Celebrity Partnership with Howie Mandel and World-Class Advisory Board with 200+ Combined Years from Coca-Cola, Walmart, and UNFI to Drive National Expansion of Revolutionary Sugar Replacement
United States, 5th Feb 2026 – Jaca, the first mainstream allulose brand delivering 100% taste parity with conventional sugar and having 90% fewer calories, today announced the opening of its $5 million Series A funding round at a $20 million pre-money valuation. The company is seeking investment from accredited investors to accelerate national market penetration of allulose, a rare, naturally-occurring sugar that 85% of Americans have never heard of, directly addressing the urgent need for a metabolically safe sugar replacement in a market where obesity-related healthcare costs including indirect economic impact exceed $1.79 trillion annually.
The raise positions Jaca to capitalize on a rapidly closing first-mover window. While 77% of Americans actively seek to reduce sugar intake, conventional sugar maintains 95% market dominance due to taste superiority over existing alternatives. Allulose represents the first molecular equivalent to sucrose (meaning it tastes like traditional sugar) with zero glycemic impact (making it Diabetic & Keto friendly), FDA GRAS approval, and clinical validation for activating GLP-1 appetite control pathways and fat-burning mechanisms.
“Jaca represents the rare convergence of blue-ocean market opportunity with de-risked execution,” said Pete Ferrari, Founder and President of Healthy For Life Foods. “We’ve established compelling commercial traction, including a 13.79% repeat purchase rate versus the 3-5% industry average and Amazon bestseller status, while realizing zero major brand competition. Our proprietary AI-native customer acquisition infrastructure is something not seen across the entire eComm industry and this meets our product portfolio at the precise moment consumer health consciousness is reaching critical mass.”
AI-Native Technology Infrastructure
Jaca has deployed the Joint Adaptive Capture Architecture (JACA). This is an AI-powered intent capture and customer acquisition system comprising more than 200 search-optimized pages across 14 schema types, 5 authority engines, and 4 optimization disciplines. The architecture positions Jaca for traditional search (SEO), generative engine optimization (GEO), answer engine optimization (AEO), and large language model optimization (LLMO), future-proofing organic customer acquisition against the AI revolution.
The company was selected as 1 of only 50 organizations to participate in Oracle’s NetSuite Accelerator Program, implementing full API integration with Shopify, Amazon, financial institutions, and supply chain providers since Day 1. This enterprise infrastructure ensures data integrity, operational scalability, and financial transparency from inception. This is a critical differentiator for strategic partners.
Celebrity Partnership Drives Mass Market Credibility
Jaca’s partnership with Howie Mandel – entertainment icon and health advocate – provides unparalleled national awareness and retail credibility. The collaboration includes 2,500+ media placements spanning streaming channel platforms, billboards, and podcasts, alongside the branded anthem “Sweet Like Jaca” on Spotify. Mandel’s authentic health journey resonates with the 74% of Americans struggling with weight management, translating celebrity influence into measurable commercial traction.
World-Class Advisory Board Spans Coca-Cola, Walmart, Ocean Spray, and JP Morgan
Jaca has assembled a Senior Leadership Council representing over 200 combined years of executive presence across regulatory affairs, distribution, product development, private equity, and financial strategy, including: the former Chief Science Officer at Coca-Cola, with advisory roles at the FDA, USDA, and CDC, providing regulatory and scientific authority, a Senior Vice President at UNFI (the largest U.S. natural grocery products distributor) delivering distribution and retail expertise, the inventor and category creator of Craisins for Ocean Spray with 40+ years of food and beverage expertise, the Founder and CEO of a Private Equity firm versed in M&A strategy, and, a Wharton MBA who established JP Morgan’s Southeast Asian operations and served as economic advisor to the Kingdom of Thailand.
Capital Will Prioritize Advertising
The $5 million Series A monies will be strategically deployed across five key areas: 67% toward advertising and customer acquisition; 13% for payroll and talent expansion; 9% for inventory and supply chain optimization; 8% for general and administrative operations; and 3% for R&D and product innovation. The capital structure is designed to support robust projected revenue growth over the next 3 years.
Purpose-Driven Ecosystem
Beyond product innovation, Jaca has invested more than a year in developing the SuperSelf Lifestyle Enrichment Program, a comprehensive suite of free health and wellbeing resources including a podcast series and four educational modules covering lifestyle audits, nutrition, fitness, and metabolic analysis. The goal is to help everyone, everywhere, find a pathway to better Health & Wellbeing.
The company’s established 501(c)(3), The Foundation for Nutritional Equality, combats child hunger in America and a portion of Jaca’s profit supports this truly meaningful endeavor.
About Jaca
Jaca is the first mainstream allulose brand delivering 100% taste parity with conventional sugar having 90% fewer calories and zero glycemic impact. The company’s diversified product portfolio spans granulated rare sugar, ready-to-drink beverages, energy products, and functional wellness SKUs. Headquartered in Florida, Jaca combines proprietary AI-native customer acquisition infrastructure with a celebrity partnership, world-class advisory board, and purpose-driven community ecosystem. The company is positioned to capture a large piece of the $22 billion sugar alternative market where 85% of Americans remain unaware of allulose. For more information, visit www.jacasugar.com.
Investment Opportunity
The Series A funding round is open exclusively to accredited investors. Interested parties may request access to the full data room and investor portal by contacting the Investor Relations team. All investments are subject to verification of accredited investor status and completion of subscription documentation.
State/province name: Florida
Country: United States
Website: https://jacasugar.com
Media Contact:
Healthy For Life Foods
Investor Relations
Email: info@jacasugar.com
Forward-Looking Statements: This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding projected revenue, market opportunity, and strategic positioning. Actual results may differ materially from these projections due to market conditions, competitive dynamics, regulatory changes, and execution risks. This release does not constitute an offer to sell securities. Investment opportunities are available only to accredited investors through proper documentation.
Media Contact
Organization: Jaca®
Contact Person: Support team
Website: https://jacasugar.com
Email: Send Email
Country:United States
Release id:41022
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