Better Nature fuelled by £1.1 million funding boost

A food company is gearing up to expand its innovative plant-based protein range globally.

Better Nature, a tempeh brand, has raised £1.1 million to accelerate growth of its high-protein, gut-friendly products. 

Targeting the £3.2 billion UK chicken market, the company aims to shift consumers towards healthier and more sustainable protein alternatives.

The funding came mainly from angel investors, with 70 per cent from existing backers, reflecting strong confidence in Better Nature’s mission to replace “so-so protein” with “supercharged” tempeh.

Bosses say the cash will fuel sales and marketing efforts, support product innovation and help the brand reach a broader audience in the UK and internationally, further establishing tempeh as an alternative to the “mindless consumption of chicken”.

Elin Roberts, co-chief executive at Better Nature, said: “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.

“We recorded our best-ever quarter in Q2 2025, with 128 per cent year-on-year sales growth, and we’re now the UK’s No.1 tempeh brand by volume, with 38.1 per cent market share, leading the category’s impressive 41 per cent growth.

“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.

“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 chicken (so-so protein) to tempeh (supercharged protein) which has a similar protein content to chicken while being supercharged with fibre, gut-health benefits and antioxidants.”

Elin added: “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. 

“With our Indonesian roots and our expertise in tempeh at the heart of the brand through my brilliant co-founder Dr. Ando, 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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