Better Nature Tempeh, the meat-free challenger brand, has defied the meat-free category downturn to grow by 250% year-on-year. Combined with an distribution increase to over 1000 national supermarkets, they have become the UK’s fastest growing wholefood protein brand.
Better Nature Organic Tempeh and flavoured Tempeh Pieces are now stocked in over 700 Tesco stores and 300 Asda stores, as well as Planet Organic, Whole Foods Market, independent retailers and almost 1000 Lidl stores for regular WIGIGs.
The brand is also a best-seller on Amazon UK and is available in foodservice with major distributors such as Bidfood.
The brand champions tempeh – an all-natural, high-fibre, and gut friendly wholefood protein from Indonesia. Since launching in 2020, they have been on a mission to help people live healthier lives by making whole food proteins the norm, not the alternative.
This month, the brand was also accepted onto the inaugural Alantra x Brand Growth Heroes mini MBA alongside 12 of the most promising FMCG scale up brands and was named in the top 30 B Corps to watch for 2024.
Better Nature’s Co-Founder and CEO, Christopher Kong, says:
“We’re on the verge of a tempeh revolution in the UK right now.
“This time last year, Better Nature Tempeh wasn’t available in any major UK retailer. Fast-forward 12 months and we’re now stocked nationwide in Tesco, Asda, and Lidl, and are about to launch with another major retailer.
“Despite the consolidation and shrinkage of the meat-free category, tempeh is coming out on top, growing 30% year-on-year. As a brand, we’re responsible for more than half (51%) of that growth*, with two of the top three Tempeh SKUs in the UK (by volume) being Better Nature Tempeh.”
Kong continues:
“Heightened consumer concern about ultra-processed foods and the growing demand for healthier options means that as a wholefood protein brand, we have a huge opportunity to encourage shoppers to adopt tempeh as a protein staple.
“Increased retail distribution gives us a brilliant platform to raise awareness of tempeh as a supercharged protein that’s packed with fibre, gut-friendly prebiotics, and more protein than two eggs.
“On this growth trajectory, we’re on our way to making tempeh the UK’s (and eventually the world’s) go-to protein staple and accelerating the wider transition to wholefood proteins.”
* Nielsen IQ data March 2024
