03.31.22
Herb'N Eden, an Atlanta-based, all-natural bath and beauty company, has closed a $1.2 million investment.
Mercantile Venture Capital led the investment with participation from The Core Venture Studio.
Quinton and Terran Lewis founded Herb'N Eden in 2015. The new funding will amplify their efforts, enabling the company to efficiently meet the demands of their rapidly growing clientele without sacrificing their all-natural therapeutic products, which the brand attributes to its burgeoning success.
"Through our tremendous growth, we still maintained the same formula and process of making our products," said Terran Lewis. "We know Black-owned businesses face challenges around funding and equitable partnerships. For us, it was important we remain the majority owners and stay faithful to the tried-and-true process our supporters count on us for."
Before receiving this funding, Herb'N Eden achieved success through grassroots efforts such as in-house marketing, hiring local workers for their warehouse and store, and maintaining the direction of the product development. Investors were attracted by their ability to sustain growth beyond the pandemic year while remaining risk-averse and prioritizing customer communications.
"From $260,000 in 2020 to $2.6 million closing out 2021, during the pandemic, is remarkable," said co-founder and managing partner at The Core Venture Studio James Harris, one of the lead investors. "Their ability to scale their company while strengthening their relationship with their loyal customers drove Core's decision to invest in the Herb'N Eden team."
Quinton Lewis notes that the pandemic was a test of the company’s resiliency. Rather than halting business when orders were backed up for months, they overly communicated updates to customers. As a result, they were able to see sustainable growth.
"It's amazing to see what we could accomplish in such a short amount of time," added Quinton. "In two to five years, we hope to continue to scale our business with the resources and connections made while also investing into the dreams of other Black entrepreneurs."
