Better Nature has secured £700k in a seed plus round to fuel retail growth for its tempeh range in the UK and Europe, ahead of its Series A rasie next year.

67 existing investors participated in the round following a £1.6 million seed round in 2021. Joining the investors for seed plus were two new backers, including The Global Entrepreneurship Centre which supports business growth.

The latest funding will support the brand’s new listing with Holland & Barrett and build on existing listings with Selfridges, Mindful Chef, GoPuff and Allplants. The brand says it will also be used to support retail growth in Europe.

Founded in 2019, the brand specialises in tempeh, a cultured plant-based food with “double the protein content of tofu”.

Better Nature’s co-founder and CEO, Christopher Kong, said: “This raise marks the start of a transformative stage for the brand as we scale up our distribution, marketing and NPD in a bid to take tempeh mainstream as we head into 2023. Within the plant-based category right now, there is a real opportunity for brands who can deliver on health, taste, and convenience, and as a business, we have a strong range of products which are perfectly placed to capitalise on this.”

He continued: “Coupled with growing consumer demand for natural plant-based food, the market opportunity for tempeh is significant. At Better Nature, we want to be Europe’s go-to tempeh brand, and this round will certainly help us on our journey to achieve that goal.”

NPD and innovation will also be a focus with plans to launch new lines in 2023 for convenience in the all-natural plant-based category.

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