Built the first chocho protein brand in the US, raised $5.6M, and landed in Whole Foods, Erewhon, and Sprouts from scratch.
Ricky Echanique is a fifth-generation Ecuadorian farmer who turned a personal health crisis into the first single-ingredient chocho protein brand in the United States. He founded MIKUNA in 2019, closed a $5.6M seed round in 2022, and secured national shelf space at Whole Foods, Erewhon, Sprouts, and Fresh Thyme while building a supply chain that runs directly through Indigenous farming communities in the Ecuadorian Andes at 11,000-14,000 feet elevation. The company controls 80% of Ecuador's chocho exports and delivers 40% higher profit per hectare to its farmers than conventional crops. MIKUNA became the exclusive plant protein at all Erewhon tonic bars, a signal of serious brand credibility in the premium wellness channel. Ricky operates at the intersection of CPG brand building, ethical sourcing, D2C growth, and retail distribution, with a supply chain he built from the ground up across two continents. Book a call with Ricky to: 1. Build a retail distribution strategy for specialty and natural grocers. 2. Structure a seed fundraise for a CPG food or beverage brand. 3. Design a regenerative or ethical supply chain from origin to shelf. 4. Launch and scale D2C alongside Amazon for a physical product. 5. Position a novel ingredient brand in a crowded protein market.
Early-stage CPG founders preparing for retail expansion
Food & beverage brands fundraising a seed round
Founders building supply chains with regenerative or ethical sourcing
MIKUNA® · May 2019 – Present
“Chocho: Unveiling the Power of the Plant-Based Super Protein with Mikuna's Ricky Echanique”
“Business That Gives Back ft. Ricky Echanique of Mikuna”
“Why chocho may be the next big plant-based protein”
“Mikuna Announced as the Exclusive Plant Protein at Erewhon's Tonic Bars”
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