Fearne & Rosie secures £450,000 investment for growth
Yorkshire-based healthier jam start-up, Fearne & Rosie has secured £450,000 to support the next stage of its development and take its reduced sugar jam offering mainstream.
The funds raised will be deployed to help grow the Fearne & Rosie team, invest in product innovation and marketing, as well as build retail distribution. The investment round comprises core investor TwinklHive, the investment arm of Twinkl, a global leader in education resources, alongside a number of other key investors.
Launched in 2019, the business is on a mission to spread goodness, and provide healthier jam alternatives to families across the UK. Fearne & Rosie jams are made up of 70% fruit (containing over 50% more fruit than the market leader) and 40% less sugar than an average jar of jam.
The healthier jam business has grown +400% in the past 12 months and on track to hit £5 million turnover by 2025. The brand over-indexes with young adults and families, helping drive new users into the category. According to the brand, Fearne & Rosie’s Strawberry Jam is one of the fastest growing jam SKUs on Ocado, and the jams can also be found in Waitrose, with recent listings secured in Amazon, Booths and select Morrisons stores. Successful charitable partnerships have been forged with BBC Children in Need and FareShare, aiming to support vulnerable children across the UK.
Founder, Rachel Kettlewell, notes with obesity rates in both reception-aged and year 6 school children showing the highest annual rise since the National Child Measurement Programme began, something needs to be done to turn the tide.
“Offering families healthier alternatives is a must. As the only challenger healthier family jam brand, Fearne & Rosie is in a unique position to try and effect change,” Kettlewell says. “This fundraise will help us achieve our goal of nationwide distribution of Fearne & Rosie jams across key channels, retailers and schools, as well as begin to build a targeted school support programme.”
Kettlewell continues: “I’m delighted to have the backing of such amazing investors. I’m excited to be working with them on driving the strategic development of Fearne & Rosie, helping propel the business from challenger brand into the nation’s favourite jam brand. All our investors share our vision of wanting to make a positive impact, and I believe the next 12 months will be truly game-changing.”
