{"id":182,"date":"2026-05-12T12:04:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:04:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bouldermovingguide.com\/?p=182"},"modified":"2026-05-12T12:04:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T12:04:15","slug":"after-shark-tank-deal-fell-through-boulders-nude-foods-eyes-front-range-expansion-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bouldermovingguide.com\/?p=182","title":{"rendered":"After Shark Tank deal fell through, Boulder\u2019s Nude Foods eyes Front Range expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Boulder-based Nude Foods Market is planning its next phase of growth, and doing so on its own terms.<\/p>\n

Read more Odd Rabbit opens in Boulder with sushi, ramen and more from Michelin-recognized chefs<\/a><\/p>\n

The zero-waste grocer is exploring new locations in south Denver and seeing demand from Fort Collins as it looks to expand to five Front Range stores in the coming years, co-founders said. The company is also considering relocating its Boulder store to a more prominent site.<\/p>\n

The push comes after a burst of national attention this spring, when Nude Foods appeared on Shark Tank, an opportunity that came after producers reached out and encouraged the company to apply.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the time, honestly, I was a bit like, we are not a great Shark Tank fit. We\u2019re a retail store,\u201d said co-founder Verity Noble. \u201cIs this really worth the time?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Noble submitted an application, expecting another round of interviews. Instead, she got a scheduling call.<\/p>\n

\u201cCan you fly out to L.A. in a month?\u201d she recalled being asked. \u201cSo they flew us out there. It was a wonderful experience. The whole thing was so fun,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The company received investment offers from Kevin O\u2019Leary and Robert Herjavec and accepted a deal on air. But the agreement ultimately fell through after filming.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey didn\u2019t have a ton of retail experience or food experience. It just didn\u2019t end up being a good fit for either party,\u201d Noble said. \u201cWe have since decided that we\u2019re probably not going ahead with the investment offer, because we really want to focus on community investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

So far, Nude Foods\u2019 growth has been entirely community-supported, including through a still-active Wefunder campaign, a crowdfunding platform that allows individuals to invest small amounts of money in private companies in exchange for equity, co-founder Rachel Irons said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat really feels good to us, because we want the people invested in the company to be aligned with our values,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nude Foods started after Covid first struck in 2020, built from frustrations both founders had with the conventional food system. The company now operates a Boulder storefront, a Denver location that opened in April 2024, and an e-commerce platform.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really just couldn\u2019t bear going into a grocery store and seeing all that plastic, and thinking, \u2018This turns over on a weekly basis and it\u2019s basically all going into the earth,\u2019\u201d Noble said.<\/p>\n

Irons, who had completed her master\u2019s degree in environmental studies at CU Boulder, was focused on the broader impacts of a food system she saw as harmful to both consumers and the land. She was also exploring alternatives, including the idea that consuming invasive species could offer a rare environmental win-win.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI hadn\u2019t eaten meat in like 10 years since I\u2019m very against supporting any type of factory farming,\u201d Irons said. But the idea of eating invasive species prompted a broader rethink.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe already have solutions to a lot of these problems,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have this huge industrial agriculture system that is exploiting along every step of the way, but there are solutions that just aren\u2019t really being explored. Invasive species is just one of them. What if you could have a whole store that was bringing together all of these different sources that are truly sustainable, regenerative things?\u201d<\/p>\n

The two connected in 2019, along with other co-founders who have since taken a back seat in the operation, and launched the business as a delivery model early in the pandemic.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That allowed them to get their feet under them before opening their Boulder storefront on Walnut and 32nd St. in October 2021.<\/p>\n

The model centers on buying food in bulk and repackaging it in reusable glass jars. Customers pay $1.50 per jar and receive a $1 refund when they return it, with the remainder covering cleaning costs. A membership option eliminates the per-jar fees.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is almost no single-use packaging, so your food is in glass rather than plastic,\u201d Noble said. \u201cWe make it really easy for the customer to choose reusables instead.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Mustard\u2019s Last Stand must leave longtime Boulder location, but a new home may be possible<\/a><\/p>\n

That ease is intentional. Noble recalled seeing a sign at another grocery store reminding customers to bring reusable bags.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought, that\u2019s just putting even more on the consumer,\u201d she said. \u201cYou have to use reusable stuff, but we\u2019ll continue to use single-use plastic so you can fill your reusable bag with all the single-use plastic.\u201d<\/p>\n

They aim to make Nude Foods a full-service grocery store that can be customers\u2019 primary store. They stock bread, produce, meat, snacks, body care and cleaning products \u2014 everything you\u2019d expect in a normal grocery store, but with reusable packaging.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe big difference between shopping with us and shopping with another store is people don\u2019t feel guilty,\u201d Noble said. \u201cThat\u2019s what we\u2019ve heard a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most of their selection is vegan, but they eventually brought in meat, including wild boar sourced from Texas.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re in 45 states and cause billions of dollars in property damage every year,\u201d Irons said. \u201cAnd they\u2019re really common to eat in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n

The store also offers prepared meals made in-house. An in-house chef prepares eight different prepackaged meals each week, released in two batches, with a mix of vegan options and sustainably, ethically raised meat. There\u2019s often a soup option, an Asian fusion dish and a chef\u2019s choice.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are totally prepared and ready to go,\u201d Noble said. \u201cPeople just reheat them and eat them, and they are super nutritious, no preservatives, made from whole foods and absolutely delicious.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said 45% of the store\u2019s products are locally sourced. Irons vets each vendor and visits local farms as part of that process.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is that we\u2019ve done all of the research, and made sure that all of our products are up to health and environment standards, so that customers don\u2019t have to think about that,\u201d Irons said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That approach adds complexity. Most grocery stores work with a single distributor, Irons said. Nude Foods works with more than 100 vendors and must manage logistics around bulk purchasing, packaging and quality control.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we have lots of spreadsheets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even so, the founders argue the model can be more sustainable for producers by reducing the number of intermediaries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have packaged products, they go through so many middlemen,\u201d Irons said. \u201cIt makes it really hard for the people that are actually making and growing the food to survive.\u201d<\/p>\n

The company\u2019s next challenge is scaling that system. Nude Foods is seeking capital for thee new locations while maintaining its community-backed approach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope to expand to five stores on the Front Range in the next few years, so there\u2019s lots in the works right now, but we need to raise more money to make all that happen,\u201d Noble said.<\/p>\n

Longer term, the company hopes to replicate its hub-and-spoke model in other regions, with local suppliers feeding into a central distribution point.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll probably follow [local suppliers\u2019] footprint largely because they will already have that network of local makers and farmers,\u201d Noble said.<\/p>\n

Read more Boulder City Council moves to keep airport open indefinitely, limiting future housing options<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The reusable-packaging grocer Nude Foods is exploring new locations while doubling down on community-backed funding.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nAfter Shark Tank deal fell through, Boulder\u2019s Nude Foods eyes Front Range expansion - Boulder Moving Guide<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bouldermovingguide.com\/?p=182\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"After Shark Tank deal fell through, Boulder\u2019s Nude Foods eyes Front Range expansion - 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