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Spotted: Tempeh is a whole food protein made from fermented soybeans that’s packed with fibre and gut-friendly prebiotics. Long a part of meat-free and health-food diets, tempeh has also been a staple of Indonesian cuisine for more than 400 years. Now, UK food brand Better Nature is taking tempeh even further.

Better Nature is building on its proprietary fermentation methods to create tempeh with a firmer, meatier texture and neutral flavour, which the company feels is key to achieving mainstream adoption. Elin Roberts, co-founder and co-CEO of the company, told Springwise that Better Nature’s “market-leading R&D and [new product development] has allowed us to develop a range of products, from flavoured tempeh to our own patent-protected tempeh flour.”

Beyond this, the company has also developed a distinctive brand centred around tempeh as a “supercharged protein”, and is working to make it as easy and appealing as possible for people to replace meat with tempeh. As a result, Better Nature is now one of the UK’s fastest-growing meat-free brands, sold in major supermarket chains across the UK and Germany.

Better Nature is a registered B Corp and donates one per cent of sales to Indonesian non-profit YUM, which tackles malnutrition. Roberts explains that the company’s mission is “to help people live healthier lives. It’s what inspires us to drive towards mainstream adoption of Better Nature.” And, of course, because tempeh does not involve animal farming, it’s also healthier for the planet.

Earlier this year, Better Nature was selected to be a part of Blue Earth‘s BE100 2024 cohort. Following a £1.6 million seed funding round in 2021, Better Nature raised an additional £1.2 million last year to fuel growth. The goal is to see mainstream adoption of its tempeh around the world, and Roberts explained that the company has some exciting launches coming up, with new retailers and products in the pipeline.

Written By: Lisa Magloff