Julienne Bruno, known for its dairy-free Italian cheeses, has been rescued out of insolvency by The Compleat Food Group’s Harvey & Brockless.
In yet another instance of consolidation in the plant-based category, British non-dairy cheese maker Julienne Bruno’s brand and assets have been acquired by Harvey & Brockless, the artisan foodservice subsidiary of The Compleat Food Group.
The sale came just two days after the loss-making startup fell into administration after failing to secure sufficient investment, laying off all 14 employees.
Founder Axel Katalan declined to comment on the firm’s sale and challenges when approached by Green Queen: in a post on social media, he remarked: “This ensures the brand and products sit with a partner that can give them the scale, resources and support to realise their full potential.”
He added that he will continue to support Julienne Bruno as a consultant to Compleat, which also owns fellow vegan cheese brand Palace Culture, for the next few months.
As losses mounted, Julienne Bruno sought investors and buyers
Katalan, a chef, founded Julienne Bruno in 2020, bringing a range of ultra-realistic vegan cheeses to the market. Its current lineup includes Crematta (a ricotta alternative), Superstraccia (stracciatella), Burrella (burrata), and Mozzafiore Pearls (mini mozzarella balls).
All the cheeses are made with soy milk and coconut oil, and naturally fermented through a bespoke method. They’ve been listed by premium retailers like Whole Foods Market, Harrods and Selfridges, online grocer Ocado, and restaurants and cafés including Gordon Ramsay’s Bread Street Kitchen, Soho House, Gauthier, and Pizza Pilgrims.
Despite raising over £6M across two funding rounds, the brand has been incurring heavy losses since the beginning. In 2022, its net losses amounted to £1.6M, more than doubling in 2023, and rising by another 34% in 2024, totalling £5.1M, according to its filing at Companies House, the UK’s public business registry.
Insolvency firm Interpath, which was appointed administrator last week, noted that the company had “grown significantly” since its formation, with a reputation for producing “market-pioneering plant-based products”.
However, to reach a scale large enough to enable profitability, Julienne Bruno needed additional funding, so it kickstarted a process to explore different sale and investment options.
“Unfortunately, despite a competitive process with a number of parties showing interest in the brand, a solvent outcome could not be found, and as a result, the company was placed into administration,” said Interpath.
“Our immediate priority is to support those employees who have been made redundant, including supporting them with claims for redundancy pay and other monies owed,” said Howard Smith, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator of Julienne Bruno.
Compleat acquisition will help Julienne Bruno ‘truly win’
It only took two days for Interpath to find a new home for Julienne Bruno’s vegan cheeses, joining Compleat’s expanding portfolio of chilled foods. Formed in 2021 from the merger of Winterbotham Darby and Addo Food, it owns meat-free brand Squeaky Bean and fermented condiment maker Vadasz (among others) as well, and recorded £786M in revenue last year.
“Since its launch, Julienne Bruno had developed a great reputation for its innovative and high-quality plant-based products. Known as a pioneer within the sector, it had generated a loyal customer base both in the UK and internationally,” said Tom Swiers, head of food and drink for Interpath.
“We’re pleased to have achieved this sale, which will enable the brand to continue under new ownership and deliver to its customers.”
In his online post, Katalan wrote: “We set out to create products that could challenge the sensory quality of dairy and in many ways we did. The market has shown that to truly win, you need deep operational strength and the right long-term partner. I genuinely believe […] this new combination is the strongest in Europe to deliver that.”
Julienne Bruno is one of many alternative protein brands that have either fallen into insolvency, been acquired, or shut down, as the sector struggles with a lack of investment and sales. In the UK, sales of plant-based food fell by 4% in 2024, with vegan cheese purchases flatlining but volumes down by 2%.
Here, pea milk brand Mighty Drinks entered administration this summer, before being rescued by Cypriot firm The Mighty Kitchen, while Beastly Brews, the maker of oat milk liqueur Panther M*lk, ceased operations. Ready meal startup Allplants went bankrupt last year, before Plants and Grubby bought off its assets.
With Compleat’s purchase, Julienne Bruno’s brand lives on. “We built a factory from zero in the heart of Covid and scaled into more than one thousand locations in the UK, with listings in Switzerland and the UAE,” said Katalan.
“We learned, hired, fired, raised funds, launched new products in new markets, and built a brand now regularly cited as a leader in this space. I am incredibly proud of that work and grateful for the support we’ve received along the way.”
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