About LesserEvil
LesserEvil is a Consumer company based in Danbury (United States) founded in 2004, and was acquired by The Hershey Company in April 2025. Savory snacks brand. LesserEvil has raised $19.1 million across 3 funding rounds from investors including The Hershey Company, Aria Growth Partners and Valor Equity Partners. LesserEvil has completed 1 acquisition, including Redd Bar. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Charles Coristine. Its website lesserevil.com draws about 60 thousand monthly visits. LesserEvil offers products and services including Popcorn, Space Balls, Moonions, Lil Puffs, and Paleo Puffs. Its focus areas include Food and Agriculture, Food & Beverage Products, Convenience Foods and Snacks. Its competitors include Utz, Mondelez International and Planet FWD; 1 of its 3 listed competitors has raised funding.
Company details
LesserEvil was founded in 2004 in Danbury, United States, and operates within the savory snacks sector. Products such as organic popcorn, non-GMO potato chips, and paleo puffs are produced and distributed. Sales occur through the companys online platform, online retailers, and physical retail stores, with the majority of activity focused in the US market. Leadership is provided by CEO and President Charles Coristine.
- Headquarters Danbury, United States
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsConsumer
- Website category Food and Drink · Groceries
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website lesserevil.com
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook Instagram
- Acquired by The Hershey Company (Apr 2025)
- Total Equity Funding$19.1M (USD)
in 3 rounds
- InvestorsThe Hershey Company
& 4 more
- Investments & Acquisitions
- Acquired byThe Hershey Company
(Apr 2025)
Products & Services of LesserEvil
LesserEvil offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Popcorn, Space Balls, Moonions, Lil Puffs, and Paleo Puffs.
Tasty, clean popcorn made with organic ingredients and better oils.
Crunchy corn puffs tossed in avocado oil for healthy flavor.
Onion-flavored rings using clean, organic ingredients for simple snacking.
Fruit and vegetable-blended puffs suitable for kids and picky eaters.
Grain-free puffs with full flavor and paleo-friendly ingredients.
Protein-packed, crunchy curls for nutritious, energy-boosting snacking.
Funding Insights of LesserEvil
LesserEvil has successfully raised a total of $19.1M across 3 strategic funding rounds. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $19.1M
- Total Rounds 3
- Investors Count 4
All 3 funding rounds of LesserEvil with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2023 | Series B | – | – | ||
| Mar 2023 | $19.1M | Series B | – | – | – |
| Nov 2018 | Private Equity Round | – | InvestEco | – |
5 investors in total: 5 institutional.
Investors in LesserEvil
LesserEvil has secured backing from 5 investors, including venture fund and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include The Hershey Company, Aria Growth Partners and Valor Equity Partners.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Growth equity investments are provided to promising consumer brands. | ariagrowth.com | New York, United States | ||
Private equity firm | valorep.com | Chicago, United States | ||
Venture capital is invested in North American tech companies. | investeco.com | Toronto, Canada | ||
Touch Capital is focused on investing in consumer brand leaders. | touchcapital.com | |||
Confectionery products including chocolates and snacks are manufactured and distributed. | 1894 | thehersheycompany.com | Hershey, United States |
Investor details for LesserEvil
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- Investor portfolios
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People of LesserEvil
28 people are tracked at LesserEvil (15 in leadership, 13 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Charles Coristine | CEO & President | Leadership |
Manny Arthur | Art Director - Packaging | Leadership |
Jessica Westerfield (Dragonetti), SHRM-SCP | Director, People + Culture | Leadership |
Marcus Bala | Vice President Operations | Leadership |
Corey Benson | General Manager Production/Operations | Leadership |
Caitlin Mack | Vice President Marketing | Leadership |
Monina D. Manuel | Director | Leadership |
Amanda Aiese Ford | Associate Creative Director | Leadership |
Andrew Strife | Chief Financial & Operating Officer | Leadership |
Corey Baker | Director of Sales, National Accounts | Leadership |
Mike Walker | Director of Sales- LesserEvil | Leadership |
Josh Reed | Vice President of Sales | Leadership |
Kirsten Simmons | Director of Sales- West | Leadership |
Ryan Barrios | Director of Sales- East | Leadership |
Kirtan Desai | HR Business Partner | Leadership |
Katie Gagliano | Brand Ambassador | Team |
Chris Lockwood | Product Development and Compliance Manager | Team |
Chris Martino | Supply Chain Manager | Team |
Nick Goral | Senior Graphic Designer | Team |
Laura Piro | Senior Digital Marketing Manager | Team |
8 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for LesserEvil
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Investments & Acquisitions by LesserEvil
LesserEvil has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 1 company. Notable acquisitions include Redd Bar.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Energy bar products are manufactured and marketed by Redd Bar. | reddbar.com | Portland, United States | 2014 | Apr 2022 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for LesserEvil
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Timeline of LesserEvil
5 dated milestones of LesserEvil across 21 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded LesserEvil is founded.
