Details

Grounded is a clean-label, plant-based protein shake brand disrupting the $9.8B US protein drinks category with nostalgic taste, just 10 natural ingredients, and 20g of plant protein.

Think: Oatly meets RXBAR for ready-to-drink protein.

Sector: Consumer Goods, Functional Beverages, Plant-Based Nutrition

Stage: Early Growth (Post-Seed)

Region: UK & US
EIS / SEIS Status:  EIS Eligible

Year Founded: 2020 (UK Launch), 2024 (US Launch)

Unique Selling Points

• Best-in-class formulation: 1,000+ R&D iterations, no artificial additives, clean-label from day one.
• Top-tier distribution: 750+ retail doors incl. Whole Foods (UK + US), Selfridges, Waitrose, Tesco, and Ocado.
• US team hires: Former RXBAR, JUST Water, and Feastables execs leading expansion.
• Packaging innovation: FSC-certified materials with shelf-stable, category-defining design.
• White space positioning: The only clean-label, indulgent-tasting plant-based protein shake on UK and US shelves.

Key Traction

• 2024 Revenue: £621k
• Monthly Revenue: £73k MRR, with an average 20% MoM growth over the past three months
• Gross Product Margins: 40% in the UK and 45% in the US (post-promotional)
• Currently stocked in Selfridges, Whole Foods Market (UK & US), Planet Organic, Soho House, Waitrose, Ocado, Ocado Zoom, Zapp, Gymbox, Fitness First, and David Lloyd, among others
• Selected for the Tesco Accelerator — out of 2,000+ applicants, only 17 brands were chosen for this highly competitive cohort
• Top-performing SKU in Whole Foods UK: best-selling protein shake and best-selling plant-based milk beverage — outperforming Britvic and PepsiCo-owned competitors
• Expanded to 750+ Holland & Barrett stores and select Waitrose locations nationwide
• Launched with Tesco, the UK’s largest grocery retailer, in February 2025 across 230+ stores
• Secured listings in 110 new foodservice locations this year

US-Specific Traction

• Launched in 150 Whole Foods Market stores across California and New York in November 2024
• Within just 16 weeks, Grounded ranked in the top 7% of active protein drink SKUs across the US Natural Grocer channel
• Secured listings with UNFI and KeHE, the two largest natural product wholesalers in the US, providing full coverage of the natural channel
• Assembled a world-class US leadership team, including:
  • Charlie Hart, former Head of Growth at RXBAR, who scaled the brand through to its $600M acquisition by Kellogg’s
  • Alex Marx, former Director of Category Management at KeHE, who helped grow GRAZA Olive Oil to $120M ARR in just three years

Business Fundamentals

Market Size & Growth

• US protein shake market: $9.8B (2024)
• Natural F&B market: Forecast to grow at 11.4% CAGR to $100B by 2033
• Plant-based dairy: 15% CAGR; 41% of US households now purchase

Business Model

• Omni-channel: DTC, Grocery Retail, Foodservice
• 40–45% gross margins post-promo
• High-frequency purchase cycle targeting modern “mindful mainstream” taste-driven consumers

Founders & Team

• Gabriel Bean & Bryn Ferris – co-founders who led product development from ground-up over 4 years
• Charlie Hart (ex-RXBAR), Jessie Stewart (RXBAR, Feastables), Ira Laufer (JUST Water), Kara Rubin (Whole Foods Market) – spearheading US rollout
• UK leadership includes ex-Biotiful, Kind Bar, L’Oréal, Britvic, and Heinz talent

Founding Overview

£1M Equity Round @ £5.5M Valuation (25% committed)

Advanced Subscription Agreement (ASA):

• £250k tranche at 20% discount, £5.5M cap (EIS Eligible)
• £92k remaining – closes this month only

Notable Investors: Hazel Savage (ex-SoundCloud), Jordan Schwarzenberger (Sidemen’s Manager)

‍