Plant-Based Seafood Brand Secures $26.35 Million In Latest Funding Round

Plant-based seafood brand Gathered Foods – makers of Good Catch – has secured $26.35 million in its latest funding round. 

The B-2 series attracted investment from Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC), Unovis Asset Management, Big Idea Ventures, and others.

Plant-based seafood

Moreover, the money will help the company ‘propel Good Catch plant-based seafood to the forefront of the industry’. It will also ‘raise awareness for the trajectory of the plant-based industry’s market growth and popularity’.

Christine Mei is the CEO of Gathered Foods. In a statement sent to PBN, she said: “We’re excited to have this important investment by LDC, a well-respected leader in the agricultural, food and ingredients space, to help fuel growth and expansion of our company.

“Partnering with proven companies who are innovators in their own right can only sharpen our ability to positively disrupt a nascent industry with our innovative portfolio of Good Catch products. 

“As demand for plant-based seafood continues to rise, we look forward to further collaboration with LDC to create breakthrough opportunities.”

Max Cleg is the Head of LDC’s corporate venture capital program, LDC Innovations. He added: “Gathered Foods combines leading-edge R&D and state-of-the-art manufacturing capabilities and strong management, to deliver delicious plant-based products to a global market.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the company, as it expands the reach of its Good Catch brand and attracts new customers to this fast-growing sector.”

Seaspiracy 

Moreover, global searches for ‘vegan seafood‘ and ‘plant-based seafood’ have skyrocketed over recent times. 

The United States has shown the most interest in vegan seafood – with a 100 percent increase over the last year. Australia follows second with an 83 percent surge – and the UK with a 45 percent increase.

One probable cause for the increased interest is the roaring success of anti-fishing documentary Seaspiracy. 

The film, produced by Cowspiracy’s Kip Andersen, garnered global media attention following its Netflix debut. It also received a flurry of support from celebrities such as Bryan Adams, Florence Pugh, and Kourtney Kardashian. 

It also seems to be changing people’s perceptions of seafood.

Leading publication Vogue – who has long promoted fish as a ‘sustainable’ ingredient – declared the film ‘will change your thoughts on seafood forever’. 

Similarly, news giant Metro published a list of vegan alternatives to seafood in an article headlined: “Did Seaspiracy put you off fish?”