A Utah frozen cinnamon roll company that began as a home-baking project among four friends has raised $7 million (£5.5 million) in Series A funding. The money will help it grow its reach in stores across the country. Sunshine Buns, based in Orem, announced the new investment as its products arrive in the freezer aisles of Target stores nationwide and in Southern California Costco warehouses. The funding round will pay for more production capacity, more product on hand, more marketing, and more hiring, according to industry trade outlet Food Business News. The business was founded in 2022 by Chrisi Hammer, her husband Matt, and their friends Brian and Kass Martin. The brand is built on a family cinnamon roll recipe created more than 45 years ago by Chrisi Hammer’s mother, who is lovingly known as Mema. “Mema had her first cinnamon roll in the 1970s and knew she could make something better,” Chrisi Hammer explained in an interview published by the Startup State Initiative, a Utah state government business platform. “She worked for years to create the perfect recipe, and boy, did she deliver.”
From theatre chat to immediate sell-out
The four co-founders had talked for a long time about starting a business together. The choice to turn the family recipe into a company came during an evening out. “One night, as the four of us were attending a show at the Hale Theater in Orem, we realized we needed to launch the business,” Chrisi Hammer told the Startup State Initiative. “We started an Instagram page and officially accepted orders the very next day, then sold out in a matter of minutes. That was when we knew we were onto something.” At first, the team ran a home-based delivery service. They took orders through private social media messages and hand-delivered fresh trays of cinnamon rolls to local customers. Strong demand led the founders to open their first physical shop in Orem. They then moved into making frozen food for wholesale. The brand’s frozen rolls have real cream cheese frosting and 8 grams of protein per bun. They come in three flavors: original, cookies and cream, and strawberries and cream.
Supermarket expansion and Series A backing
The brand first entered freezer aisles through regional grocers such as Hy-Vee, Gelson’s, and Bristol Farms. It then moved up to major national chains, including Target and Costco. Food Business News reported that the new $7 million Series A money will directly pay for the inventory needed to supply these large retail networks. “We have big plans for our buns, and our goal is to build Sunshine Buns into something special people can find wherever they shop,” Kass Martin, co-founder of Sunshine Buns, said in a statement carried by Food Business News. “We’re excited to keep growing and bring some much-needed fun to freezer aisles across the country.” The company’s fast rise from a neighborhood delivery business to a national retail brand drew wider attention at the 2025 Silicon Slopes Summit. There, Sunshine Buns won top honors in the Startup Alley small business competition.
Local business support and community growth
Looking back on the company’s journey, the founders credited much of their success to local mentors and Utah’s startup network. They pointed to guidance from established regional brands, including Gimme Beauty, Retail Collective, and Mixhers. “We have been very fortunate to have many mentors through our journey this far,” Chrisi Hammer stated in her interview with the Startup State Initiative. “The Utah startup ecosystem has also been vital to our success. The community truly rallies behind its own. It’s encouraging to grow a business where the people believe in and support each other.” Chrisi Hammer also gave advice to people hoping to turn a side project into a full-time business. She urged them not to wait to take the first step. “Just start,” Chrisi Hammer advised via the Startup State Initiative. “It’s going to be hard, amazing, taxing, and glorious all at the same time. You’ll never have everything figured out, but the truth is, it’s always a good time to start.” With the Series A funding secured, Sunshine Buns plans to start more product development projects. It also plans to widen its reach across regional and national supermarket chains.
