Healthier challenger brands are recruited to The Good Food Programme
Co-founded by Mission Ventures and Impact on Urban Health (IoUH), the Good Food Programme opened for applications back in August, in search for up to ten new healthier ventures to support.
The aim of The Good Food Programme is to make healthier food options more widely available and accessible across UK high streets, particularly to families on lower incomes, by investing in HCBs and helping them reach wider distribution at an accessible price point.
It offers the founders up to £15k of equity-free funding and two years of practical brand and business support to accelerate growth, delivered by Mission Ventures. The first three are Soul Soup Co., Nana’s Manners, and Three Robins.
The Soul Soup Co. was founded by Bella Acland during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown. The product is a range of all-natural, plant-based instant soups. They are vegan friendly, boosted with functional superfoods and are produced via freeze-dried technology, which retains almost 98% of the nutrients. With the help of the programme, Soul Soup Co. can consequently target instant soups as a category to displace less healthy existing products.
Accelerate growth
Nana’s Manners, founded by Kathryn Baldrey-Chourio and husband Chris Baldrey-Chourio, is a brand focused on healthier, convenient food for families. Nana’s Manners was introduced by appearing on the BBC TV show Dragons Den, with its children’s cutlery and tableware. They have since ventured into food and a star-shaped pork and hidden veg patty. They are nitrate free, sulphate free, have less than ¼ salt of normal sausages and have 29% pork and pea protein.
Nana’s Manners is targeting the convenience food category, and with the help of the programme, will show it can provide an affordable option for families that are looking to reduce meat consumption without compromising on health or taste.
The final brand is Three Robins, a plant-based family-focused milk brand that was launched in May 2022 by mother of three, Karen Robinson. She has since gone on to win Food Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2022 Scottish Women in Business.
With the help of the programme, Three Robins has the potential to accelerate growth in the alt-milk category.
Innovation
Louis Bedwell, managing director at Mission Ventures, said: “We are at an exciting juncture as we welcome the first three brands to the latest phase of the programme. They have each been chosen because of their inherent manufacturing innovation, using new technology or techniques to create healthier, convenient food and drink products. The three brands all occupy categories that are saturated by unhealthy products, positioning them well to become the healthier alternative.
“The aim here is to set a new precedent, whilst changing the entrenched view that healthier foods can’t be accessible and appealing. The work begins now to further show that it can be done, by, developing brand personality alongside a robust growth plan.”
Alisha Mulhall, portfolio manager at Impact on Urban Health, said: “This stage of the programme puts us one step closer to making convenient, affordable, and healthier foods more readily available for all families, no matter where they live. We are looking forward to identifying further exciting brands to support over the coming months.”
