Oppo healthy ice cream brand, which is backed by Gü Puds MD Mark Escolme, has become the fastest healthy food start-up ever to reach its crowdfunding target, oversubscribing just minutes of going public on Seedrs.
Passing the initial target of £100,000 within minutes, the campaign ended with 197 individuals invested over £300,000, making it the also the most over-funded campaign Seedrs has hosted.
After rejecting an offer from a venture capital firm, and instead opting for crowdfunding to give customers and consumers a change to own a part of the new healthy ice cream firm, the company, which was set up by two brothers, will use the capital to fulfil orders, grow and team and increase brand awareness.
The Oppo luxury ice cream range contains fewer calories than an apple, uses stevia leaf and coconut oil instead of sugar and cream, and incorporates a superfood ingredient in each flavour. The ice cream is available in three varieties: Madagascan Vanilla with Baobab, Salted Caramel with Lucuma and Mint Choc Swirl with Spirulina.
Company MD Charlie Thuillier, commented: “We were told that even if we had millions to invest in developing a healthy yet indulgent ice cream, getting the mouth-feel right would be impossible. Sometimes not knowing the rules makes them easier to break! Creating Oppo took 25 months of research, three different factories, two specialized food research centres, and four grants from Santander, York University and the British Government before we finally had a delicious healthy ice cream. Surpassing our initial target and raising over £300,000 is an incredible milestone in the Oppo journey.”
“Our mission is to make the Oppo brand synonymous with healthy indulgence,” added Harry Thuillier, director of Oppo. “Crowdfunding has democratized the way companies can raise capital and we are pleased that both our customers and consumers have had the chance to invest in Oppo’s future.”
