A PLANT-BASED restaurant company has raised funds to expand across the country.
Clean Kitchen Club, co-founded by Mikey Pearce, 29, and Made In Chelsea's Verity Bowditch, 26, wants to open 40 more sites in the next few years.
It has raised £1.4 million in a seed round with lead investors including Clive Sharpe, ex-chairman of Quorn, and Grace Beverley, fitness influencer and business owner.
Clean Kitchen Club operates out of five sites in London, most recently opening its latest two-level main outlet in Camden in July.
The funding and valuation, achieved in less than 12 months since the launch, will enable the brand to continue expanding with the aim of opening five new sites in 2022.
Mikey, a former YouTube star from Brighton, said: “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.
"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.”
Mikey launched Clean Kitchen Club in summer 2020 after finding out how plant-based food benefited his lifestyle.
After launching in a tiny kitchen in Brighton, Clean Kitchen Club quickly gained attention for being the only vegan burger brand in Brighton at the time.
Mikey expanded the business to London with Made In Chelsea star and biomedical science graduate Verity as co-founder.
The company turned over its first million in just eight months and continues to grow, taking over 2,000 orders daily.
Verity said: “There’s a clear demand for delicious, sustainable protein alternatives.
"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 sold 50,000 burgers in its first year with a menu that includes classic clean burgers, vegan bacon mac 'n' cheese, chicken katsu bowls, no meat meatballs, salads, wraps and desserts.
The funding acquired will also enable Clean Kitchen Club to launch a range of products for sale, starting with canned coffees and meat substitute products which will be available in grocery shops, at the sites and via food delivery services.
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