What is the Chipotle Cultivate Next Fund?

Chipotle won customers over long ago with its chips, guac, and other delicious menu items, and everyone also enjoys answering the Chipotle IQ test. But while you’ve likely spent a lot of money at the fast food chain (but sometimes get free burritos), the company has a fund that customers will want to know about.

Chipotle has had a busy 2024, from allowing customers to order the Chicken al Pastor again (yay) to sharing the news that the CEO is moving to another company. While there’s a lot going on, let’s take a detailed look at the Cultivate Next Fund.

The Chipotle Cultivate Next Fund, explained

In 2022, Chipotle set up the Cultivate Next Fund and gave $50 million to the fund. The plan was to “help accelerate Chipotle’s aggressive growth plans” by giving money to technology companies, as Curt Garner, the Chief Technology Officer, explained.

Then, in February 2024, Chipotle increased the fund to $100 million, which suggests that this is something that they believe in deeply.

So, what are the investments that the brand has made? According to Newsroom.chipotle.com, they include Zero Acre Farms (trying out non-vegetable oils), Meati Foods (food using MushroomRoot™), and Nitricity (environmentally friendly fertilizers). Chiptole has also invested in Hyphen and Vebu, which are focused on automation, and GreenField Robotics, which uses robotics and AI in regenerative farming. They have also worked with Local Line, which Chipotle describes as “a leading local food sourcing platform.”

Besides the news about the investment fund, the brand has a lot of other important things going on. According to Yahoo!, Brian Niccol, the Chipotle CEO, is leaving the company for Starbucks, and Chipotle shares fell by 7% on August 13th. Those who invested in Chipotle were surprised that Niccol would exit considering he did so much for the brand, including putting money toward online, social media, and TV advertising.

Chipotle’s Cultivate Next Fund is a positive step for the company, which experienced a PR nightmare in 2015 when six restaurants had an outbreak of E. Coli. Although people often joke about getting an upset stomach after eating a burrito or other menu item, this was of course on a whole other level. But since Niccol’s time at the chain, the brand has become beloved once again. And no one can argue that the companies involved in the Chipotle Cultivate Next Fund aren’t doing some truly cool things.