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UK coffee brand TrueStart Coffee has secured a Series A investment led by JamJar Investments, the consumer-focused investment firm behind Innocent Drinks.
DLF Venture and a group of strategic angel investors also participated in the funding round, which a spokesperson for TrueStart told FoodBev totalled a multi-million-pound investment.
The funding will be used to support the company’s next phase of growth, including expanding retail distribution of its core range, launching new products, scaling brand and sampling activity and further developing its direct-to-consumer (D2C) channel.
Founded in 2015 by Helena Hills and Simon Hills, TrueStart was created during the founders’ triathlon training, with the aim of offering speciality-grade coffee positioned around caffeine awareness and everyday performance.
The brand sources coffee from selected origins, including Colombia, and carries out testing to ensure consistency across its range.
TrueStart is listed with retailers including Asda, Morrisons, Co-op, Costco and Ocado, and is available across more than 5,000 distribution points in the UK. It has also built a D2C customer base alongside its retail and out-of-home presence.
Helena Hills said: “After ten years of diligently building our brand bootstrapped, we have fantastic product-market fit and the demand for TrueStart has never been higher".
"This strategic investment will enable us to rapidly accelerate our already explosive growth, to build a category defining brand that always delivers on taste, health & energy for our customers. The future is super bright and we are just getting started.”
Adam Balon, co-founder of JamJar Investments, commented: “TrueStart is exactly the kind of brand and team we love to back… one that brings excitement, optimism and a bit of fun to people’s everyday routines. Coffee is a huge category that’s been crying out for a shake-up, and TrueStart is doing exactly that with brilliant products, a clear point of view and founders with the ambition to build something genuinely special."
"TrueStart has already proven they can unlock growth in a way most challengers can’t. We see massive potential and are excited to be part of the journey as TrueStart builds one of the next great consumer brands.”
Clément Helinckx, principal at DLF Venture, added: “TrueStart has shown it can deliver real, incremental and profitable growth through exceptional products and a meaningful brand. This next stage is about scaling across retail, out of home and D2C, by launching innovation that grows the category and activating the brand in ways that recruit new consumers and build long-term brand value.”