Food service has become an increasingly important channel for natural food startups, which Velez says companies like Sodexo view "as the future." Sodexo in 2014 said it would purchase $1 billion in products and services over three years from small- and medium-sized enterprises; its other small partners include Paleo baked goods company Base Culture, Village TeaCompany, and Gavina Coffee Company. Sodexo competitor Compass Group carried Hampton Creek’s vegan mayo early in the startup’s tenure and was the first to carry its dressings.