Tesco (LSE:TSCO) has committed £20 million to Bramble Fund I, a food-focused venture fund established by Leon co-founder Henry Dimbleby and partners to invest in food businesses and related technologies.
The commitment makes Tesco the anchor and largest investor in the fund, which plans to provide between £1 million and £5 million in growth capital to individual companies.
Bramble is targeting UK and European food businesses that have demonstrated the potential for commercial expansion.
Tesco and Bramble Establish Innovation Partnership
Alongside the investment, Tesco and Bramble have agreed a separate partnership that will include the creation of a joint innovation board.
Selected companies backed by the fund will be able to test products and technologies within Tesco’s supply chain.
The arrangement is intended to provide portfolio companies with access to a large-scale retail and supply-chain environment in which to assess their technologies.
The information supplied does not specify how companies will be selected for testing or provide financial terms for the separate partnership.
KluraLabs Becomes Bramble’s First Investment
Bramble’s first investment is KluraLabs, a British technology company developing packaging designed to extend the shelf life of food and reduce the use of artificial additives.
The fund is also considering potential investments in other areas of food technology.
These include technologies intended to reduce agricultural reliance on chemical fertilisers and medical devices designed to monitor digestive health.
The prospective investments remain under consideration and have not been identified as completed transactions in the information provided.
Bramble Targets UK and European Food Businesses
Dimbleby, who authored the UK government’s commissioned National Food Strategy, founded Bramble in 2024 alongside Omar Habbal, Mark Hudson and Chris Mitchell.
The fund’s investment strategy focuses on food-related businesses in the UK and Europe that it assesses as having potential to expand commercially.
Tesco’s £20 million commitment gives the retailer exposure to the fund’s portfolio while its separate partnership with Bramble provides a framework for selected technologies to be tested within Tesco’s operations.
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