Organisation / Brand: THIS

THIS founders

Pete Sharman (L) & Andy Shovel founders of THIS © THIS
Investments & Acquisitions

THIS Raises £15M in Series B Funding, Plans International Expansion

UK alt meat brand THIS has secured £15 million in a Series B round, as it reveals that an international expansion may be on the cards. The raise includes over £10 million from institutional investors such as Lever VC, BGF, and Five Seasons Ventures. The £4.7 million raised in last year’s crowdfunding campaign — whose target was exceeded in under two hours — is also included. THIS says it plans to use the funding to expand overseas this year, along with increasing R&D capabilities, consolidating supply chains, and conducting outdoor advertising campaigns. The company’s annual revenue has now reached £24 million, and it was recently named the UK’s fastest-growing food and drink brand by financial services firm Alantra. Best-selling meat alternatives The news follows a …

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© La Vie

Marketing & Media

10 Times Vegan Brands Took on the Food Industry With Provocative Ad Campaigns

In a week where allplants and THIS in the UK, as well as Eat Just in the US, have challenged their counterparts with disruptive ad campaigns; we take a look at ten plant-based brands that have taken on the food industry over the past 12 months, causing the public to consider their food purchasing choices through the use of thought-provoking factual information or humor. And, in one case, nudity. 1. allplants, UK This week, vegan meal delivery service allplants has announced it is “taking a stance to break the industry free from ultra-processed foods with wholefood plant power”. The company has erected billboards in the UK comparing the ingredients in an allplants dish to those in a supermarket ready meal, after conducting a survey showing …

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THIS Isn't Streaky Bacon

© THIS
Meat- and Fish Alternatives

THIS Isn’t Streaky Bacon to Launch in 3,000 UK Supermarkets for Veganuary

UK plant-based meat business THIS launches THIS Isn’t Streaky Bacon which it says offers more hyper-realism than its widely sold THIS Isn’t Bacon, into almost 3,000 Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose stores from January. THIS says that the new product has three separate patent applications, including THIS’s plant-based fat, Fat 2.0, made from olive oil, to create a smoky, streaky vegan bacon product which it says will remain succulent when faced with high heat, and even crisp and brown, while offering 17 kcal per rasher. The new product will be made available to UK food service; restaurant group Bill’s has been announced as the first operator to pick up the vegan bacon, which will serve it as part of the Plant Plate, a plant-based Full English …

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THIS founders

Pete Sharman (L) & Andy Shovel founders of THIS © THIS
Company News

THIS Becomes First UK Alt Meat Brand to Receive B Corp Status

Plant-based meat brand THIS announces it has become a certified B Corporation (B Corp), claiming the development makes THIS the first meat alternative brand to achieve the status in the UK. By becoming a B Corp, THIS joins more than 5,500 B Corp companies across 85 countries and  158 industries, with the common goal of transforming the global economy to benefit all people, communities, and the planet. Only a handful of alternative protein companies have earned the B Corp certification, including France’s HappyVore (ex-Les Nouveaux Fermiers) and California-based Ripple Foods. “This reflects just how big the UK can play in the global plant-based meat market, which is expected to be worth $15.8bn by 2028. It also shows the level of accountability and transparency the industry can employ,” …

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vegan turkey and stuffing baguette

© Greggs/THIS
Retail & E-Commerce

Greggs Partners With THIS to Launch Vegan Turkey and Stuffing Baguette

UK bakery chain Greggs has joined forces with alt meat brand THIS to launch a vegan turkey and stuffing baguette for the festive season. The baguette contains plant-based turkey goujons with a sage and onion crust, along with vegan gravy and cranberry sauce. Available at all 2,200 Greggs locations, it is the chain’s second partnership with THIS, after the two brands began offering a vegan southern fried chicken baguette earlier this year. Another plant-based Christmas option on the menu at Greggs is the vegan festive bake, first offered in 2021. The puff pastry bake contains Quorn mycoprotein pieces, sage and onion stuffing balls, vegan bacon crumb, and sage and cranberry sauce. Greggs has been working to expand its vegan range since 2019, when the chain’s …

