Lune & Wild, a baby and children's food startup, has raised £2m in a Series A led by Guinness Ventures, with participation from Dr Rupy Aujla and Doug Struthers. Founded in 2021, the brand makes chef-crafted frozen meals for babies and young children, and plans to use the funding to scale production, expand its retail presence and make key hires.
The brand was founded by cousins Lara Rodgers and Nadia Simonds in response to a shared frustration: that baby and children's food had for too long been high in free sugars and lacking in flavour, variety and nutrition. Lara, a trained chef with experience at The Ritz and The Newt, developed recipes celebrating quality produce and world flavours for young children. Nadia, whose career had spanned ethical food brands and sustainability, came to the business after using Lara's home-cooked frozen food during the weaning of her own child in 2019. Together, they founded Lune & Wild to close what they saw as a significant gap in the market.
Investment will support a significant increase in production capacity while maintaining the brand's chef-led approach. Funds will also be directed at accelerating retail launches, including its recent listing on Ocado.com, alongside marketing and team expansion.
Since launch, Lune & Wild has doubled revenue every year and sold over one million meals in the last 12 months. The brand holds a 4.8-star Trustpilot rating, which it describes as the highest in its category. As well as its direct-to-consumer channel, products are available on Ocado.com - which has exceeded forecasts since launching last month - in family clubs, cafés, delis and farm shops, and in 15 nurseries across London and the Home Counties. The 30-plus person team includes a number of mothers and grandmothers, and the business offers remote working for head office staff to accommodate childcare needs.
The round includes backing from Doug Struthers, Chairman of Lune & Wild and ex-MD of Ella's Kitchen, and Dr Rupy Aujla, an NHS GP. The board recently welcomed Mike Hedges, formerly CEO of Little Moons, GrowUp Farms and Proper. Existing investors in the business include Charlie Gardiner, Siân Parry Jones and Harry Bloice, though these investors are not stated as participants in the current round. The latest UK VC and Female Founder report from the British Business Bank highlights the continued underrepresentation of all-female founder teams in UK venture capital.
From day one, we've believed that children deserve better food. Food that's full of flavour, made with care and genuinely supports their development. This investment allows us to take our mission and products further, without compromising on the quality and craft that got us here.
We've built Lune & Wild in close conversation with parents, understanding the real challenges they face and creating food that genuinely helps. With Guinness Ventures and our existing investors behind us, we're excited to scale that impact and reach many more families across the UK.
Lune & Wild is a brand that defines the future of food: purpose-driven, product-led and building deep trust with parents. Lara and Nadia, together with their team, have built something incredibly special by combining chef-quality food with nutritional expertise, and we're delighted to support the next stage of their journey.
Lune & Wild stood out because they refuse to compromise on ingredients, on taste, or on their mission. It aligns really well with my personal philosophy at The Doctor's Kitchen. In a category full of hidden nasties, they're building something parents can genuinely trust, and that's exactly the kind of brand worth backing.
