Better Nature News - vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

World Vegan Day Collage

Image: vegconomist

Messages From Vegan Business Leaders on World Vegan Day, Part 1

November 1, 2023

On this World Vegan Day, we at vegconomist felt that this year it was especially important to boost morale in the industry and share insights and advice amongst the community. We asked business leaders: as we approach the end of what has been a turbulent year for many in the business, what is your message for the plant-based industry as we look ahead to 2024? Here we share messages from figures in the UK vegan business scene: CEO of VFC and Meatless Farm, Dave Sparrow; Senior Brand Manager at OGGS, Joe Farrar; Co-Founder & CMO at Better Nature Tempeh, Elin Roberts; CEO of Citizen Kind, Emma Osborne; and CEO of Miami Foods, Loui Blake. Dave Sparrow, VFC: “Clear strategy” Firstly, happy World Vegan Day to …

ClosePlease loginn

Better Nature becomes UK's highest rated meat-free B Corp

Dr. Driando Ahnan-Winarno. © Better Nature

Better Nature Becomes the UK’s Top-Scoring Meat-Free B Corp

October 9, 2023

UK tempeh brand Better Nature is now the UK’s top-scoring B Corp in the meat-free category, with an impact score of 99.7 — over 20% higher than the industry average. B Corp certification recognises companies that meet high social and environmental standards, along with being transparent and accountable. Specifically, Better Nature: Has a low carbon footprint. Certifies its products as Non-GMO, Zero Deforestation, Soil Protection, and Indigenous People & Ecosystem Protection, with an organic option also available. Donates 1% of sales to charity. Produces sustainable, clean-label food. Claims to promote a diverse workplace and prioritise team wellbeing. Works with mission-aligned partners. “This is just the start of our B Corp journey,” said Dr. Driando Ahnan-Winarno, co-founder at Better Nature Tempeh. “From here, we will be …

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

Konscious Plant-Based Sushi

© Konscious Foods

Market & Trends

Navigating Turbulence: 8 Plant-Based Brands Riding the Crest, Not Weathering the Storm

August 30, 2023

While some brands are struggling in the current economic climate (both plant-based and conventional), many are not just surviving but thriving, expanding into new markets and raising large sums of funding. Here, we take a look at some of the biggest industry success stories of 2023. Konscious Foods Canada’s Konscious Foods raised $26 million in seed funding at the beginning of this month, with the aim of making its plant-based seafood more widely accessible. The company now plans to launch at over 4,500 more stores across North America by the end of the year, while also expanding into more food service locations. The seafood alternatives are already available at all Whole Foods locations US-wide, and one investor says it expects Konscious Foods to “transform plant-based …

ClosePlease loginn

Sponsored

Image supplied by Clextral

Sponsored Post

Clextral’s innovative developments in producing affordable and tasty alternative proteins

Better Nature Lidl launch

© Better Nature

Retail & E-Commerce

Better Nature Continues Phenomenal Trajectory With Rollout into 966 Lidl Stores

July 27, 2023

Better Nature, the UK brand spearheading the rise of Tempeh 2.0, announces a nationwide rollout of its Organic Tempeh, Curry Tempeh Pieces and Mediterranean Tempeh Pieces into all 966 Lidl stores across the country. The retail expansion comes as part of Lidl’s Vegan Week (today 27th July to 2nd August) and marks the brand’s biggest ever product rollout with over 50,000 units shipped. In the past year alone, Better Nature has raised £700K in a seed plus round; secured listings with Holland & Barrett, Selfridges, Gopuff, and allplants; launched a £3M funding round and secured its first UK supermarket listing at Tesco. Better Nature has plans for expansion in the UK and mainland Europe, as well as launching new tempeh lines and focusing on NPD …

ClosePlease loginn

Better Nature co founders

© Better Nature

Better Nature: “In 5 Years, Tempeh Will Be a Mainstream Food Across the UK, Europe, and the US”

May 31, 2023May 31, 2023

We’ve been following the journey of Better Nature over the past three years and it’s wonderful to see the tempeh pioneers achieve mainstream retail success in the UK, with a rollout into more than 400 Tesco stores taking place tomorrow. We had a quick catch-up with CEO and Co-founder Christopher Kong to find out what this milestone represents for the brand, and why tempeh truly deserves a place on the supermarket shelf. Tell us about your business mission. Our mission is to help people live healthier lives with tempeh, the all-natural plant-based food from Indonesia that’s packed with protein and gut-friendly. Congratulations on your new listing with Tesco – what does it signify for Better Nature? Our launch into over 400 Tesco stores on 1st …

