Natural food-to-go brand launches in Tesco and Co-Op with Seedrs investment round

Today (February 18), ‘free-from’ food-to-go brand Pollen + Grace has launched in national supermarket Tesco and Co-Op, continuing its mission to bring healthy meals to the high street.

From May 2019, Pollen + Grace will expand into in 50 Co-Op supermarkets across the South of England, including London and surrounding cities.

The range will also be available in 55 Tesco stores within Greater London. Products are currently available nationwide in Ocado and WHSmith, and in 50 other stockists across London including Whole Foods, Selfridges and Planet Organic.

Friends, Stephanie Johnson and Kristina Komlosiova founded the company in 2015, just as the wellness wave was hitting the UK.

Co-founders, Kristina Komlosiova and Stephanie Johnson, said: “We’ve come a long way from when we first started up and the market wasn’t suited to those with food intolerances or anyone who simply wanted to be healthier without compromising on taste and quality.

“Now, as awareness and desire for these types of products has grown so voraciously, we feel well-positioned to successful capture it.

“We had an extremely successful 2018; making and distributing 250,000 products, and we are looking forward to an even better year in 2019, kicking off with our first ever equity crowdfunding round.”

Pollen + Grace is a range of 17 ready meals and snacks made from 100 per cent natural ingredients, including breakfast pots, lunch boxes, hot pots and snack bars.

Pollen + Grace is a business enthusiastic about plant-based products, with all food completely free from gluten, wheat and dairy, and 90 per cent of products being vegan.

2019 is set to mark the year that Pollen + Grace will overhaul its branding and move its packaging towards an eco-friendlier solution.

The team has spent almost a year researching the best materials and resources to help them reduce their carbon footprint, and will be launching compostable packaging for its Ambient range in Q3 2019.

The team is also looking at using recycled material for the labels on all products. In order to support these initiatives, the company has launched an investment round on Seedrs.