Wicked Foods, the UK market leader in plant-based meals, snacks and ingredients created and operated by chef brothers Chad and Derek Sarno, announces plans for a global expansion in Summer 2021 with an initial USA launch, after revolutionizing plant-based supermarket food in the UK.
Wicked Healthy first launched with 20 products under the Wicked Kitchen brand in January 2018 at Tesco, the largest supermarket chain in the UK, making headlines for the incredible public response. 4 million units were sold in the first 33 weeks upon release and 10 million were sold in just 20 months. Since 2018, the line has extended to more than 80 products across Tesco stores.
Entering the global market, Wicked Foods will continue its work in increasing availability and providing convenient meal solutions, at the same time as challenging perceptions of vegan food. Wicked Foods highlights the power of plants in changing the way the world eats by creating best-in-class vegan food, with a focus on influencing meat-eaters.
“Our mission is to help people cook and eat more plants knowing that we’ll be saving millions and millions of animals each day which improves our planet while supporting our farmers and our health,” says Derek Sarno. “We’ve created the tools, recipes and products to make it simple, flavorful and fun for people to eat more plant-based foods in the UK, and we are excited to now bring these to the US, Canada and other European countries.”
Wicked Foods’ expansion is being led by new CEO Pete Speranza, a CPG industry vet and Unovis partner, who will bring his extensive experience and tactical know-how to the brand’s day-to-day operations. Wicked Foods joins other innovative brands in the portfolio of Unovis, a leading global investment firm disrupting conventional animal agriculture. Founding partner Chris Kerr has worked closely with the Sarno brothers to develop and launch the Wicked Foods brand.
“In my nearly 25 years in CPG, I haven’t seen anything quite like what Chad and Derek have been able to create with Wicked Foods,” says Speranza. “Their commitment to producing the most crave-able, sought after, chef-crafted plant-based foods is driving huge demand in the UK, and we know Americans are ready for this genuine and unapologetic approach to plant-based eating. Beyond that, it’s not only vegans that are creating demand but also mainstream consumers who want in on alternative protein options that put flavor first.”
