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Future Farm, known as Fazenda Futuro in its home country, has confirmed it has welcomed fellow Brazilian singer sensation Anitta onboard as a partner. One of the most influential Latinx artists in the world, Anitta has a 62 million-strong following on Instagram and a fortune of almost $100 million, according to Forbes.
No financial details have been released to date, with Anitta’s investment amount and stake remaining confidential. It has been confirmed that she will not look to hold any role within the company but will leverage her influencer credentials and cited brand-building expertise to help scale the operation.
Growing a brand she believes in
“I came to add my experience in management and marketing,” Anitta said in a statement. “We are a company that thinks about the future, the environment, and especially about how people eat.”
With Anitta in place to offer non-formal support, Future Farm states it will be looking to develop new products and expand its distribution network. It is currently available in 30 countries, including the U.S., U.K., and mainland Europe.
The popular singer has been following the plant-based sector for a few few years and her relationship with Future Farm is not new. She has been aware and a consumer of the food tech’s developments since its infancy and she uses the company’s products as part of her party menus.
“There is a great synergy between Anitta and Future Farm,” Marcos Leta, founder and CEO at Future Farm said in a statement. “She represents much of what we are: a fun, futuristic, different, honest brand, and together we want to show that it is possible to eat what we like more consciously and tastily. We strongly believe that Anitta’s influence will help us democratize the plant-based meat and develop new products and ideas.”
Anitta’s Future Farm partnership is the latest of many such moves. Alongside being a singer, she is recognised as an entrepreneur and experienced businesswoman. Last June, she joined Nubank’s board of directors. The digital bank targets younger demographics, making her a strategic ‘hire’. She is also listed as the head of creativity and innovation for Ambev’s Beats beer.
Brazilian plant-based pride
Future Farm launched in 2019 with a mission to recreate the taste, texture and juiciness of conventional meat products in vegan formats. It now stands as one of Latin America’s leading meat-free brands.
Back in November, the company scooped $58 million in a Series C funding round. Investment was sought to build out the portfolio with more vegan meat lines while developing a range of plant-based dairy items. Product packaging was cited as another priority, with the startup looking to create 100 percent sustainable and plant-based containers. Existing packaging was already biodegradable.
All products are made in a single production facility in Rio de Janeiro that has a capacity of up to 700 tonnes of products per month. Future Farm has not alluded to moving manufacturing out of its home country.
The power of celebrity
News of Anitta’s partnership with Future Farm comes after Kim Kardashian was announced as Beyond Meat’s new “chief taste consultant.” The reality television star has not been confirmed as a shareholder or paid ambassador for Beyond Meat but will be lending her image and influence to promote the brand through various channels. Kardashian has already starred in one video, currently being shown across various social media channels, including Instagram, where she has 313 million followers. She is expected to assist with marketing, recipes, and exclusive offers in the future.
In February, it was revealed that Blue Tribe Farms is working with celebrity Indian couple Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli. The two, having recently converted to a vegan diet, invested in the company and joined as product ambassadors. Combined, the two boast 240 million Instagram followers and reach significant parts of Indian popular culture through their respective specialisms of Bollywood acting and professional cricket.
All photos by Future Farm, unless stated.
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