New Videos Showcase How Private Equity Helped Little Sesame and Van Leeuwen Grow into National, Beloved Food Brands
Nick Wiseman, CEO of Little Sesame: “Without private equity, we wouldn’t have been able to build the infrastructure and team to actually go make the product every single day.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, the American Investment Council released a series of new videos showcasing the significant role private equity played in helping Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and Little Sesame hummus each grow from one location into national, beloved food brands. The videos feature AIC member Beliade Consumer Partners founder and managing partner Martin Dolfi, as well as Little Sesame co-founder and CEO Nick Wiseman.
Private Equity Helped Little Sesame Sell Hummus in 3,000 Grocery Stores Nationwide
Little Sesame began in 2016 as a 500-square-foot pop-up in Washington, D.C. The hummus brand, still manufactured in Washington, D.C., is now sold in thousands of grocery stores nationwide, including Whole Foods and Sprouts. Little Sesame co-founder and CEO Nick Wiseman shared how private equity investment has been pivotal in scaling the company’s operations.
“Without private equity, we wouldn’t have been able to build the infrastructure and team to actually go make the product every single day,” Wiseman said, “Private equity has been the engine of our growth. Without it, we wouldn’t be where we are. We wouldn’t have the ability to compete at scale with some of these national players.”
Private Equity Helped Van Leeuwen Grow from a Food Truck to Nearly 100 Shops
Van Leeuwen Ice Cream launched in 2008 out of a retrofitted post office truck in New York City. Since 2020, with support from Beliade Consumer Partners, the company has grown to nearly 100 shops nationwide. Martin Dolfi of Beliade explains how private equity provides essential capital and partnership to entrepreneurs and businesses like Van Leeuwen that might not otherwise have access to funding: “Private equity provides these entrepreneurs the capital that is not available to them in other places… It’s a great partnership, we’re building a lot of value not only for shareholders in the company, but also the employees in these businesses, it’s truly a win-win.”
Click here to watch the full video.
