A new playbook for food DTC startups

Direct-To-Consumer Food Brands have made waves in the last couple of years with numerous investments and acquisitions from major corporations (Olly and Graze bought by Unilever, Foodspring by Mars). After the lockdown and the massive change in consumer habits it created, incumbent leaders are looking more than ever to transform their brands into DTC and e-commerce operations.

With this report, we have looked at the history of DTC/DNVB food brands and what has been their evolution. We have identified a notable transformation in the “Food DTC playbook” ranging from a renewed focus on community rather than paid acquisition and product quality.

Another element of this playbook is the growing focus of new food brands to go as soon as possible into retail stores.

The European ecosystem is still in its infancy, but it is growing. Indeed, after a few years of decline, funding into food brands is finally taking off in the first half of 2020. Outside of the UK (the driving force of FoodTech in Europe), many promising startups are emerging in Germany, the Nordics, the Netherlands, and France.

EUTOPIA

We are a European early-stage investment fund dedicated to consumer startups with a purpose. Eutopia’s investment thesis is driven by current shifts in consumer behavior. We back founders who are rethinking the way we eat, shop, sleep, and feel through a “good for me, good for communities, good for planet” approach.

The team manages 160 million euros and has invested in 23 companies including Hari&Co, Feed, Gourmey, and Pazzi in the food industry.