Portfolio #foodtech
10 August 2020

Introducing Livia’s, one of the fastest-growing free-from brands in the UK

Livia’s is the fastest-growing free-from treats brand in the nation, with nearly 7M treats sold to date. Backed by food sector experts including a former president of Mars and other plant-based pioneers, the brand is currently overfunding on Seedrs with around £1M raised to fuel its expansion.

Surpassing its £1M investment target for the round prior to its official public launch, Livia’s has attracted more than 400 new investors so far, with the campaign overfunding. Now, Livia’s is enticing even more of its community members to support the brand in establishing its reputation worldwide.

The founder behind the brand? Olivia Wollenberg. Being diagnosed with severe food intolerances, she struggled to find indulgent treats that were made with natural ingredients. At the time, she spotted a gap in the market for indulgent plant-based, free-from treats that didn’t compromise on taste and in 2014 she decided to create Livia’s.

The first two years, Olivia produced, packed and delivered everything from her parent’s kitchen, and in so doing, proved the concept for Livia’s. Today, with the help of an ambitious and supportive team, Livia’s has innovated its product ranges selling online and in 3,200 major UK stores including Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Boots.

The concept? Livia’s makes indulgent treats accessible to everyone by combining its magic and innovation to the plant-based and free-from world. With its product range, the brand has even managed to seduce non-vegans with 73% of its consumers not being vegan. Its recipes are developed in-house and sold through major retailers and online directly through their website and through Amazon.

“I’ve always wanted to bring our customers and community on board as we continue to grow. From day one, our community has been at the heart of everything we do, and every decision we make, and now is the time for them to be involved in a more meaningful way. With this raise, we will be able to accelerate our growth in the UK and beyond while continuing to revolutionise sweet snacking through product innovation.” – Olivia Wollenberg, Founder and CEO of Livia’s

With this investment, Livia’s will launch a range of new products, develop its D2C platform, grow its marketing and sales teams, and scale its operations. By 2025, Livia’s expects to be distributed and sold throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the US.

“Livia’s combination of fabulous tasting free-from sweet treats with a genuinely values-led business rightly has a passionate consumer following. The growth to date has been impressive enough to capture the attention of the UK’s key retailers. Still, the brand has huge headroom with store expansion, further exciting innovation and by building on the existing fanbase. I’m looking forward to helping Olivia and her impressive team further unlock this.” – Andy Weston-Webb, new investor, advisor and former President at Mars