KOKOS

Growth Phase Plan

Private · By invitation only

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Detailed Growth
Phase Plan
Confidential
July 2026
Contact
invest@kokosicecream.com
The Model
We are building the
Salt & Straw of plant-based.
Salt & Straw didn't chase grocery. They built reverence in Portland, took it to LA, San Francisco and beyond — and let the brand become the demand. KOKOS follows the same logic: nail the experience first. A location that people remember, talk about and return to is worth more than ten locations that are fine.
Our Positioning
Not a substitute.
The destination.
Allergy-friendly dessert should never feel like a compromise. KOKOS is built to win beyond the substitute category — through product obsession, design that signals quality, and the warmth and specificity of genuine hospitality. We are dairy-free. We are egg-free. We are nut-free. And we are delicious without qualification.

Nine years of refinement separates us from any newcomer. That is the moat.
01
Phase One · 0–24 Months
Foundation + Clean-Company Transition
Funded by this seed raise · Running alongside Nashville flagship operations
What We Execute
Form Emerald Sea Holdings, Inc. (Delaware C-Corp) and new operating subsidiary
Orderly wind-down of KOKOS Ice Cream LLC (targeting Dec 31, 2026)
Complete new banking, accounting, insurance, permits and reporting
Refresh Nashville flagship — hospitality, environment, staffing and training
Standardize recipes, training materials and the production playbook
Launch wholesale-ready packaging and begin local food-service outreach
Begin community events, collaborations and brand-building activities
Deploy ice cream van at $350K close (unlocked at full raise)
Success Looks Like
Clean legal and financial separation between old and new entities
Nashville flagship consistently profitable and fully staffed
At least 5 wholesale/food-service accounts active and reordering
Documented playbook ready to replicate: recipes, training, ops
Growing loyal customer base with measurable repeat rate
Positive unit economics demonstrated across all current channels
5+
Wholesale accounts
Dec '26
LLC wind-down target
24 mo
Seed runway
Playbook documented
02
Phase Two · Years 1–3
Own Nashville
Revenue-funded or Series A · Nashville–first
What We Execute
Deepen Nashville roots — flagship excellence and local dominance
Events, pop-ups and collaborations that build cultural cachet
Selective local wholesale: specialty grocers, hotels, corporate food service
Customer loyalty program that rewards the KOKOS Krew
Strong social and digital presence — community-led not ad-led
Explore second Nashville-area location or seasonal pop-up if economics are clear
Success Looks Like
KOKOS is the name that Nashville names when asked for plant-based ice cream
Wholesale and food-service revenue supplementing scoop-shop income
Measurable out-of-state customer demand confirmed (visitors, direct mail, events)
Positive EBITDA at the flagship; unit model clearly replicable
Talented team that can operate without founder-in-shop daily
#1
Plant-based in Nashville
20%+
Wholesale revenue share
EBITDA+
Flagship profitability
Ready
For replication
03
Phase Three · Years 2–4
Regional Replication
Series A or strong operating cash flow
What We Execute
Enter 2–3 culturally aligned Southeastern cities (Atlanta, Austin, Charleston — TBD on performance)
Use proven Nashville playbook — no improvising in new markets
Build a management team beyond the founders: a GM layer, HR, finance
Regional wholesale expansion following each new location
Branded packaging at a quality level that holds its own in specialty retail
Explore limited regional grocery placement (partnered, not full distribution)
Success Looks Like
Each new market reaches profitability within 18 months
Brand recognition extends naturally into new markets before we arrive
Repeatable unit economics validated across multiple geographies
Regional wholesale accounts growing independently of flagship
Brand is starting to attract inbound acquisition / partnership interest
2–3
New markets
18 mo
Profitability target per market
SE
Regional footprint
GM+
Non-founder leadership
04
Phase Four · Years 3–6
National Presence + Investor Liquidity
Growth equity or strategic partner · Long horizon
What We Execute
Selective national locations in high-density culturally aligned markets (NYC, LA, etc.)
National retail test with the right specialty or natural-food partner
Build a brand that appears in food media, travel guides and social culture
Explore strategic acquisition, majority recapitalization or IPO pathway
Investor SAFE notes convert to equity prior to or at a qualifying financing
Success Looks Like
A nationally recognized plant-based ice cream brand with an authentic story
Demonstrated premium unit economics across multiple formats and geographies
Strategic interest from acquirers in food, CPG or hospitality
Founders and seed investors have a clear path to liquidity
National
Brand footprint
Yr 5–6
Target liquidity window
Strategic
Exit pathway
Yr 10
Outside planning horizon
Discipline
What we will not do
No Over-Scaling
We will not open a second location before the first is consistently profitable, staffed and documented. Speed is not the goal. Proof is.
No Discount Positioning
KOKOS is premium. We do not chase grocery volume, mass distribution, or price competition. The brand's power is its perceived and actual quality.
No Compromising the Product
Production shortcuts that reduce quality are off the table. We would rather slow growth than sell a version of KOKOS that isn't KOKOS.
No Founder Dependency
By Phase 3, operations must be able to run without the founders in-shop daily. We build systems and people, not heroics.
No Undercapitalized Moves
We do not enter a new market without confirmed funding and a tested playbook. Each expansion is deliberate and resourced, not stretched.
No Losing the Story
The KOKOS brand is its origin, values and taste. Whatever our company structure becomes, the product is still made with the same obsession it was on day one.
For Our Investors
You are not early to KOKOS. You are early to what KOKOS becomes.
This raise is not proof-of-concept funding. The concept is nine years proven. This funding completes the legal and structural transition that positions Emerald Sea Holdings, Inc. — and the KOKOS brand within it — to grow beyond a single shop. It funds a founder who can now build full-time, a production system that can scale, and a brand story that is ready to travel.
The Honest Risk
This is an early-stage, illiquid investment.
Consumer brands are hard. Plant-based has noise. Execution risk is real. We are raising from people who know us, trust us, and understand that the return is tied to long-term brand building — not a quick flip. We will communicate honestly, spend carefully and build something our investors are proud to have backed before it was obvious.

Important: This document is a strategic summary provided for discussion purposes only to specific invited individuals. It does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy securities. All projections and phases are forward-looking and subject to change. Investing in early-stage companies involves significant risk, including possible loss of the entire investment. This document is not a substitute for the executed SAFE agreement and related legal documents, which govern all investor rights. Emerald Sea Holdings, Inc. | Nashville, Tennessee | invest@kokosicecream.com