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Planty, the London-based vegan meal delivery startup, has recently raised €770,000 in a new round of funding. The fresh capital will help the platform expand its operations to Europe, with Scandinavian markets as its first target. Planty also plans to grow its existing frozen meal range to include plant-based breakfasts, desserts, and snacks.
Planty has secured €770,000 in a new funding round, with participation from vegan and alt-protein investors Veg Capital and Kale United, as well as undisclosed angels and crowdfunding. Proceeds from the round will go towards the London-based vegan meal delivery startup’s expansion to Europe, as well as growing its meal range.
This funding round, reported by EU-Startups, comes after the company’s initial €180,000 seed round in September 2020.
Expanding to Europe
Planty offers a D2C plant-based meal delivery service to consumers within the UK, giving customers a choice between flexible 6, 8, or 10 meal plans or a regular subscription service. Its menu has been crafted with chefs, and the meals are frozen to lock in flavours and nutrients. They can be easily heated up in the microwave or oven.
Since its inception in 2019, the startup, founded by Andrea Cavallo, Ali Sheehan-Dare, and Joseph Lovell, has experienced a surge in demand, especially during the pandemic as consumers spent more time at home and became increasingly health and environmentally aware of their food choices.
With the new capital, Planty is gearing up to move into a large production facility to cater to the growing demand, as well as expand its range of products to include not only reheatable mains, but also desserts, breakfasts, and snacks.
It will also be looking to broaden its operations to Europe, with Scandinavia being one of the first markets targeted. Entry into new European markets will likely be assisted by investors Veg Capital and Kale United, the latter being based in Sweden and both firms having a strong plant-based network across the region.
Earlier this month, Veg Capital and Kale United backed Brandplant, a plant-based distributor for the Benelux region consisting of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg.
Giving consumers better choices
According to the founders, the latest capital also brings Planty closer to its mission to widen the range and accessibility of healthy, sustainable, and ethical food choices to mainstream consumers. In a statement, they remarked that the idea for the vegan meal delivery service is catered to the growing swathes of consumers who are “trying to make this positive change.”
“A lot of it comes down to choice. We need to satisfy the demand…by giving people more high-quality and tasty food options; which, most importantly, can compete with their meat-based options,” the co-founders continued. Examples of dishes Planty currently offers include eggplant moussaka, mac ‘no’ cheese, yaki-miso udon noodles, and shepherdless pie.
“We may not be able to pry everyone away from their double cheeseburger but we can certainly expect to see the number of people eating more plants continue to increase in the future,” said co-founder Cavallo. “Whether this be for environmental, health, or animal welfare reasons—or all three—they just need the products available in their arsenal to help them achieve that goal.”
Plant-based meal deliveries have skyrocketed in popularity. The pandemic-driven trend has seen players like Nestlé launch a dedicated vegan meal line Purely Plant, and the healthy food chain Just Salad launch a zero-waste and plant-friendly meal kit brand Housemade. They join existing vegan meal players like San Francisco’s Thistle and Sydney-based Flave.
All images courtesy of Planty.
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