The specialty category meets at the intersection of fresh food and innovation. That also happens to be where we find plant-based purveyor Wicked Kitchen™, which recently completed a $14 million Series A funding round. This round was co-led by plant-based foods venture fund Unovis Asset Management and Thailand-based NRF Nove Foods.
“This funding supports the next giant leap in growth and adoption of the Wicked Kitchen product line—a journey that will span the globe,” said Wicked Foods CEO Pete Speranza. “As was demonstrated by Tesco, the U.K.’s largest supermarket chain, the breadth of offerings Wicked Kitchen brings to market allows motivated regional retail partners to commit to multi cross-category adoption. What Wicked brings into the U.S. will be unlike anything else that has come before it in the plant-based space.”
Chefs and brothers Derek and Chad Sarno created Wicked Kitchen and its range of flavor-forward vegan products in January 2018 in collaboration with Tesco. Following unprecedented success in the U.K., the brothers are now bringing the Wicked Kitchen product line to the American audience, a press release stated.
The movement Wicked Kitchen helped to pioneer has captured the hearts, minds, and tastebuds of millions of people. From flavorful, convenient lunch and breakfast options to frozen ready meals and meal solutions including sauces, mayos, pestos, and meal kits, Wicked Kitchen’s plant-based lineup extends through all the chef-crafted foods today’s consumer craves.
“The fastest adoption of plant-based foods is always driven by great culinary experience,” said Chris Kerr, Founding Partner of Unovis. “Wicked Kitchen has an unparalleled range of exceptional products, a revered brand, and two founding chefs willing to stir the pot. Unovis is here to support this effort from every angle.”
Reportedly, estimates show that nearly one in every two Americans consume more plant-based meals than meat, with 54 percent of 2,000 U.S. respondents ages 24 to 39 identifying as flexitarian, according to a survey commissioned by Sprouts Farmers Market by One Poll, January 15, 2021. Wicked Kitchen is now poised to repeat that success.
More announcements will be made in the coming weeks demonstrating the rapid rise of Wicked Kitchen in the U.S. and the noteworthy, forward-thinking partners who have stepped in to assure its success.
As we await further news, keep a tab open for us at DMN.
