UK tempeh brand Better Nature has announced that its Organic and Smoky tempeh products have launched into 200 REWE stores across central Germany.
The news comes just weeks after the tempeh gained a listing at 400 REWE Sudwest stores in the country. In total, Better Nature products are now available at around 1,300 REWE stores in Germany, following a previous launch last year.
On LinkedIn, co-founder and co-CEO Elin Roberts reported that so far this year, Better Nature’s German sales are double what was forecast. This success has been made possible through a partnership with distributor Uplegger Foods, which has reportedly helped Better Nature gain a 30% share of the German tempeh market.
“I won’t lie, Germany was a bit of a slog when we first launched there in 2023,” said Roberts. “It’s difficult and time-consuming to learn about a new market and to try to get things done in a new language. But we persevered. Month by month, year by year, things got easier, better, and more successful. There was no magic bullet, no sudden boost in sales. Just slow and steady growth that seems to have been supercharged these past few months.”
A nutritious wholefood protein
Better Nature also continues to see success in its home country, announcing last year that it had become the UK’s fastest-growing wholefood protein brand. At the time, the company said its products represented 51% of tempeh sales growth in the country, according to Nielsen IQ data from March 2024.
As consumers become increasingly health-conscious, tempeh is rapidly gaining popularity as a minimally processed alternative to meat. Last month, Better Nature launched an enhanced version of its Organic Tempeh that has been reformulated to appeal to a wider audience. The product offers a higher protein content, matching that of chicken, and contains gut-friendly fibre and prebiotics. It is also said to absorb flavours more effectively than before.
In an opinion piece written for vegconomist last year, Roberts criticised efforts by the media to paint plant-based products as ultra-processed and unhealthy.
“As an industry, we know that eating more plants is linked to better health outcomes – lower chances of chronic health conditions and better gut health to name just a few,” she wrote. “We also know that there are so many plant-based foods that are not ultra-processed – beans, pulses, vegetables, and nutritious wholefood proteins like tempeh (which has been a staple food in Indonesia for hundreds of years) are naturally packed with protein, fibre, and gut-friendly prebiotics.”
