Heura Launches Fresh Crowdfunding Campaign To Continue Accelerated Growth

Barcelona-based plant meat brand Heura is launching a new crowdfunding campaign on Crowdcube and says it is looking for food activists that want to invest. The ‘Equity for Good Rebels’ investment opportunity is open for pre-registration now, with official launch slated for April 14th. Interested investors can play an active role in shaping the food system of tomorrow by pledging as little as €20.

Heura has stated that it will use the fresh capital for multiple improvements with a new facility cited as a top priority alongside wider international distribution and significant expansion of the professional team . 

Making its mark on the plant-based sector 

Founded in 2017, Heura has been making waves in the alt-protein sector, particularly in its home region. In January, the company shared that it doubled its global sales. Bringing it closer to its goal of superseding meat, 2021 saw $17.7 million in turnover. 2020 saw $8 million, by comparison. 

Previous fundraising efforts saw Heura raise €4 million in 24 hours of launching its first Crowdcube campaign. Its original goal was to reach €3 million, which it smashed in eight hours. The startup lifted the target to 4 million, to encourage more people to be active in the food system shake-up that it promotes. This driving force has been reiterated in the new equity round.

“Every person has the power to drive positive change in this world, and every action has an impact,” Marc Coloma,  CEO and co-founder at Heura said in a statement.

“The climate crisis, global health and hunger are some of the greatest challenges facing our generation. With a clear roadmap for growth, we’ve launched the new round of Equity for Good Rebels because we believe that a plant-based diet can act as a swiss army knife to address global issues. The plant-based sector is growing but it’s time to accelerate this movement, and we want our community to be a part of this impactful mission.” 

Bloomberg has predicted that the sector will reach $162 billion within the next ten years. Heura is aiming to be a significant part of it with new product lines and democratised funding.

Funding new innovation

Heura’s proposed new location, dubbed the Heura lab 2.0, will be a pivotal part of the company’s future expansion plans. A building out of the existing R&D team has been cited as a natural step forward to support a new facility and will help make good on claims of 10 new product lines in 2022. Last year saw three developments added to the portfolio, in the form of sausages, chorizo, and nuggets. 

In total, Heura is looking to have more than 1,000 employees in place by 2025, in a variety of roles. All will be geared towards ‘educating and empowering’ the world’s consumers to make more sustainable food choices. A key focus will be entering new markets.

To date, Heura has a presence in more than 20 countries but plans to be known in many more by the end of 2022. Building on momentum in existing markets will be seen through new strategic partnerships and distribution channels. In the U.K., a launch with Ocado is anticipated for next month. 

The secret to success

Heura has long cited its use of olive oil as one of the reasons that its products are so popular. Heart-healthy and sustainable, it is a radical move away from the traditional coconut oil that many competitors use currently. In response to companies looking for better alternatives for their products, designer fats have taken off.

In March, Lipid, a Californian food tech startup, revealed it had bagged $4 million in seed funding to develop its plant-based meat fat analogue. PhytoFat is in the laboratory stage, with funding being earmarked for assessing the viability of scaling and commercialising the ingredient.

Fellow California-based startup Yali Bio has revealed its intentions to transform the plant-based meat sector, with precision fermentation fats. The company seeks to combine sustainability endeavours with realistic animal fat taste to elevate existing meat alternatives. Its developments will have applications for the alt-dairy industry as well.

All photos by Heura.