Britvic boosts plant-based portfolio with Plenish acquisition

• Britvic acquires Plenish, plant-based drinks business

• Portfolio comprises plant-based milks, cold-pressed juices and functional shots

• The transaction strengthens Britvic’s offer in the high-growth plant-based milks and organic juice categories

Britvic today announces the acquisition of Plenish, the plant-based milks, cold-pressed juices and shots company, and one of the most exciting brands in its category in Great Britain. Plenish joins Britvic’s portfolio of market-leading brands and strengthens the Group’s offering in the fast-growing plant-based segment.

Founded in 2012, Plenish offers a range of plant-based milks and plant-powered juice drinks all made from the highest quality, organic and sustainably sourced ingredients. The products are carried by major national grocery retailers. Plenish’s sales are further boosted by highly effective marketing and a sophisticated direct-to-consumer sales offer.

Kara Rosen set up Plenish in 2012 after looking for alternative solutions to deal with a recurring health issue. A native New Yorker, Kara moved to the UK and soon realised that there were no cold-pressed juices in the British market free of sugar. Kara decided to make her own juices and nut milks using mainly green vegetables from organic origin. Since then, Plenish has become one of the fastest growing plant-based milks brand in the UK, while its juice-led direct-to-consumer business continues to grow at over 100+%pa. The transaction is closely aligned with Britvic’s strategy of building a portfolio of soft-drinks brands for every consumer occasion and its focus on accessing new spaces in the soft drinks category. Britvic has a long track record of successfully leveraging its scale and capabilities to grow its brands, and it will draw on this experience to fulfil the full potential of Plenish.

Britvic recognises the opportunity presented by the fast-growing plant-based drinks segment, with plant-based milks set to achieve retail sales values of over £500m by 2024. The non-soya plant-based milks market has grown more than tenfold over the past decade and it is fast becoming a mainstream category, with consumers favouring healthier, plant-based products over dairy.

The transaction also serves to strengthen Britvic’s Healthier People, Healthier Planet sustainability agenda. The Group is committed to ensuring its products help consumers enjoy life’s everyday moments, as part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Healthy nutrition is at the core of Plenish’s brand with a range of products containing the highest quality natural ingredients with low calories, that are certified organic by the Soil Association. As an accredited B-Corporation and a certified carbon negative business, Plenish’s approach to environment will contribute positively to Britvic’s Healthier Planet commitments.

Simon Litherland, Chief Executive Officer of Britvic, said: “Plenish is a fantastic addition to Britvic’s stable of market-leading products, and I am delighted to welcome them to our business. In only a short time, Plenish has built a hugely impressive brand offering a fantastic range of products that cater to the growing demand for healthy and nutritious juices and plant-based milks. At Britvic, we have a long history of building successful brands and we see tremendous potential in Plenish that we look forward to realising in the years ahead.”

Kara Rosen, Founder of Plenish, said: “I started Plenish nine years ago in my kitchen to help make it easy and delicious for people to improve their health and make a positive impact for the planet. Our plant-based drinks are still made like I originally made them at home-- with best in class ingredients sourced from sustainable, organic farms and no additives. I'm so excited for Plenish to join forces with Britvic, who I've long admired as a brilliant builder of brands and shares similar values, particularly around healthier people and planet. Together we can reach more people in more places with products and programmes that help you feel good, made in a way that you can feel good about.”

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About Plenish

Plenish is an award-winning plant-based drinks brand that's on a mission to fuel a healthier world. The business has grown from the UK’s first cold-pressed juice company, hand-making organic drinks in founder Kara Rosen's kitchen, to one of the UK’s fastest growing plant-based drinks brand whose organic m*lks, juices and shots are sold nationwide. Plenish is famous for its simple recipes using only a handful of natural ingredients and no additives. All its products are made with organic, sustainably sourced produce of the highest quality. Plenish is a market leader in sustainability and is the only plant-based drinks brand to be certified carbon negative. Plenish achieved B-Corp status in 2021.