WILDE Lands $40 Million From S2G to Scale Chicken-Based Snacks

Kentucky snack maker WILDE has closed a $40 million investment from S2G Investments, money it will use to expand manufacturing, speed up product development and push deeper into more than 35,000 U.S. retail locations.

The deal lands after a run of hard numbers. WILDE has surpassed $100 million in sales, and it recently opened a 130,000-square-foot manufacturing facility that increases production capacity sixfold. The company describes that plant as the world's only USDA-regulated salty snack manufacturing facility.

What makes WILDE's chips different?

Founder and CEO Jason Wright started the Lexington company in 2015 with an unconventional premise: make chips and crackers from chicken breast instead of potatoes or grains. The products also use egg whites and bone broth, and each serving delivers at least 10 grams of protein while keeping the crunch and flavors of conventional salty snacks.

Wright didn't sugarcoat the path. "Building WILDE has never been easy. We started this company to prove that protein snacks don't have to taste like punishment, and we've spent years betting on an idea that didn't fit neatly into the snack aisle," he said.

"We stuck with it, built something people crave, and this investment proves that hard work and conviction pay off. Now we have the firepower to go bigger, move faster, and shake up a whole lot more of the snack aisle."

The new capital will fund three things: increased production capacity, development of additional snack products, and investments in branding, packaging and marketing.

Why did S2G write the check?

The financing taps a broader shift. Food manufacturers and retailers are responding to consumers who want more protein, convenient nutrition and alternatives to traditional processed snacks. WILDE has positioned itself squarely in that lane, pairing familiar snack flavors with ingredients usually found in protein-focused meals.

Protein Crackers, the company's recent entry into a second snack category, extends that playbook beyond the original Protein Chips line. WILDE says more formats are in development as it builds a broader protein-based portfolio.

Arthur Chow, principal of food and agriculture at S2G Investments, framed the bet around taste as much as nutrition. "WILDE has shown you can have better products with high quality ingredients without sacrificing the taste experience that makes people love salty snacks," he said.

"Jason created a standout product with Protein Chips, but what excites us most is the opportunity ahead as a snacking platform. Protein Crackers is among my favorite CPG innovations ever. We're excited to partner with Jason and the team as WILDE scales into a household brand."

S2G is a multi-asset investment firm focused on food and agriculture, energy and ocean-related industries. Its strategies span growth equity, structured finance, infrastructure and late-stage venture capital. For the firm, WILDE offers a consumer packaged goods company with an established national retail footprint and newly expanded manufacturing infrastructure already in place.

What does this mean for Kentucky?

The $40 million round also signals that Kentucky-based consumer companies can pull institutional capital while competing nationally. WILDE's arc — from a 2015 startup to more than $100 million in sales — shows that food innovation businesses headquartered in Central Kentucky can build distribution networks reaching far beyond the Commonwealth.

Some details stay under wraps. The company has not disclosed a valuation tied to the investment, nor specific hiring projections connected to the new financing.

What's clear is where the money goes: more production, faster innovation and wider consumer awareness as WILDE pushes for a larger share of the snack aisle. WILDE Protein Chips and Protein Crackers are sold in more than 35,000 retail locations nationwide and online at wildebrands.com.