Better Nature has secured £1.1m in funding to accelerate growth of its plant-based tempeh range in the UK and overseas.
The round was primarily backed by angel investors, with 70% of the funds coming from existing shareholders.
It will help Better Nature supercharge its sales and marketing initiatives, as well as invest in innovation and widen the appeal of tempeh to more consumers.
Launched in 2020, Better Nature is now listed nationwide with Tesco, Asda, Ocado, Planet Organic and Whole Foods Market, as well as Amazon, and is available in foodservice with major distributors such as Bidfood. It also exports to Germany, where the tempeh range is sold in national retailers Rewe, Globus and Tegut.
The B Corp, which donates 1% of sales to a charity partner tackling malnutrition in Indonesia, has experienced rapid growth in recent years as consumers in the plant-based category seek out products made using natural ingredients over ultra-processed alternatives. It is now the UK’s number-one tempeh brand by retail sales volume, with 38.1% market share [NIQ 52 w/e 12 July].
“Our latest fundraising round is a brilliant boost for the business at a point when the tempeh category is rapidly gaining momentum and we are seeing strong brand growth,” said co-CEO Elin Roberts.
“We recorded our best-ever quarter in Q2, with 128% year-on-year sales growth, and we’re now the UK’s number-one tempeh brand by volume, leading the category’s impressive 41% growth.
“Our organic tempeh is now the bestselling tempeh SKU in Tesco and we’re the sole tempeh brand in Asda, with full estate distribution.”
She added the brand was also “making waves” internationally, with revenues rising 330% year on year in Germany in the second quarter.
Better Nature has expanded into Austria and is gearing up for launches in two more international markets later this year.
“With the new funding, we will continue to drive mainstream brand growth, going beyond the plant-based aisle to tap into the growing market for natural, gut-friendly proteins,” Roberts added.
“We’ll also be launching our biggest marketing campaign to date, challenging the mindless consumption of chicken to help health-conscious consumers make the swap from a so-so protein to a supercharged one. Tempeh has a similar protein content to chicken, while being supercharged with fibre, gut health benefits and antioxidants.”
The funding round follows the business appointing a new head of sales in May and relaunching its ‘New & Improved’ organic tempeh in April, alongside a new campaign tempting meat eaters to swap chicken for Better Nature.
Roberts and co-CEO and co-founder Christopher Kong were also this year named in the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe 2025 list in recognition of their work at Better Nature.
“As a brand, we’re perfectly poised to capture the huge trends in health right now: high-protein, gut-friendly, natural, fibre-rich and plant-based,” Roberts said.
“With our Indonesian roots and our expertise in tempeh at the heart of the brand through my brilliant co-founder Dr Ando Ahnan-Winarno, we are the go-to experts on tempeh and perfectly placed to get the world eating what we believe to be the healthiest protein on the planet.”
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