Member Article

Pop-up pleasers and plant-based feeders plot permanent site after £300k crowd raise

Plant-based burger company, The Vurger Co., are looking to build on a series of successful pop-up and festival appearances with a permanent site in London following an outrageously successful crowdfunding raise.

The London-based brand has sealed £300k from the crowd in just 72 hours on Crowdcube in what is being described as the fastest restaurant raise ever on the crowdfunding platform and will now use the cash to develop their first permanent restaurant.

Founded by Neil Potts and Rachel Hugh at the back end of 2016, the pair found early success from their pop-up restaurant in Bethnal Green serving up plant-based food utilising ingredients ranging from vegetables and seeds, to nuts and legumes.

A string of appearances in pop-up spaces and festivals across London underlined their cult appeal and led them to launch the £180k crowdfunding campaign at the beginning of July, a target which they eventually surpassed by 66%.

In a joint statement, Neil and Rachel said: “We are extremely excited that we hit the £300k mark in just 77 hours, we just love that everyone has got behind our mission, believed in us and our team and understood how much of an impact our concept can have on the future of food! We cannot wait to start working on our permanent home!”

The UK’s appetite for plant-based foods has exploded in recent years, with the number of vegans in the UK swelling by 360% in the last decade according to figures released by the Vegan Society last year while vegan food sales increased by around 1500% according to one estimate in 2016.