Harry Potter star leads investment in vegan food firm
Felton, who played Draco Malfoy in the film series, has joined as an investor and brand ambassador at the start of a funding round that hoped to raise £6m over the next three months.
This latest funding round followed seed investment of £1.25m in early 2021 from Beyond Impact, KM Capital, ex Quorn chairman Clive Sharpe, Rubix Ventures and Start Up Funding Club. Jack & Bry said it planned to use the money to boost public interest and invest in artificial intelligence.
Launches in 2021
It also comes as the brand celebrated a strong year that saw it launch its gourmet plant-based range of mince, sausages, and burgers into online supermarket Ocado.
Bryony Tinn-Disbury, chief executive and founder of Jack & Bry, said: “We are delighted Tom has joined this investment round. His integrity on-screen and off and inter-generational appeal will help not only with our Series A, but to take our brand to the next level.”
Established in 2019, Jack & Bry has developed a trio of plant-based products marinated with locally sourced smoked oils in an effort to create plant-based meats that look, taste, and feel just like their animal-meat counterparts.
Exclusivity deals
It also developed a vegan pepperoni exclusively for Papa John’s and Pizza Express, which now runs across its national menu. The company has grown to supply a range of products to the likes of Prezzo and Zizzi.
Tom Felton added: “Bryony and Jen have a great product, I’m excited to be involved and watch the company grow.”
Meanwhile, Vegan chicken alternative brand VFC Foods has raised £7.5m in a seed round led by Veg Capital, topping its previous pre-seed finding of £3m. The plant-based chicken alternative brand said the money would go toward supporting greater capacity and scaling up the business internationally.
