London plant-based restaurant chain set to grow nationally after £1.4m funding and £7.5m valuation
Made in Chelsea’s Verity Bowditch and YouTube personality Mikey Pearce have raised £1.4m in a seed round, with a £7.5m valuation to expand their plant-based food brand, Clean Kitchen Club.
The lead investors in the round include Clive Sharpe, ex-chairman of Quorn, and Grace Beverley, fitness influencer and business owner. Beverley is chief executive of Shreddy, a fitness and recipes app, and Tala, a sustainable activewear brand.
The funding and valuation, achieved in less than 12 months since launch, will enable Clean Kitchen Club to continue expanding with the aim of opening up to 40 new sites across the UK in the next few years.
The fast-growing plant-based quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain operates out of five sites in London, most recently opening its latest two-level main outlet in Camden in July.
The funding will also enable Clean Kitchen Club to launch a range of retail products, starting with Clean canned coffees and meat substitute products which will be available to purchase in grocery retailers, at the Clean Kitchen sites, and via food delivery services.
The company takes over 2,000 orders daily and is growing over 30 per cent month-on-month. The brand has also grown to cater for a range of firms including Dior and Tenzing, as it encourages businesses to become more sustainable in their approach.
Mikey Pearce, Co-Founder and CEO of Clean Kitchen Club, commented: “I’m incredibly proud of the team for signing our first investment round and seeing the phenomenal growth Clean Kitchen Club is experiencing every day.
“The idea for Clean was born from my mother’s vegan bacon sandwich and I decided I needed to create a brand that would provide delicious, accessible plant-based food and bring it to the mainstream. We have big ambitions to be the biggest plant-based food brand in the UK – this is just the start.”
Verity Bowditch, Co-Founder and Head of Sustainability at Clean Kitchen Club, added: “There’s a clear demand for delicious, sustainable protein alternatives. People are waking up to the impact that meat production is having on the environment and need a clear solution – one that also fits easily into their lifestyle. We provide exactly that.”
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