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

Better Nature

© Better Nature

Investments & Acquisitions

Better Nature Launches £3M Funding Round, Secures First UK Supermarket Listing at Tesco

May 18, 2023

UK tempeh producer Better Nature has launched a £3 million Series A round to help it expand into retailers and food service providers throughout the UK and Europe. The news comes as the brand prepares to launch at over 400 Tesco stores on June 1, marking its first UK supermarket listing. The tempeh will then roll out at another major supermarket in July. The Series A round will be led by institutional investors, angels, and value-add strategic investors. It follows a £1.6 million seed round in 2021 and a £700,000 seed plus round late last year. Better Nature currently has listings at Selfridges, Mindful Chef, Planet Organic and allplants, along with REWE in Germany. The brand plans to expand into more European countries and the …

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

After Smashing the UK Market, Better Nature Brings its Tempeh to Germany

January 24, 2023

Twice as much protein as tofu, twice as much fibre as an apple and as much iron as beef: Better Nature wants to conquer the German meat alternative market with its tempeh products. Tempeh consists only of fermented soybeans, water and a mycelium starter culture. It is also extremely versatile: unlike tofu, tempeh takes on flavours quickly and requires little marinade. This makes it particularly suitable for meat-free dishes, from curries and stir-fries to sandwiches and salads. In the UK, tempeh is already experiencing strong market growth, and the startup also recently launched in Swiss retail. Now Better Nature is bringing its tempeh products to Germany: at REWE Nord, the Tempeh Pieces are available as bite-sized, ready-marinated bites in Mediterranean, Curry and BBQ varieties. Tempeh …

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

better nature tempeh products

© Better Nature

Investments & Finance

Better Nature Raises £700K to Fuel Tempeh Awareness and Growth

November 23, 2022

UK brand Better Nature, specialising in tempeh-based meat alternatives, recently announced a £700K Seed Plus round to fuel retail presence in the UK and Europe ahead of a bigger series A round next year. The funds will support the brand’s new listing with Holland & Barrett and will also build on existing listings with Selfridges, Gopuff, and allplants. The investment round was led by 67 investors, including previous backers from a private crowdfunding campaign launched on Seedrs in March 2021, alongside two new investors in innovative and sustainable businesses, including the Global Entrepreneurship Centre. Expansion plans for 2023 Besides retail growth in the UK, Better Nature will focus on expansion in mainland Europe through the launch of its tempeh products in Germany’s second-largest supermarket Rewe in early 2023. …

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

Better Nature Migros

© Better Nature

Products & Launches

Better Nature Launches at Switzerland’s Largest Supermarket Chain Migros

October 17, 2022

UK tempeh brand Better Nature has launched three products — Mince, Rashers, and Roast Bites — at Switzerland’s largest supermarket chain, Migros. The products will be available across the country at over 300 stores, in what Better Nature describes as “potentially the single largest rollout of tempeh in all of Europe”. The range launched in the UK last year, but only at online retailers. Continued innovation The news comes just two months after Better Nature appointed a new non-executive director, former Planet Organic CEO Peter Marsh. The brand also received a £350,000 grant from a UK government agency earlier this year to develop a fish alternative made via precision fermentation of industry byproducts. Migros and alt protein Migros is increasingly supporting alt protein innovation, partnering …

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

peter-marsch-planet-organic

© Planet Organic

Better Nature Appoints Ex CEO of Planet Organic & World’s Most Cited Food Scientist to Fuel Growth

August 2, 2022

UK-based tempeh startup Better Nature announces the appointments of ex-Planet Organic CEO Peter Marsh as Non-Executive Director, and Prof. Julian McClements, the world’s most cited food scientist, as Innovation Advisor. Peter Marsh, who established Planet Organic as one of the UK’s largest organic and health retailers until his retirement in 2021, will be supporting Better Nature with its entrance into UK supermarkets and with plans for international expansion. Marsh states: “Making high-quality, healthy foods more widely accessible is really important to me. Working with Better Nature to get more people across the UK and further afield eating nutritious, delicious and versatile tempeh is a challenge I’m very excited to take on.” Newly appointed Innovation Advisor Prof. Julian McClements, who has published over 1300 scientific articles …

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

Fish Alternative Made With Food Byproducts

© Better Nature

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Better Nature Bags £350K to Create Fish Alternative From Upcycled Food Byproducts

May 19, 2022

UK tempeh brand Better Nature has received a £350,000 grant from Innovate UK, a governmental agency which provides funds and support those innovating new products, to develop a fish alternative made with food byproducts. The company will use a new tempeh-inspired proprietary fermentation method to give the industry byproducts the taste and texture of fish. Better Nature says it is hoping to achieve a product that is “physically, visually, nutritionally, and sensorially equivalent, if not superior, to fish”. The project is set to run until 2024, with support from leading European fermentation companies such as Nucaps Nanotechnology, Neoalgae Micro Seaweeds Products, and Estonia’s Centre of Food and Fermentation Technologies. Better Nature hopes to commercialise the fish alternative by 2026. Better Nature’s continuing success story In …

