Mamamade: How a Plant-Based Baby Food Business Blossomed

UK-based Mamamade, a direct-to-consumer (DTC) plant-based baby food brand, recently closed a record-breaking round of funding, bringing its total pre-seed investment amount to £1.5 million (around $2 million). With a special focus on infant and toddler nutrition, as well as supporting parents, the startup received investments from founders and executives from allplants, Bulb, Design my Night, Heal’s, and Made.com.

Like many startups, Mamamade was founded due to a lack of alternatives on the market. Launched out of founders’ Sophie and Ian Baron’s kitchen in their London home, the husband-and-wife duo set out to create a tech-focussed baby food brand. Direct consumer feedback was key from the start, helping them hone recipes before moving to a subscription delivery service model. 

Today, Mamamade has garnered a community of 40,000 parents, all of whom feel invested in and heard by the Barons. It’s part of a growing number of new brands speaking to the next generation of consumers by providing an intimate relationship with their customers and supporting them through the parenting journey. As such, the brand offers one-to-one coaching, online resources, stage guides and support that parents can access at their fingertips.

Related: The Rise of Baby Food Delivery Boxes

Mamamade’s product range spans over 40 vegan dishes, with 14 organic, plant-based meals costing around £30 ($40). Its Toddler Range consists of both a selection of full Toddler Meals like kale pesto pasta and shepherd’s pie, alongside a collection of Toddler Finger Foods which include some healthy snacks disguised as sweet treats, such as cacao brownies and blueberry ‘muffin’ bites. 

Suitable for children between six months and four years, the safe, balanced, DTC meals are also mostly allergen-free. Forty-five meals can be chosen from, allowing parents to introduce new flavors with confidence. Parents can choose from one-off orders, bundles, subscriptions or customized meal plans. 

However, Mamamade is just a small player in a massive market. The global baby food market was valued at $67.3 billion in 2019 and is projected to reach $97.3 billion by 2027 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of six percent, according to Allied Market Research. The organic sector accounts for about ten percent of the overall baby food market and is expected to reach $12 billion by 2027. Both in and out of the UK, Mamamde has several competitors looking to secure a bigger share of the market.

California-based baby food startup Yumi, which recently secured $67 million in Series B funding round, established itself as a leader in pioneering and advocating for higher standards in the baby and children’s food market since it was founded in 2017. It offers a wide range of organic options, all without added sugars or preservatives, that are delivered directly to consumers’ doors. Omami, another UK-based DTC baby food startup, is Soil Association Organic Certified and its meals are free of concentrates, preservatives and fillers in their blends.  

Mamamade is hopeful that its community-based business model and nutritious, plant-based meals will help gain and retain customers. And despite being a small piece of a billion-dollar market, the company is predicted to bring in over £10 million (about $13 million) in revenue in 2022.