LiveMore Co-Founder on Scaling Into National Retail With Functional Food Products in a Crowded Market

Small business takeaway:

• LiveMore’s move from frozen fruit into smoothies, coated berries, and veggie chips shows how crowded consumer categories can still create room for growth when brands align with bigger shifts. Three takeaways stand out: “Functional” products — those tied to specific benefits like protein, energy, or immunity — are becoming mainstream purchase drivers; convenience and indulgence can reinforce a wellness proposition; and scaling often depends on pairing entrepreneurial product focus with stronger retail, manufacturing, and brand infrastructure partners.

Fruit is in Julia Klein’s blood. Her great-grandfather started a fruit distribution business in 1939, working with local farmers in California, and Klein has leveraged the family’s legacy into a growing empire of wellness products under the Livemore Superfoods banner.

Klein, who co-founded the business with her father after he turned to nutritious eating in the wake of being diagnosed with a noncancerous brain tumor, has expanded the Livemore Superfoods product lines from frozen berries to frozen smoothie mixes, and, more recently, to frozen berries coated with chocolate, yogurt, and granola. Next, LiveMore is in the process of adding veggie chips to its portfolio of healthy food products.

“We focus on products that deliver specific benefits while maintaining clean ingredient standards and exceptional taste,” said Klein. “LiveMore connects nutrition and indulgence, offering convenient options that consumers can enjoy every day without compromise.”

Livemore Superfoods taps into the healthy makeover of the frozen food aisle

Consumers are increasingly seeking specific health benefits from the frozen foods they eat, according to a recent report from research firm Tastewise.

“Consumers are not reaching for frozen food because they have no other option,” the report said. “They are choosing it because it fits a deliberate, health-forward lifestyle built around efficiency and outcome.”

The report, which focused on frozen meals, found that in 2026, the fastest-growing claims of functional frozen foods, characterized by health-supporting ingredients, were blood sugar management (up 28%), potential inflammatory benefits (up 18%), fiber (up 17%), and gut health (up 15%).

Fueled by the rise of health-oriented products, the U.S. frozen food market totaled $90.7 billion in 2025 and is expected to reach $98.19 billion in 2026, according to Market Data Forecast. It is expected to grow at a compound annual rate of 8.26% through 2034, when the market is projected to reach $185.27 billion.

“The frozen food market growth is propelled by plant-based and nutrient-dense options capturing unprecedented shelf space and consumer loyalty,” the report said.

Coated berries feed consumers’ craving for convenient, nutritious snacks: ‘We believe the covered fruit category is going to be very big’

With LiveMore, Klein aims to provide consumers with both the nutritional benefits they’re seeking and the convenience that LiveMore’s frozen foods provide in the form of quick and easy meals and snacks. The company’s newest product line — chocolate, yogurt, and granola-coated berries — seeks to satisfy both of these consumer demands.

“We believe that the covered fruit category is going to be very big,” said Klein, in an interview with CO—. “We’re investing to really grow in that category. It’s really a natural fit for us.”

She said the company, which was acquired by the Nutrisco division of Chilean conglomerate Empresas Copec in 2024, is investing in equipment that will help it compete in the category. LiveMore does almost all its manufacturing in Chile, where it has long had a relationship with fruit supplier Valle Frio, which also operates under the Nutrisco corporate umbrella.

LiveMore began by selling frozen fruits in big-box stores including Walmart, Target, and warehouse clubs and then expanded into what it calls “smoothie cups” (or smoothie bags at Costco), which are packages of blended fruits that can be made into drinkable smoothies at home by combining them in a blender with liquids such as water, milk, or juice. The smoothie blends, which come in several different flavors, also include plant-based “superfood” ingredients such as hemp seeds, sacha inchi (a seed high in omega-3s), and chocho (a legume known for its protein and fiber content).

All LiveMore smoothie blends are plant-based, gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan and contain no added sugars, chemicals, or preservatives.

The brand offers the smoothies as a base ingredient blend rather than in ready-to-drink form.

“We found that the purest way to serve our smoothies is with these whole fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds because it retains the health benefits,” she said. “If we were to have it pre-blended, then we'd have to add artificial ingredients, and we're trying to stay as pure as possible and use simple, whole ingredients.”

[Read more: When Moms Mean Business: Three Startups That Sprang From a Mother's Influence]

Klein gained a holistic view of the business through entrepreneurship

Starting out as an entrepreneurial venture required Klein and her father to learn all aspects of the business, from formulating the products to sourcing, developing the packaging, and all of the challenges involved in sales, marketing, and distribution.

“It’s great to have more focus now instead of being spread so thin,” said Klein, whose new role at Nutrisco is Vice President of Club and Mass.

She said she believes selling the company to Nutrisco was in the best interest of the LiveMore brand because of the support it receives from the larger corporate entity.

“I’m grateful for this platform and partnership with Nutrisco to be able to continue to tell our story around why it’s so important to prioritize food as medicine,” said Klein.

Under the auspices of Nutrisco, LiveMore has revamped its packaging and launched a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform. The company revamped its brand messaging under the concept of “Good, Clean Livin’,” aiming to focus on becoming a part of the daily routines of consumers seeking healthy, functional food products they can eat throughout the day.

LiveMore’s new visual identity seeks to reflect a retro California aesthetic that pops out on the store shelf, with pastel hues and palm tree silhouettes while at the same time making it easier for shoppers to identify the flavors and functional benefits — protein, energy, or immunity, for example — of each SKU.

The company has been expanding in mass retail. It recently rolled out its Yogurt & Granola Covered Strawberries and Yogurt & Granola Covered Raspberries to about 700 Walmart locations.

Meanwhile, the new veggie chips were introduced at the Natural Products Expo West conference in Anaheim, California, earlier this year, and Klein said she expects to have more news about their retail availability in the future.

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