Ed Armitage & Jess Higgins, Co-founders
Founded in 2020
https://frejafoods.com/
Founders Ed and Jess launched Freja Foods in lockdown 2020 through frustration of not being able to find a widely available bone broth in the UK. There were a few smaller players in London and in the likes of Wholefoods but none that were nationally accessible or taking the ecommerce world by storm.
As strong advocates for good nutrition, good gut health and ‘real food’, these formidable founders spent a year planning, developing and sourcing a product that met the quality they demanded. Great flavour, nutritionally beneficial and sustainable supply chain and packaging were prerequisites that they were not going to compromise on. In addition, the product would have to be able to withstand shipping.
With both founders having a history in the ecommerce and consumer brand world, certain things came easier for them than most first time founders but the logistics and operations side was new to them. However, after meticulous preparations, they were ready and had the foundations of a product they were proud of.
The result: the first DTC bone broth brand in Europe was born.
Ed Armitage & Jess Higgins, Co-founders
They started their DTC journey on Amazon. Coming from a private equity background, Founder, Ed, was all too aware of the risk of using equity rounds to finance growth. Not only would it be dilutive but he was overtly aware of how time consuming it can be to secure the funds.
As a disruptive, category leading and high growth brand, speed was the name of the game if they were going to maintain their competitive advantage and continue to grow at the expected rate.
However, having access to enough working capital was a vital part of the equation, made doubly important by the effect seasonality had on the brand. With ramped inventory needs in certain periods of the year, the team needed access to cash that was delivered at speed and flexibility.
It was then that a timely message landed in Ed’s LinkedIn DMs.
That LinkedIn DM led to what promises to be a long and loving partnership as Freja Foods were quickly accepted for an Uncapped advance to address their working capital needs.
Within a week, the cash was made available to the Freja team and shortly after that, the effects began to be felt. They were able to purchase a significant inventory order to support their rapid growth.
Since partnering with Uncapped, Freja Foods has grown revenue at a CAGR of +200% largely due to the availability of stock (no pun intended) thanks to the freeing up of capital.
They have also been able to double the size of their team, both permanent employees and fractional and this added firepower has helped them achieve their goal of expanding further into Europe.
Beyond the cash, Freja Foods were grateful to Uncapped for their understanding of modern entrepreneurs needs as well as their expansive network of founders who, through shared experiences, help to create an environment of support and collaboration.
Uncapped and Freja Foods continue to work closely together and are looking for the next frontier they can impact. Together.
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