ClosePlease loginn

© Better Nature

Products & Launches

Better Nature Drops New Range with Ribs, Rashers, and Roasts

June 10, 2021

Following its recent £1.6 million Seed Round, UK meat-free brand Better Nature is launching a brand-new product range just in time for summer. The new tempeh-based products are staples for any vegan BBQ, brunch, or Sunday roast dinner with the family. Better Nature prides itself on its nutritious products that support a healthy gut and lifestyle, and the new range has received the highest possible rating for its carbon footprint. The products are also both carbon and plastic negative, meaning they offset double what they produce. Fabio Rinaldo, Co-founder and Head of Product Development and Operations at Better Nature comments, “This new range is a result of our ongoing mission to make a plant-based lifestyle more accessible and enjoyable, by removing the need to compromise …

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

BetterNature

©BetterNature

Investments & Finance

Better Nature Hits £1.6m Crowdfunding Target Just 2 Days After Public Launch

March 1, 2022April 6, 2021

On March 23, UK alt-meat brand Better Nature launched its private crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs. Within just three hours of the launch, it had achieved its initial target of £1,350,000.

ClosePlease loginn

Mindful Chef Better Nature

© Mindful Chef/Better Nature

Food & Beverage

Better Nature Announces Mindful Chef Collaboration, Launches Crowdfunding Campaign

March 10, 2021

British brand Better Nature, which specialises in tempeh products, has announced a partnership with leading recipe box service Mindful Chef. The service is aiming to offer more plant-based options to its 30,000 customers due to growing demand.

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

Better Nature One Planet Pizza

© Better Nature

Products & Launches

World’s First Frozen Tempeh Pizza Released in Partnership with Better Nature, One Planet Pizza & Applewood Cheese

October 1, 2020

UK tempeh brand Better Nature has partnered with vegan pizza specialist One Planet Pizza to create the world’s first frozen tempeh pizza. The limited-edition pizza, named Masala Tempehtation, is topped with the famous Applewood smoky vegan cheese which sold out within hours of its launch in 2019.

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

better nature

Better Nature co-founders Christopher Kong and Elin Roberts in the ProVeg Incubator space.

Marketing & Media

Free Clear Channel Advertising Campaign for Plant-Based Startup Better Nature

August 13, 2021July 7, 2020

The initiative #BusinessAsUnusual – has been set up by the advertising company to support small businesses who have continued trading during the pandemic. Better Nature is one of the lucky startups to receive a Clear Channel campaign which will feature on screens around Clapham Junction, promoting their new, pre-marinated Better Bites.

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

Sustainability / Environment

UK’s Better Nature Becomes World’s First Plastic Neutral Plant Meat Brand

July 1, 2020

Better Nature announces it is partnering with rePurpose Global, a plastic credit platform helping individuals and businesses rebalance their unique plastic footprint. The brand states that this makes it the world’s first plastic neutral meat alternative producer.

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

rePurpose Global

Better Nature bites

©Better Nature

Better Nature Debuts Better Bites, Created With Fermented Lupin Beans

March 1, 2022May 1, 2020

Better Nature, a UK brand specialising in tempeh and known for its popular vegan rashers and mince, is expanding its product range with Better Bites, now available in Saucy Stir Fry, Tantalising Taco and Moreish Masala flavours. The products are created with fermented lupin beans, as fermented food and drinks continue to trend globally.

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

BetterNature

©BetterNature

Better Nature is Sending out Vegan Care Packages to Those in Need

March 31, 2020March 31, 2020

UK based tempeh brand, Better Nature, announces the launch of a nationwide initiative to help support those in need during the COVID-19 crisis. The company is sending out 15 free Tempeh Care Packs per week to those who are vulnerable, self-isolating or feeling financial strain.

ClosePlease loginn

Topics:

Better Nature

©Better Nature

Products & Launches

Better Nature Launches Tempeh Rashers into Planet Organic as Vegan Bacon Continues to Trend

March 3, 2020March 3, 2020

UK-based Tempeh brand Better Nature announces the retail launch of their Organic Tempeh Mince and Organic Tempeh Rashers into Planet Organic stores, as vegan bacon continues its rise in popularity. As we reported last week, Forbes has said that plantbased bacon is the “next plant-based frontier” with demand surging internationally.

ClosePlease loginn

Topics: