Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. CMG continues its strategic growth with two new minority investments in Lumachain, an AI-driven supply chain platform, and Brassica, a fast-casual restaurant concept. The investments are stated to be part of CMG’s $100 million Cultivate Next venture fund.

Launched in 2022, the fund focuses on early-stage companies that drive Chipotle’s long-term growth, intending to expand to 7,000 restaurants across North America. In addition to Lumachain and Brassica, the fund has invested in GreenField Robotics, Hyphen, Local Line, Meati Foods, Nitricity, Vebu and Zero Acre Farms.

Lumachain: Enhancing Supply Chain Efficiency With AI

Lumachain, based in Sydney, Australia, is a company dedicated to improving food production. The company’s traceability platform tracks the origin, location and condition of individual food items in real time, creating greater transparency from farm to table. By reducing waste and boosting operational efficiency, Lumachain aims to optimize food safety and quality. In addition to its traceability solutions, Lumachain offers a Computer Vision AI (artificial intelligence) platform that monitors operations within food production facilities, further improving efficiency and safety.

This investment underscores Chipotle’s commitment to leveraging technology to improve supply chain transparency, ensuring higher quality and fresher ingredients. Chipotle’s Chief Customer and Technology Officer, Curt Garner, highlighted the potential benefits, stating that the real-time visibility and quality data analytics that Lumachain provides could optimize the management and quality of perishable goods for the food service industry.

Brassica: Scaling a Mediterranean-Inspired Concept

Brassica, based in Columbus, OH, offers Eastern Mediterranean-inspired cuisine with a focus on high-quality, locally sourced ingredients. The fast-casual chain operates six locations and emphasizes a welcoming dining experience.

Chipotle’s investment in Brassica is designed to help the brand scale its operations and expand into new markets. Nate Lawton, Chipotle's Chief Business Development Officer, highlighted that the company's investments in emerging culinary concepts reflect its commitment to using real, fresh ingredients and crafting craveable food daily and that it is in line with CMG’s mission to cultivate a better world.

Price Performance of CMG Stock

Image Source: Zacks Investment Research

Shares of Chipotle have gained 30.8% so far this year compared with the industry’s 5.9% growth. The company benefits from its digital efforts, Chipotlane add-ons and marketing initiatives. This and strength in digital sales, menu price increases and new restaurant openings have been aiding the company. Chipotle continues to focus on the stage-gate process and leverage digital programs to expand access and convenience. Of late, earnings estimates for 2024 have moved up, depicting analysts’ optimism regarding the stock’s growth potential.

CMG’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks

Chipotle currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks in the Zacks Retail-Wholesale sector are Texas Roadhouse, Inc. TXRH, Wingstop Inc. WING and Yum China Holdings, Inc. YUMC, each carrying a  Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Texas Roadhouse has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 0.4%, on average. TXRH’s shares have risen 89.8% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for TXRH’s 2024 sales and EPS indicates 15.7% and 39.7% growth, respectively, from the year-earlier actuals.

Wingstop has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 21.8%, on average. The stock has gained 113% in the past year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for WING’s 2024 sales and EPS indicates 36.4% and 52.8% growth, respectively, from the prior-year figures.

Yum China has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 26.6%, on average. YUMC’s shares have risen 4.1% so far this year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for YUMC’s 2024 sales and EPS indicates 4.5% and 11% growth, respectively, from the prior-year figures.

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report

Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (CMG) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Texas Roadhouse, Inc. (TXRH) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Wingstop Inc. (WING) : Free Stock Analysis Report

Yum China (YUMC) : Free Stock Analysis Report

To read this article on Zacks.com click here.

Zacks Investment Research