Business Growth Fund

Healthy eating company secures £10m investment from BGF




Business Growth Fund (BGF) has provided £10m of funding to healthy eating company Muscle Food.

The investment will enable the company to establish a second base in Europe and develop its online platform to drive further growth.

Muscle Food – which sells premium lean meats, high-protein food and sports supplements – was set up in 2013 by CEO Darren Beale.

The company has attracted a loyal following of fitness enthusiasts, bodybuilders and athletes, alongside a broader customer base of health and cost-conscious eaters in the UK and Europe.

Muscle Food’s customers include celebrities and sportspeople such as actor Jamie Lomas and former athlete Iwan Thomas.

The company recently started exporting to Europe and sales reached £45m in the year to 31st March 2017, up from £14m in 2015.


Last year, the company started selling its range of products – including Protein Pizza – in Sainsbury’s and will be launching in Morrisons this month.

Darren said: “The Muscle Food team cares passionately about making it easier for our tribe of customers to achieve their fitness and health goals – this mission has been critical in driving the expansion of the company.

“The partnership with BGF will help us accelerate our growth and switch even more customers on to our unique proposition.”

Greg Norman, investor at BGF, added: “The Muscle Food team is talented, focused and passionate.

“They have successfully managed the high growth experienced in the last three years and are ambitious about accelerating the expansion.

“We are pleased to be supporting the group as it continues to scale.”

GCA Altium provided corporate finance advice to the management team on the transaction.

BGF has taken a minority equity stake in the group. 

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