Farmer J receives £1.9m investment to grow in the capital

The investment, supported by Imbiba, alongside existing shareholders and business angels, comes ahead of the group’s plans to open a third restaurant, in Canary Wharf’s Canada Place, later this month. Farmer J already operates two sites in the City, in Leadenhall Street and King William Street.

The brand was founded in 2016 by former investment banker at Deutsche Bank Jonathan Recanati. It team includes creative chef Nick Sandler, a former development chef at Pret a Manger; operations director Noel D’Arcy, marketing director Ali Recanati, and Kevin Todd, non-executive director and former group managing director of M&B.

[Imbiba’s] operational experience and sector expertise comes at a key time for us and this new investment will accelerate our growth across London,” says Recanati.

Imbiba backs a number of brands in the food and drink space, including Darwin & Wallace, Wrigth & Bell, Neil Rankin’s Temper and wine bar and merchant Vagabond.

“When you combine the speed of service, fantastic product quality, very competitive price point, and flexible menu format [at Farmer J}, this is a very compelling business proposition,” says Darrel Connell, partner at Imbiba.

“There is a strong proof of concept already in place in their Leadenhall and King William Street sites, and we are really looking forward to working with Jonathan and the team, helping with their growth plans.”