Wilde Lands $40 Million to Scale Its Chicken-Based Snack Empire

Wilde has closed a $40 million investment from S2G Investments, money the Kentucky-based snack maker will use to scale production, expand its product lineup and refresh the brand's visual identity.

The deal lands on a strong base. Wilde said it has passed $100 million in sales and now sells in more than 35,000 US retail locations. The company also added a 130,000-square-foot production facility — a footprint that roughly doubles down on its ability to keep shelves stocked as distribution widens.

Founder and CEO Jason Wright didn't sugarcoat the path. "Building Wilde has never been easy," Wright said. "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. 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."

What does Wilde actually make?

The company, founded in 2015 in Lexington, Ky., formulates its products from chicken breast, egg whites and bone broth. Its portfolio splits into two lines: protein chips and protein crackers.

The chips come in eight flavors — Himalayan pink salt, sea salt and vinegar, Buffalo, chicken and waffles, barbecue, spicy queso, Korean sweet and spicy and buttermilk ranch. Each serving delivers 10 to 12 grams of protein, a meaningful step up from typical potato chips, which usually offer a fraction of that.

The cracker line covers four flavors: classic cheddar, smoked gouda, Buffalo cheddar and hot honey, with 12 grams of protein per serving across the board.

Why S2G wrote the check

Arthur Chow, principal of food and agriculture at S2G, framed the bet as being about platform potential rather than a single hit product. "Wilde has shown you can have better products with high-quality ingredients without sacrificing the taste experience that makes people love salty snacks," Chow said. "Jason created a standout product with Protein Chips, but what excites us most is the opportunity ahead as a snacking platform."

That word — platform — signals where this is heading. S2G sees Wilde expanding beyond chips and crackers into a broader meat-based snacking portfolio, using the new capital to build out categories.

S2G is no stranger to disruptive food bets. Its portfolio includes Atomo Coffee, Beyond Meat, Once Upon a Farm, Brightseed, New Culture and others — a track record that spans plant-based meat, molecular coffee and precision fermentation dairy.

What does this change for the snack aisle?

For competitors, the answer is pressure at the intersection of two growth categories: salty snacks and high-protein eating. Wilde now has $40 million in fresh capital, in-house production capacity of 130,000 square feet and distribution north of 35,000 doors — the three ingredients needed to go from regional curiosity to national staple.

For retailers and consumers, expect more flavors, more formats and a visual rebrand designed to push Wilde further into mainstream snacking territory. The protein-snack segment has long tolerated products that taste, in Wright's words, like punishment. Wilde's rise past $100 million in sales suggests shoppers are ready for the alternative — and now the company has the firepower to prove it at scale.