by Aidan Wogan | Dec 30, 2024 | News
We’ve got some Unbeleafable good news to share to freshen up your day. Our Unbeleafable zesty baby leaves have just been crowned Top Launch of the Year 2024 in the Fresh Fruit and Veg category by The Grocer! 🌟
This award celebrates the innovation and passion behind our vertically farmed, pesticide-free baby leaves, grown right here in the UK. We couldn’t be prouder to lead the way in shaking up the salad aisle with bold mixes that wave goodbye to sad, bland salad. Our mission is all about bringing innovative, fresh leaves to the produce category, delivering only the best of the
Top Products is a survey of 45 FMCG categories, compiling key data like sales growth, market share, trends, and market developments. It ranks the UK’s top-selling supermarket brands by value and volume across major retailers, online stores, co-ops, off-licenses, and even independents. This award highlights key players in the FMCG field that are bringing something new and exciting to the fresh produce market!
This award celebrates brands in fresh produce bringing something new and innovative to the market! Top Products is a survey of 45 categories within the FMCG market, this compiles data such as… Sales increase, market share, trends and market developments. Ranking the UK’s top-selling supermarket FMCG brands by value and volume. It covers all of the biggest food, drink, and household categories across major retailers, online stores, co-ops, off-licenses, and even independents.
This award comes hot on the heels of our recent Champion of Champions win at The Grocer’s New Product and Packaging Awards last month. 🙌
These wins truly highlight the hard work and passion of our entire team, and we couldn’t thank everyone enough for the incredible support we’ve received from our consumers, supporters, and partners. You inspire us every day to keep growing—pun intended! 🍃
Here’s to another big milestone on our mission to bring fresh, sustainable, and downright delicious produce to plates across the UK. We’re beyond excited to keep pushing the boundaries of fresh produce and sharing more leafy goodness with you all!
by Grow Up Farms Admin | Dec 18, 2024 | News
Friday 8th November was one for the books at GrowUp! We had the honour of walking the red carpet of the food world—The Grocer’s New Product & Packaging Awards 2024—and it turned out to be an Unbeleafable night. Our Unbeleafable zesty baby leaves didn’t just win one award… it took home TWO!
Our zesty baby leaves was crowned CHAMPION in the Deli Category. But the excitement didn’t stop there—it also claimed the ultimate title of CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS, standing out as the best of the best across all categories.
These wins mean so much to us. They celebrate not only an amazing product but the hard work, creativity, and dedication of the entire Unbeleafable team. From harvesting the freshest, tastiest leaves to perfecting that bold zesty flavour that we all know and love. Our team has worked tirelessly to deliver something truly special. Who says salad leaves have to be boring?
A huge thank you to The Grocer for hosting such a brilliant evening, with the brilliant Jamie Laing as host, the night truly was one to remember! It was also an absolute highlight for us to celebrate alongside so many talented brands in the food world. See more on the awards here.
We couldn’t have done this without the support of our amazing customers and partners. Your belief in our purpose to transform the world of fresh produce has been unwavering. This recognition shows just how far we’ve come, and we couldn’t be more grateful!
Moments like these remind us of the importance of why we do what we do. Sustainable, delicious, and innovative food SHOULD be available to all, which is why it’s so important to us to deliver on our purpose: better food for all. Thank you for being part of this incredible journey, for choosing Unbeleafable, and for cheering us on as we continue to grow.
Here’s to many more “Unbeleafable” wins, bold ideas, and moments worth celebrating. Stay tuned!
by Grow Up Farms Admin | Jul 29, 2024 | News
Just over two years on from its initial investment in GrowUp, leading sustainable infrastructure investment and operating company, Generate Capital, has shown its faith in our vision and purpose with a further investment of £38 million.
The new funding will help us to expand capacity at our Kent vertical farm, accelerate our leadership of the UK salad category, support the growth of our popular salad brands Unbeleafable and Fresh Leaf Co., drive R&D at the GrowUp Lab site in Cambridge, and increase our influence as a certified B Corp.
It also extends our existing partnership with Generate Capital following an initial financing in 2021 that enabled us as team to prove GrowUp’s energy-efficient growing system and start converting a five-acre brownfield site into the equivalent of 1,000 acres of grade 1 farmland in Kent.
And this cash injection back in 2021 helped us to achieve our vision of being the first vertical farm to supply branded, bagged salads to the country’s largest supermarket chain, Tesco, and to Iceland, SPAR, as well as other major food service customers.
