As it aims to displace chicken, UK tempeh brand Better Nature has secured £1.1M ($1.5M) on the back of its best quarter to date.
In the era of whole-food plant-based eating and fibremaxxing with 30 plants a week, British tempeh maker Better Nature is making some major strides.
After recording a 128% increase in sales in Q2, its best quarter since its 2020 market debut, the startup has raised £1.1M ($1.5M) to supercharge its mission of displacing the UK’s $4.3B chicken market.
The capital came primarily from angel investors, 70% of whom were existing shareholders. It will enable the firm to accelerate its sales and marketing initiatives, double down on innovation, and widen the appeal of its tempeh products as high-protein, gut-friendly options.
“We’re now the UK’s number one tempeh brand by volume, with 38.1% market share, leading the category’s impressive 41% growth,” said co-CEO Elin Roberts, who co-founded the startup with Fabio Rinaldo, Elin Roberts, Chris Kong and Driando Ahnan-Winarno in 2018.
“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,” she added.
The funding amount is relatively small, but is reflective of the current investment landscape for alternative proteins. Year-on-year investment in the sector fell by 49% in the first half of 2025. And when excluding Beyond‘s $100M debt financing deal, plant-based companies only received $27M in Q2, half of the total in the previous quarter.
Better Nature to launch tempeh in two more markets
Tempeh, an ancient fermented soybean product native to Indonesia, has been making its way into Western palates recently. Better Nature’s portfolio comprises five SKUs, including a smoky tempeh block and BBQ-marinated pieces, which are listed nationally at various retailers in the UK, and in over 1,300 stores in Germany.
The company is banking on the anti-UPF sentiments surrounding plant-based meat alternatives, which have hurt sales and stalled the industry’s momentum, positioning its tempeh as a clean-label protein that outperforms chicken.
“People are less focused on vegan food vs non-vegan food. Instead, they’re looking for food that’s good for them, the planet and animals vs food that’s not,” Roberts told Green Queen in January. “We don’t want to perfectly replicate chicken. That would be impossible to do without the ingredients and processes that consumers are turning away from.”
She added: “However, we know two things. First, chicken is the most widely eaten meat in the UK and second most widely eaten in the world. Second, tempeh – through its plain flavour, firm texture, absorption of flavours and high protein content – is an excellent swap for chicken in almost any dish, also offering consumers extra fibre, gut health benefits and plant points (as well as a shelf life that’s seven times longer). That’s why we call it supercharged protein, and chicken so-so protein.”
It’s this approach that made Better Nature the second fastest-growing meat-free brand in the UK last year, with sales expanding by 457% (albeit from a small base). This year, it revamped its recipe to increase the protein content from 19g per 100g serving to 22g, the equivalent of three eggs or two-thirds of a chicken breast.
Its original tempeh is now the best-selling tempeh SKU in Tesco, while it is the sole tempeh brand in Asda, with full estate distribution, Roberts noted.
“Internationally, we’re also making waves – in Germany, our revenues skyrocketed [by] 330% year-on-year in Q2 2025, making us the leading tempeh brand in the market,” she added. “We’ve expanded into Austria, and we’re gearing up for launches in two more international markets later this year.”
‘Perfectly poised’ to capture UK health trends
It has been a curious time for plant-based brands in the UK. Sales of meat analogues fell by nearly 10% in 2024, while household penetration dropped by four percentage points (reaching 31.5%).
But the volume of tofu sold was 10% higher in January 2025 than 12 months prior, possibly due to its affordability and tempeh and seitan also enjoyed an 85% hike. In the ensuing months, products like Oh So Wholesome’s Veg’chop and This’s Super Superfood have rolled out in a bid to rival both meat analogues and tofu.
Research shows that a third of Brits want to cut back on meat and dairy, as dissatisfactions with cost, health and taste take hold. On the flip side, 38% want to increase their intake of plant-based foods, and one in six consumers have tried tofu, tempeh or seitan in the previous 12 months.
The country is being urged to make beans more appealing to consumers, and brands like Bold Bean Co have enjoyed a 306% year-over-year growth. Tofu maker The Tofoo Co, meanwhile, enjoyed its best year yet, with sales up by nearly 20% in 2024. The shift is driven by the ‘plant points‘ movement, which encourages people to eat 30 different plants every week for better gut health.
“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,” said Roberts, who was named on Forbes‘s 30 Under 30 this year alongside co-CEO Kong. “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.”
In May, Better Nature appointed former Dr Oetker and Bel Group account manager Helen Atkinson as its new head of sales. And now, it’s launching its largest marketing campaign to date. The aim is to challenge “the mindless consumption of chicken” to help health-conscious consumers swap poultry for tempeh.
“With our Indonesian roots and our expertise in tempeh at the heart of the brand through my brilliant co-founder 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,” said Roberts.
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