Quinn, a natural foods snack company known for reimagining classic snacks, announced it has closed additional Series D funding including an undisclosed, minority investment, from The Hershey Company (NYSE: HSY), as well as existing investors. The funding will support new distribution and product innovation.

Established in 2010 only three days after founder Kristy Lewis’ son Quinn was born, the company’s mission is to use the very best real ingredients backed with a commitment to supporting agriculture and food transparency. Today, Quinn has established itself as a salty snack leader in the natural channel with distribution in over 7,500 stores nationwide. Excitement for the brand’s innovative snacks, which include both savory and indulgent product offerings paired with accelerating distribution, has led to 65% growth in revenue this year over last year and has elevated Quinn to the leading pretzel brand in the Natural Channel and Whole Foods Market. 

The investment comes as venture funding for female founders experienced its lowest quarterly total in three years, according to Pitchbook Data. Furthermore, women-led companies receive only 2.2 percent of all venture capital and only 7 percent of Fortune 500 companies, including The Hershey Company led by Michele Buck, currently have female CEO’s. Buck and Hershey have built a reputation for their sustainability and diversity and inclusion practices, and the company was recently recognized as one of ‘America's Most Just Companies’ By Forbes and Just Capital. 

“Quinn shares Hershey’s commitment to sustainable business practices, inclusivity, listening to consumers, and being transparent about how their products are made and what goes into them,” said Steve Voskuil, Hershey chief financial officer. “Its emergence as a leader in natural foods is impressive, and we look forward to supporting their next phase of growth.”

“We are thrilled to have the support of Hershey, a company that is leading the way in gender equality by fostering an inclusive work environment and closing the pay gap,” said Kristy Lewis, founder and CEO of Quinn. “The Quinn team and I are honored to be backed by a company leading change in our space.” As Quinn rapidly expands distribution and sets future strategic goals, timing couldn’t be better. “Hershey’s keen eye for category disrupting brands and building them into household names makes them an invaluable partner. After 10 years of creating a solid foundation to build from, we are looking forward to the next chapter in our story.”

Related: Snacks reimagined—Quinn Snacks, 2017 Snack Producer of the Year