Tesco Injects £20m To Accelerate Food And Fresh Produce Innovation
Tesco has committed £20 million to give emerging food and agritech businesses a potential route into one of the UK’s largest food supply chains, with fresh produce already among the targets.
The UK’s largest retailer has become the anchor investor in Henry Dimbleby’s new Bramble Fund I, which is targeting £100m of capital to back businesses developing practical innovations that make food healthier, more sustainable, and more affordable.
To speed up change across the UK food system, Tesco said in a press release that the fund will invest between £1 million and £5 million of growth capital in businesses with bold ideas capable of creating real impact across the food system.
Its focus spans sustainable food production, health and nutrition, and the circular economy.
The new Tesco-Bramble Innovation Partnership will establish a joint innovation board and give promising businesses the opportunity to test their technologies and products within Tesco’s supply chain.
The partners will then work to help the most successful innovations scale commercially.
That could create opportunities for businesses developing solutions around areas such as crop production, packaging, shelf-life, waste reduction, supply-chain efficiency, and food affordability.
Regarding the fresh produce sector, already the fund is active in areas such as shelf-life extension and horticulture.
Founded in 2024, Bramble’s first investment was British technology company KluraLabs, whose packaging technology is designed to extend the shelf-life of fresh food.
The technology has been tested on berries and table grapes, with the potential to reduce food waste, extend use-by dates, and reduce reliance on preservatives.
Bramble has also identified horticulture as a key area for investment and innovation. Its investment pipeline includes technologies that help farms reduce their reliance on chemical fertilisers, among others.
Research undertaken by Bramble Intelligence with IGD highlighted the potential for increased investment in UK horticulture to support domestic production and strengthen food supply chains.
Its Bramble Intelligence 40 report has also highlighted businesses operating across fruit and vegetables, including berry grower Driscoll’s, frozen fruit and vegetable brand Pack’d, and fresh produce sourcing business Natoora.
From Ideas To Impact
“As the UK’s leading retailer, we see first-hand the opportunities for our food system, and the challenges that we need to solve to ensure everyone has access to affordable, healthy and sustainable food,” explained Tesco CEO Ken Murphy.
“By partnering with Henry and the Bramble team, we can help the most promising food innovations move from idea to impact, delivering real benefits for customers, suppliers, and the wider food system.”
Britain’s food system needs to change, and the partnership will be the driving force, according to Henry Dimbleby, Managing Partner of Bramble.
“People are crying out for healthy, sustainable meals that taste good and don’t end up costing them more,” Dimbleby pointed out.
“Bramble and Tesco will find Britain’s best entrepreneurs solving these problems, back them and give them what they need to grow. Tesco can help scale a business from a good idea to the weekly shop better than anyone else in Britain.”
Alongside Tesco, the fund’s first close has attracted support from institutions and business leaders including Peter Harrison, former chief executive of Schroders, and Adam Wells, co-founder of ingredients business Belazu.
Bramble’s mission is to build a food system that generates prosperity, restores the environment and provides nourishing food for everyone.
The fund is intended to bridge the gap between promising food and agricultural technologies and the commercial scale needed to make them viable across the food system.
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