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THIS plant-based ready meals

© THIS
Products & Launches

THIS Enters Fourth New Category With Plant-Based Ready Meals

UK alt-meat brand THIS has launched three new plant-based ready meals at the country’s largest supermarket chain, Tesco. The range consists of This Isn’t Pork Meatballs & Spaghetti, This Isn’t Chicken Thai Green Curry, and This Isn’t Pork Sausages & Mash. The meals are high in protein, low in fat, and can be heated up in just four minutes. THIS says the products are aimed at a younger demographic, with research showing that those under 35 eat pre-prepared meals several times a week. Meat-reducers are the main target audience, rather than vegetarians or vegans. Entering new categories The ready meals mark THIS’ fourth new category entry in the space of just a year. The company launched a frozen range in June, and collaborated with WH …

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THIS plant-based beef

© THIS
Products & Launches

THIS Launches Plant-Based Beef With New Fat Substitute

UK alt meat brand THIS has launched its first plant-based beef alternatives — This Isn’t Beef Burgers and This Isn’t Mince. The brand told The Grocer that the burgers are made with “carefully selected pea protein and bespoke natural flavouring for a beefy and chargrilled taste”. They also feature an improved animal fat substitute made from olive oil. Called Fat 2.0, it is said to enhance the meatiness, taste, and succulent texture of the burgers. With the mince, THIS says it hopes to close the sales gap between plant-based and conventional varieties. Both products are a good source of fibre and are said to be lower in fat than their animal-based counterparts. Recent launches THIS has seen significant growth over the past year, launching a …

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THIS sandwiches WH Smith

©THIS
Products & Launches

UK: THIS Becomes “First-Ever” Plant-Based Partner for 230-year-old WH Smith 

UK plant-based producer THIS is launching a range of three sandwiches and snacking pots into WH Smith travel stores. With the alt meat offering hitting shelves this week, the launch marks the first time the retailer has partnered with a plant-based brand.  Entering the emerging plant-based food-to-go segment, THIS – the UK’s fastest-growing alt meat company – will showcase its newly reformulated alt chicken pieces in the sandwiches. WH Smith is a 230-year-old UK high street retailer whose travel stores in railway stations, airports, and motorway service stations provide a perfect retail platform for vegan on-the-go solutions.  The sandwich range will feature This Isn’t Chicken & Sweetcorn, This Isn’t Chicken & Stuffing, and This Isn’t Coronation Chicken, as well as a snack pot range comprising …

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©THIS
Products & Launches

THIS Launches New Range Into Fast-Growing UK Frozen Plant-Based Meat Category

THIS is launching into a new category with a range of frozen plant-based food products. With claims to be the UK’s fastest-growing alt meat company, THIS is expanding into the also fast-growing vegan frozen food segment with a range of products aimed at younger audiences and driving market growth. The new frozen range includes: THIS Isn’t Chicken Tenders, THIS Isn’t Pork Sausages and THIS Isn’t Chicken Nuggets, now available via Sainsbury’s stores across the UK. Through its own market research, THIS has found its brand and range of chilled plant-based products over-index with younger audiences, including pre-family and young professionals, so it states its new frozen products will be aimed at attracting more younger audiences into the frozen category. The products use a similar combination …

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©THIS
Fundraising

THIS Smashes £4M Crowdfunding Target In Under 2 Hours 

THIS, the fastest-growing plant-based meat brand in the UK, has launched a record-breaking crowdfunding campaign. The brand hit its £4 million target within 1 hour and 40 minutes whilst under pre-registration, becoming one of the fastest campaigns to raise such an amount on the Seedrs platform.  Since opening publicly the crowdfunding campaign has now risen to almost £5.8 million, making it already one of the largest conducted on the private investment platform. The raise will be live until mid-July, giving private investors the opportunity to buy into THIS from just £10. The crowdfunding will support the vegan brand’s innovation, marketing, and first international expansion.  With plans to open a new innovation center in West London this year, THIS is now the fastest-growing plant-based meat brand …

