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UK alternative meat brand SHICKEN has secured £4 million in funding from vegan investment fund Veg Capital.
SHICKEN, which makes vegan curries and kebabs with plant-based chicken, will use the money to upgrade its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Kent. This will turn it into one of only a small number of fully plant-based and nut-free facilities in the UK.
“The SHICKEN range is simply delicious, and their curries and kebabs are flying off the shelves – it was a no-brainer for Veg Capital to reinvest,” Matthew Glover, Veg Capital Director, said in a statement. “We’re excited to play our part in helping this family business go global over the coming years.”
Exponential growth
SHICKEN launched in late 2020 with a range of vegan Asian ready meals such as Plant-Based Tikka Masala. The company uses a unique technology to create realistic chargrilled “chicken” from soy, wheat, and pea proteins.
SHICKEN ready meals first appeared in Costco before rolling out in UK supermarket chain Tesco. The curries and kebabs have since landed in Sprouts Farmers Market stores across the US. They have also appeared in supermarkets in Iceland, Sweden, and France.
The company is family-run, co-founded by husband and wife duo Parm and Satvinder Bains. Veg Capital already invested £2 million in the company in 2022. The SHICKEN manufacturing facility recently gained BRC accreditation, a global food standards certification.
“It has been a phenomenal journey for SHICKEN so far and we’re incredibly excited to see business scale on an international level, both as a brand and as one of the UK’s few dedicated BRC accredited specialist primary plant-based manufacturers,” said Parm Bains in a statement.
