Consumer VC The “Better-For-You” Food Lie No One Talks About ft. Tyler Mayoras
Jan 12, 2026
Tyler Mayoras, Managing Partner at Manitree, specializes in investing in food, beverage, and wellness brands. He discusses how 'better-for-you' food often misleads consumers, citing the backlash against plant-based brands due to taste and ingredient quality. He outlines what investors seek in health claims and ingredient labels, explaining why frozen foods pose unique challenges. Tyler also shares insights on the importance of profitability over mere growth and the necessity of strategic planning for brand scaling in a competitive market.
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Lead With What Customers Care About
- Consumers prioritize personal dietary benefits (taste, health) over sustainability claims.
- Brands should lead packaging with health-relevant callouts like organic rather than environmental messaging.
Cool Beans Frozen Failure
- Tyler launched Cool Beans, a whole-food plant-based frozen burrito brand to fill a clean-convenience gap.
- The brand failed largely because frozen retail is brutal and the category was too niche at the time.
Build DTC Before Grocery
- Start DTC/e‑commerce first to scale with better unit economics before entering grocery.
- Avoid frozen launches early; prefer shelf-stable formats to enable profitable scaling.
