting, analytics, trade marketing, R&D and international trading rather than acting solely as a passive capital provider.
Traction
The website cites 8,320 accounts visited annually, 250+ hours dedicated to giving back to local communities, and claims of billions in incremental sales generated over the team's careers. Portfolio brands named include Chameleon Coffee and Aura Bora.
▸Full profile — market position, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
The company positions itself in the natural and organic CPG segment, citing prior involvement by its team at inflection points for brands across beverage, coffee, snacks, dairy, protein and distribution/D2C categories, and lists Chameleon Coffee and Aura Bora among portfolio brands it supports.
The firm emphasizes combining capital with hands-on operating capability, citing 400+ years of combined team experience in finding, vetting, advising and scaling startups, and a stated approach of helping retail buyers make better purchasing decisions rather than conventional selling.
Go-to-market
Early-phase entrepreneurs and emerging brands in the organic, natural and better-for-you food and beverage categories, alongside the retail buyers and accounts through which those brands distribute.", "go_to_market">
Geography
Headquartered in Brooklyn, with team members working from offices in the United States, Spain, Brazil, Israel and the Philippines; the website lists Brooklyn, Jerusalem, London, Manila, Rio de Janeiro and Madrid.
History
Prior to Next in Natural, CEO Jeff Lichtenstein built Gourmet Guru into a natural and organic CPG incubator and distributor in New York, which was subsequently merged with UNFI as UNFI Next. The current leadership team includes Kristine Laurel as Chief Operating and Finance Officer, Erin Dunn as National Director of Business Development overseeing Eastern, Western and Omni/Customer Success teams, Jenny Berrien as fractional Chief Marketing Officer, Ellaine Veronilla-Matienzo as Brand Success Team Leader, and Gregory Marzon as Marketing Team Leader with responsibility for digital marketing, social media, trade marketing and R&D.
Compiled by commissioned research from 1 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.
▸Research sources · 1
primary sources listed
- Next in Naturalnextinnatural.com · web
1 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Next in Natural do?
- Boutique hybrid holding company and venture studio scaling emerging organic and natural food and beverage brands.
- Who are Next in Natural's investors?
- Next in Natural's investors include Flucas Ventures.
- Where is Next in Natural headquartered?
- Next in Natural is headquartered in Brooklyn, US.