Award-winning vegan pizzeria, Purezza, has just raised £2.4m in investment to continue its expansion plans and help grow the retail side of its business.
The funding round was completed by MVK Group, a holdings company in London. Additionally, vegan investment firm Veg Capital has invested directly into the retail expansion for Purezza’s Mozzarella, which will see a brand new 8,000 square foot retail space operating in Brighton & Hove.
Veg Capital CEO Matthew Glover, who is the founder of the Veganuary campaign, commented, “Over the years of promoting Veganuary and surveying participants, it became clear to me that people find giving up cheese more difficult than meat.
'Creating alternatives to dairy cheese is a hugely important element to helping shift society to plant-based diets. When the opportunity came up to invest in Purezza’s mozzarella and help launch into retail outlets, we were very excited to get involved.'
On receiving the funding and investment, Tim Barclay, co-founder and co-owner of Purezza stated, 'We are delighted to be working with the team at Veg Capital to bring Purezza to the retail space. This is an opportunity to enjoy the Purezza experience from home.
'Our plant-based mozzarella is designed to rival premium Italian buffalo mozzarella, giving the same quality and flavour that people expect from a classic food, but with modern and sustainable methods of production. We can’t wait for people to be able to cook with it themselves.”
Purezza is yet to announce the plans for global expansion and where the next restaurants will open. With openings in August and September 2020 successfully taking place (in Hove and Bristol respectively), the funding will ensure Purezza can continue expanding rapidly throughout 2021.