Our CEO Marcus Whately has welcomed the latest round of funding from Generate Capital, a $10 billion sustainable infrastructure investor saying:
“We partnered with Generate Capital because, as a $10 billion sustainable infrastructure investor with a mission to ‘rebuild the world together’, Generate Capital aligns with our ethos. With Generate Capital’s support, we have proved that vertically farmed salads are sustainable, cost competitive, and commercially viable, as well as tasty, healthy and long lasting. Together we can unlock a new salad category and meet growing consumer demand.”
The future looks bright for GrowUp and our best-selling salad brands.
by Grow Up Farms Admin | May 20, 2024 | News
Another Win for Unbeleafable at the Sammies
GrowUp is celebrating another win, this time at the Sammies—the Oscars of the sandwich and food-to-go industry. Unbeleafable took home the New Product Award at the prestigious ceremony, held at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London. Tom Robb, National Account Manager, and Lisa Harrison-Bell, Head of Marketing, were there to accept the award. Both were dressed to impress as they proudly represented the team.
Recognizing Innovation and Quality
The New Product Award celebrates development and innovation by suppliers, focusing on both ingredients and packaging. This win is a major boost for our incredible team, who have worked tirelessly to bring Unbeleafable to life. Since its launch in Tesco last summer, Unbeleafable has continued to impress.
A Fourth Award for Unbeleafable
This is the fourth award for Unbeleafable since its debut. Previously, the brand was named Champion in The Grocer’s New Product and Packaging Awards 2023, in the Deli category. It also won a silver award at the Quality Food Awards 2023. These accolades highlight the consistent quality and innovation behind the product.
More Recognition for Unbeleafable
Earlier this year, Unbeleafable rocket and baby leaves won Best Vegan Side at the Vegan Food and Living Product Awards 2024. These wins show the growing demand for high-quality, sustainable, and delicious products in the market.
Looking Ahead to More Success
With several more awards on the horizon, GrowUp is excited to continue its winning streak. This recognition at the Sammies is just the beginning. We look forward to even more successes and innovations from Unbeleafable in the future.
by Grow Up Farms Admin | May 20, 2024 | News
We are over the moon to share that GrowUp Farms has been recognised by the Sunday Times as being one of the best places to work in the UK for 2024, for the second year in a row!
The Sunday Times Best Places to Work list is like the ultimate validation for companies that know how to keep their employees happy and motivated leading to an Unbeleafably positive work environment.
The newspaper once again partnered with the career development platform, WorkL, to create a comprehensive employee survey to build an in-depth picture of employees’ engagement and wellbeing in the workplace. To make the cut, you’ve got to score at least 70% in overall engagement. And guess what? We smashed it!
We’re delighted to be in the top 200 medium-sized businesses in the UK to snag this honour. And with WorkL checking out 50,000 companies, it’s no mean feat.
Our aim at GrowUp Farms is to nurture, educate and develop our employees to be the best they can be, and to encourage their curiosity and their passion.
Our team is the heart and soul of our operation, and we’re committed to making sure they have the most inspiring, rewarding, and—let’s not forget—fun place to work! 🌟
by Aidan Wogan | Apr 29, 2024 | News
Our founder, Kate Hofman, recently joined the Institute of Imagination for an inspiring workshop where she introduced young minds to vertical farming and how GrowUp is using this innovative technique to reshape agriculture. Kate shared her passion for sustainable farming and explained how vertical farming is helping GrowUp address the challenges of food security, environmental sustainability, and climate change. Her lively discussion sparked curiosity and excitement among the attendees, encouraging them to think about how this method can impact the future of food production.
How Vertical Farming Is Revolutionizing Agriculture
During the session, Kate discussed how GrowUp uses vertical farming to grow fresh produce in controlled indoor environments using stacked layers. This method saves space, reduces the need for large amounts of water, and minimizes the environmental footprint of traditional farming. GrowUp’s approach to farming provides a sustainable alternative to conventional agriculture, making it a powerful tool in addressing global food production challenges and the need for environmentally friendly practices.
Inspiring Young Minds to Explore Careers in Sustainability
Kate also took the opportunity to inspire the next generation of innovators by discussing the exciting career opportunities within GrowUp and the broader sustainability sector. She highlighted the growing demand for professionals in vertical farming and other green industries, encouraging young people to explore careers that can make a real impact on the planet. Through this innovative approach, young minds can help shape a sustainable future and contribute to solving major environmental issues.
The Future of Sustainable Agriculture with GrowUp
The workshop also showcased how GrowUp is leading the way in sustainable farming and how vertical farming is integral to a more sustainable food system. Kate emphasized how innovative farming methods, such as those used by GrowUp, are helping to reduce the carbon footprint of food production while increasing local food security. The students left the session inspired by the potential of vertical farming and eager to be part of the solution to the world’s biggest challenges.
