According to a press release , Leonardo DiCaprio made a minority equity investment in vegan snack company HIPPEAS.





Strand Equity Partners, a leading growth equity fund, joined DiCaprio in investing in this burgeoning vegan company.





HIPPEAS is a fairly new brand of organic vegan chickpea puffs. The snacks are currently sold in over 20,000 stores in the U.S. and U.K.—including Starbucks—and come in five flavors: Vegan White Cheddar, Sriracha Sunshine, Far Out Fajita, Pepper Power, and Bohemian Barbecue.





CEO and Co-founder Livio Bisterzo said:

I'm truly excited that Strand Equity Partners and Leonardo have joined the HIPPEAS family. As the brand continues to grow with such momentum in the marketplace, it's incredible to bring on board partners who align with our vision and values as a company. We are very enthusiastic to be sharing in this journey with them.

This isn’t the first time DiCaprio has used his star power and his wallet to support veganism. In 2014, the Oscar winner produced Cowspiracy , a documentary exploring the environmental impacts of animal agriculture. He has long advocated protecting our planet from climate change.





Investing in a vegan food company is certainly a good financial move. According to Lux Research, plant-based proteins are expected to make up a third of the protein market by 2054. What’s more, a study by Packaged Facts found chickpea products to be the fastest-growing subcategory of legume-based snacks.





For the billions of animals suffering at factory farms, it’s great news that vegan food is all the rage. Pigs, cows, chickens, and other farmed animals face unimaginable cruelties : extreme confinement; brutal mutilations; and bloody, violent deaths.



