Plan(e)t Foods, which claims firstly to be the first vegan startup ever launched in Greece, and secondly to have developed the world’s first vegan and carbon-negative ice cream, has raised €400K in its first funding round led by Greek angel investors.
“Our planet-friendly and plant-based ice cream is not a substitute product, but the successor of dairy ice cream“
Founded in 2021 by Greg Bograkos, Plan(e)t Foods’ portfolio is currently available in more than 500 outlets across Greece. “In under 18 months of operations, we are already distributing our plant-based – and indistinguishable from dairy – ice cream through all major supermarket chains in Greece, currently available in 500+ stores,” says Bograkos.
The new funds will be used to increase the company’s domestic presence through expansion into the supermarket channel.
“We are proud of our impressive unit economics and growth (on track for 5x sales vs 2021), but above all, we are proud for building an ethical & planet friendly brand, as we are the world’s first plant-based and carbon negative ice cream,” adds the founder.
The startup has partnered with a UK-based independent climate action advisory in order to calculate direct and indirect emissions, in order to minimise and offset carbon emissions by 110%.
“Indistinguishable” from dairy
Bograkos says its dairy-free ice cream is a success because it is indistinguishable from dairy in taste, texture, and experience. He explains that the final oat-based ice cream recipe was born after hundreds of experiments and endless hours in the lab using oat drinks as an alternative to milk.
In July 2022, the startup launched its first ice cream store in Monastiraki, Athens, offering thirteen flavours, including Triple Chocolate Brownie, Double Pistachio, Peanut butter & Caramel, and Strawberry & Pavlova. The ice cream parlour serves its ice creams using vegan, edible cups and spoons made with waffle and biscuit as part of the company’s zero-waste project, explains the startup.
Bograkos explains: “Our planet-friendly and plant-based ice cream is not a substitute product, but the successor of dairy ice cream. We are proud of our impressive growth, but above all, we are proud of building an ethical and planet-friendly brand, as we are the world’s first vegan and carbon-negative ice cream.”
He adds: “We are getting ready to launch more stores. Our ice cream is already better and indistinguishable from dairy hence it doesn’t make sense to keep the cows in the equation.”
The Plan(e)t Ice Creams line is available at domestic supermarket chains such as Sklavenitis, AB, My Market, Biologiko Chorio, and Thanopoulos and online through Pop Market, Wolt Market, and E-fresh.