- Funding First funding round.
- Acquisition Acquires Redd Bar.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series B,.
- Exit Acquired by The Hershey Company.
Competitors of LesserEvil
LesserEvil has 3 listed competitors in our database, 1 of them funded. They include Utz, Mondelez International and Planet FWD.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| utzsnacks.com | 1921 | Hanover, United States | 5 | Custom variety packs of potato chips and snacks are offered. | ||
| mondelezinternational.com | 2012 | Chicago, United States | 6 | Multi-category convenience foods are produced and distributed globally. | ||
| planetfwd.com | 2019 | San Francisco, United States | $15.2M | Manufacturer of snacks from regenerative ingredients |
Detailed competitors of LesserEvil
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- Full competitor set
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Web traffic of LesserEvil
The website of LesserEvil (lesserevil.com) receives about 59.7K visits a month and ranks #525,862 among all websites worldwide, #3,194 in Groceries.
- Monthly visits59.7K
▲ 6% vs previous month
- Unique visitors31.2K
per month
- Global rank#525,862
among all websites
- Category rank#3,194
Food and Drink · Groceries
- Bounce rate46%
- Pages per visit2.6
- Average visit45 sec
- DevicesDesktop 25% · Mobile 75%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with LesserEvil. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| crunchiesfood.com | 100% | 5.7K | #3,158,714 | View details | |
| thatsitfruit.com | 98% | 54.3K | #791,401 | View details | |
healthysnackstore.com | healthysnackstore.com | 98% | – | ||
| cactuscorn.com | 96% | #6,351,512 | View details | ||
| shilohfarms.com | 93% | 680.7K | #1,287,210 | View details | |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 30 similar websites and full traffic analytics for LesserEvil
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- 30 similar websites
- Audience overlap
- Engagement analytics
- Traffic by brand
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Food & Beverage Products & Processing
3 companies that operate in the same segment as LesserEvil (Food & Beverage Products & Processing) in United States, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hens and cattle are reared to supply eggs and butter. | 2007 | Austin, Texas, United States | USD 49.96 M | USD 759.44 M | 598 | |
Provider of bakery-cafe services and a loyalty program | 1987 | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | USD 145.61 M | |||
Food, snacks, and beverages are produced and distributed globally. | 1898 | Purchase, New York, United States | USD 93.92 B | 319,000 |
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Related news about Lesserevil
Complete news archive for LesserEvil
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Frequently Asked Questions about LesserEvil
LesserEvil was founded in 2004 and raised its 1st funding round 14 years after it was founded.
LesserEvil is headquartered in Danbury, United States. It is registered at Danbury, Connecticut, United States.
Charles Coristine is the CEO of LesserEvil, as recorded in our data.
LesserEvil is a funded company, having raised a total of $19.1M across 3 funding rounds to date.
LesserEvil was founded in 2004 in Danbury, United States, and operates within the savory snacks sector. Products such as organic popcorn, non-GMO potato chips, and paleo puffs are produced and distributed. Sales occur through the companys online platform, online retailers, and physical retail stores, with the majority of activity focused in the US market. Leadership is provided by CEO and President Charles Coristine.
LesserEvil's top competitors include Utz, Mondelez International and Planet FWD.
LesserEvil offers Popcorn, Space Balls, Moonions, Lil Puffs, and 2 more products and services.
LesserEvil has made 1 acquisition, including Redd Bar.
LesserEvil has 5 investors. Key investors include The Hershey Company, Aria Growth Partners, Valor Equity Partners, InvestEco, and Touch Capital.
Yes. LesserEvil was acquired by The Hershey Company in April 2025.