Sunrise invests in Little Secrets, new COO named

BOULDER — Sunrise Strategic Partners, a Boulder-based accelerator of emerging brands co-founded by Steve Hughes and Trilantic North America, has invested in Little Secrets, a clean-label chocolate brand made without artificial colors or flavors. This is the ninth investment for Sunrise since it launched in 2016.

Sunrise did not disclose the size of the investment.

Chris Mears founded Little Secrets to answer to his candy cravings and set out to create a chocolate candy without artificial ingredients to make indulgences more permissible. Little Secrets produces chocolate pieces and recently launched chocolate crispy wafers that use Fair Trade ingredients.

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“Sunrise brings growth expertise and capital that will enable us to focus on business expansion and strengthen our team. When I started Little Secrets, I wanted to create a chocolate candy that was delicious and a slightly less guilty pleasure. I’m now looking forward to expanding our product line across other proven forms and to bringing Little Secrets to more consumers across the country,” said Chris Mears, CEO and founder of Little Secrets.  “Additionally, I am pleased to announce that Jeremy Vandervoet, former director of marketing in Nestle USA’s Confection and Snacking Division, is joining Little Secrets as president and chief operating officer. With over a decade of experience at Nestle, Jeremy brings strategic insights and a deep network that will help us continue to grow the Little Secrets brand.”

“When Chris left Boulder Brands to start Little Secrets, I was excited for him but sad to see him go. I’m thrilled to be partnering with him again on such an exciting business,” said Steve Hughes, CEO and co-founder of Sunrise Strategic Partners. “Chris has done a terrific job bringing real innovation to the world of clean label chocolate, and we believe Little Secrets is at inflection point, as evidenced by the recent national launch of pieces and crispy wafers at Whole Foods.”

The investment from Sunrise will allow Little Secrets to increase distribution and support marketing efforts to reach new consumers. Little Secrets recently launched nationwide in Whole Foods and is also available on Amazon (excluding summer months) and at HEB, Stop & Shop, King Soopers, Natural Grocers, Meijer and Wegmans.

This marks the ninth investment for Sunrise, a brand accelerator that provides growth expertise and capital to early-stage health and wellness brands to support growth, add strategic value and share guidance on tactical priorities.