UK-based coldpress fruit and vegetable juice and smoothie company Coldpress Foods has raised £2.3 million in a funding round, including Odexia and advisory firm Marechale Capital.

Founded in London in 2006 by Andrew Gibb, Coldpress Foods has an ongoing mission to push back against the high sugar content of popular drinks and a pasteurization process that strips much of the nutritional content of fruit and vegetables, and in the process, has become the dominant player in the European cold-pressed juice space, and evolving into a health-conscious soft drink specialist.

With the funds secured through this investment Coldpress plans to enhance its R&D pipeline, expand into new distribution channels, drive its “superior juice cause” by expanding sales and marketing initiatives, and expand its product range to include almond drinks, sparkling waters, and fruit-themed coconut waters.

“Our first foray into discerning milk alternatives underpins our team’s ongoing determination to marry meaningful flavours with nutritional indulgence because a commitment to embracing a healthier lifestyle should never mean depriving your taste buds,” said Andrew Gibb, founder of Coldpress.

“The welcome approach of Odexia and Marechale underpins the significant and sustainable success our vibrant drinks business has enjoyed both at home and abroad in recent months,” said Gibb. “With enviable growth (67 percent ex-factory) and celebrated fine food custodians like Boots, Carrefour, and Autogrill recently joining our ‘superior juice’ cause; we feel now is the perfect moment to forge ahead, expand our sales & marketing function, accelerate our unrivaled innovation pipeline (fruit & veggie juices, smoothies, almond drinks, low-calorie fruit-themed coconut & sparkling waters) and open up other influential distribution channels both at home and abroad.”

For Odexia, which is a consumer brand fund that invests in high-growth, UK-based businesses in the CME funding gap of between £300K to £1 million, Coldpress provides an investment opportunity to tap into the health-conscious trend that is driving consumers’ food choices while also presenting healthy financials.

Odexia co-founder Carl Atkinson said he is ‘“suitably impressed by a well-run and profitable operation that successfully taps into today’s accelerating healthier living concerns. Odexia were especially encouraged by Coldpress’s robust financials that are all too rare among ambitious, modern-day growth companies; a well-managed operation that sits comfortably amongst our growing family of opinion-forming disruptor brands.”

The Street reports that First Beverage Group estimates that the premium cold-pressed juice category generates about $2 billion in revenue and is growing at double digit rates.

Giving further weight to the cold-press juice segment, Pepsi entered the space last year with launch of its Naked Juice brand upon noting consumers’ desire to incorporate more fruit and vegetables into their diet in convenient ways.

Additionally, Coca-Cola acquired a minority stake in cold-pressed juice and probiotic water producer, Suja last year, while Campbell’s introduced its own line of cold-pressed juices under its Bolthouse Farms brand, which it acquired in 2012 for $1.5 billion.

-Lynda Kiernan

Lynda Kiernan is Editor with GAI Media and daily contributor to GAI News. If you would like to submit a contribution for consideration, please contact Ms. Kiernan at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.com.