Clean Kitchen Club plots expansion following £1.4m seed round
The QSR brand, which currently has five London locations, aims to open up to 40 new sites across the UK in the next few years, beginning with a larger flagship restaurant in Soho that will launch early next year.
Clean Kitchen Club was founded in Brighton last year during the first national lockdown by Youtube personality Mikey Pearce, and was originally positioned as a delivery-only brand with plans to become the 'fastest growing plant-based delivery-kitchen brand in the UK'.
It serves a menu of plant-based burgers, meal bowls, wraps and salads, alongside a selection of sides and desserts.
Pearce subsequently teamed up with TV personality Verity Bowditch to bring the concept to London, where it has gone on to establish outlets at Boxpark Wembley and Boxpark Shoreditch, as well as dark kitchen locations, and a restaurant space at Buck Street Market in Camden that opened this summer.
The business says it has sold more than 50,000 burgers in its first year and is growing 30% month-on-month.
Its recent seed round raised £1.4m, with a £7.5m valuation.
The lead investors in the round include Clive Sharpe, ex-chairman of Quorn; and Grace Beverley, chief executive of the fitness and recipes app Shreddy.
“I’m incredibly proud of the team for signing our first investment round and seeing the phenomenal growth Clean Kitchen Club is experiencing every day," says Pearce.
"The idea for Clean was born from my mother’s vegan bacon sandwich and I decided I needed to create a brand that would provide delicious, accessible plant-based food and bring it to the mainstream.
"We have big ambitions to be the biggest plant-based food brand in the UK – this is just the start.”
The funding will also enable Clean Kitchen Club to launch a range of retail products, starting with Clean canned coffees and meat-substitute products that will be available to purchase in grocery retailers, at the Clean Kitchen sites, and via food delivery services.
“There’s a clear demand for delicious, sustainable protein alternatives," says Bowditch.
"People are waking up to the impact that meat production is having on the environment and need a clear solution – one that also fits easily into their lifestyle. We provide exactly that.
"Clean Kitchen Club isn’t just for vegans but anyone looking to lead a more sustainable lifestyle. We have a real possibility to change perceptions of plant-based food and help tackle the climate crisis.
"The brand has grown exponentially since launch and I can’t wait to continue that growth, continue disrupting the industry and taking plant-based food to the mainstream, with our new investors on board.”
