Nude Foods Market, a Colorado-based, female-founded grocery company built around eliminating single-use plastic, is seeing a surge in national attention following its appearance on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” which aired March 11.
Co-founders Verity Noble and Rachel Irons entered the Tank asking for $250,000 in exchange for a 5 percent stake in their zero-waste grocery operation, which has locations in Boulder and Denver. Robert Herjavec and Kevin O’Leary partnered on a $250,000 investment for 20 percent equity. The deal remains subject to due diligence.
“This wasn’t just a pitch for our business – it was a pitch for a better food system,” said Noble. “We’re proving that a grocery store can operate while reducing waste.”
A Growing Model Addressing A Waste Problem
Since launching, the company has prevented more than 1.5 million pieces of plastic from entering the waste stream by replacing conventional packaging with returnable glass jars and reusable containers. Customers shop as they would at a traditional grocery store but return packaging to be cleaned and reused hundreds of times rather than discarding it.
The company’s first store, at 2,500 square feet, generated $1.8 million in sales in 2025, with founders projecting $2.7 million in revenue for 2026. The gross margin is approximately 40 percent, higher than most grocery stores, according to the Shark Tank blog.
Scaling The Model
Nude Foods Market’s first location opened in Boulder in December 2021 and a second location in Denver in April 2024. The company is looking to add three more locations over the next five years, including one in Fort Collins.
The company now carries more than 1,500 hand-selected products, with more than 40 percent sourced from Colorado producers. Nude Foods works with these partners to eliminate packaging by providing reusable containers that are returned, cleaned and refilled in a closed-loop system.
“This is where we’re seeing real innovation,” said Irons. “We’re not just removing plastic at the store level – we’re working with producers to eliminate it across the supply chain.”
Local offerings include tortilla chips, granola, fresh bread, broths, prepared foods, personal care items and more, all without single-use packaging.
Built For Convenience, Sustainability
The company purchases products in bulk to reduce upstream packaging and offsets minimal plastic through recycling partners such as Ridwell. What began as a bike-delivery model has expanded to include electric vehicles and partnerships with local delivery services.
The company also has 500 members who pay $15 a month for discounts and savings on jar fees. To date, Nude Foods has raised nearly $600,000 through community crowdfunding, turning customers into investors.
“Our goal is to create a food system that improves the health of our land, our communities and ourselves,” Irons said.
With new investment and national visibility from “Shark Tank,” Nude Foods Market is focused on expanding across Colorado’s Front Range and into new markets. Consumers can shop at locations in Boulder and Denver or order at nudefoodsmarket.com.
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