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©THIS
Fundraising

THIS – Fastest Growing Alt Meat Brand in UK – Launches Crowdfunding Campaign

The UK’s fastest-growing plant-based meat brand, THIS, has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help accelerate its continued growth. The award-winning alt meat brand is expected to launch one of the largest campaigns on the Seedrs crowdfunding platform, offering consumers investment opportunities for as little as £10. THIS recorded 333% YOY net sales growth in 2021, outperforming its rivals in the increasingly competitive plant-based meat category. The new campaign will help fund the brand’s R&D and marketing, as well as its first international expansion. THIS also announced the opening of a state-of-the-art innovation center in West London this summer.  THIS is currently listed in the top UK supermarkets with 10,000 distribution points, stocking its range of plant-based chicken, bacon, and sausages. The brand states that a …

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©NXTLVLPZA
Products & Launches

NXT LVL PZA Partners With Biggest Names in Vegan Meat For “Secretly Vegan” Pizzas

Brand new London pizzeria NXT LVL PZA is partnering with some of the biggest names in plant-based meat including Heura, Meatless Farm, Beyond Meat, and THIS, to create pizzas that are “secretly vegan” in order to encourage omnivores to switch to a plant-based diet and take pizza to the NXT LVL. Market first The company’s unique branding is based around gaming culture, and it has been confirmed that NXT LVL is the first and only outlet in the UK at present to use Pleese Cheese – New York’s game-changing pizza cheese created without dairy, soy, seeds, or gluten. The new venture sets out this week at its first delivery-only location in London with aptly named products such as: The Pac Mac – with Beyond Meat …

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THIS / Caffé Nero

©THIS / Caffé Nero
Products & Launches

THIS Launches Plant-Based Turkey Panini at 700 Caffé Nero Locations Across UK 

Rapidly growing plant-based producer THIS has launched a vegan Christmas sandwich with UK high street coffee chain Caffé Nero. The Vegan Festive Feast Panini is available now in 700 sites across the UK. Known for what it calls “hyper-real food”, THIS is one of the UK’s leading plant-based meat producers. The new vegan offering at Caffé Nero features THIS plant-based turkey, cranberry and port sauce, and fresh spinach leaves, costing £4.60. Caffé Nero also offers a vegan meatball panini at most locations.  THIS recently secured an £11 million Series A round – the largest ever for a UK-based alt meat brand – and is stocked in over 8,900 retail distribution points including all four of the UK’s major grocers, despite only launching in 2019.  The …

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Five Seasons Ventures

©Five Seasons Ventures

Top Stories

Five Seasons Ventures Launches €180M Impact Fund for European Food Tech

European Food Tech VC firm Five Seasons Ventures has announced the final closing of a €180 million second fund. Having already backed promising European plant-based businesses, the Five Seasons new Fund II will focus on fast-growing consumer-focused food startups with a quantifiable environmental or social impact.  “Food and Food Tech have the possibility to affect two of the most pressing issues of our time –  climate change and human health” After launching the first-ever Food Tech venture fund in Europe in 2018, Five Seasons Ventures has raised its flagship Fund II to continue investing in European startups at the forefront of food tech. The portfolio of the first €77 million fund saw revenue growth of 20X over four years to reach more than €350 million …

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OPP Hawaiian

©One Planet Pizza
Products & Launches

One Planet Pizza Collaborates With THIS to Launch the First Vegan Hawaiian Pizza in UK Retail

One Planet Pizza announces the launch of a new range of Thin and Crispy pizzas, featuring the UK’s first vegan Hawaiian pizza for retail. The pizza has been created in collaboration with fast-growing alt meat brand THIS, coming topped with THIS™ Bacon Lardons as well as pineapple and Cheezly cheese. According to OPP, the Thin and Crispy pizzas are topped with 25% more cheeze than leading plant-based pizzas and contain 20% fewer calories and 30% less fat compared to leading non-vegan pizzas. 100% of the brand’s packaging is recyclable, and every pizza sold includes a donation to One Tree Planted. The range consists of: Hawaiian – featuring THIS™ Bacon Lardons Spicy Peppernomi – topped with Jack & Bry jackfruit and vegan Mexicana cheese Roasted Mediterranean …

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