Better Nature Tempeh announces the achievement of some major milestones. This week the brand expands its retail distribution in Tesco and Asda, as such it has become the UK’s fastest-growing wholefood protein brand; the B-corp now represents 51% of tempeh sales growth in the country, as shoppers increasingly look towards healthy protein options.
“Despite the consolidation and shrinkage of the meat-free category, tempeh is coming out on top, growing 30% year-on-year. As a brand, we’re responsible for more than half (51%) of that growth*, with two of the top three Tempeh SKUs in the UK (by volume) being Better Nature Tempeh,” says co-founder and CEO Christopher Kong.
“What we’re seeing in meat-free is a natural bifurcation of the category, with wholefood proteins such as tempeh on one side, and meat alternatives on the other”
The business has grown by 250% YOY and increased distribution to over 1,000 supermarkets across the UK, say the young founders. Better Nature Organic Tempeh and flavoured Tempeh Pieces are now stocked in over 700 Tesco stores and 300 Asda stores, as well as Planet Organic, Whole Foods Market, independent retailers, and almost 1000 Lidl stores.
Better Nature has also been recently accepted onto the inaugural Alantra x Brand Growth Heroes mini MBA alongside 12 of the most promising FMCG scale-up brands and was named in the top 30 B Corps to watch for 2024.
A tempeh revolution
Kong explains, “We’re on the verge of a tempeh revolution in the UK right now. This time last year, Better Nature Tempeh wasn’t available in any major UK retailer. Fast-forward 12 months and we’re now stocked nationwide in Tesco, Asda, and Lidl, and are about to launch with another major retailer.
He continues: “What we’re seeing in meat-free is a natural bifurcation of the category, with wholefood proteins such as tempeh on one side, and meat alternatives on the other. Whilst our joint mission is to get more plants on plates, the challenges and opportunities we face are very different. Heightened consumer concern about ultra-processed foods and the growing demand for healthier options means that as a wholefood protein brand, we have a huge opportunity to encourage shoppers to adopt tempeh as a protein staple.
“Increased retail distribution gives us a brilliant platform to raise awareness of tempeh as a supercharged protein that’s packed with fibre, gut-friendly prebiotics, and more protein than two eggs. On this growth trajectory, we’re on our way to making tempeh the UK’s (and eventually the world’s) go-to protein staple and accelerating the wider transition to wholefood proteins.”
* Nielsen IQ data March 2024
