New launches from Tring food firm aim to ‘take on lunchtime’

Huel, based on the Icknield Way Industrial Estate, in Icknield Way, has unveiled its Hot & Savoury meals in a move that is supported by a £2 million marketing campaign - the company’s largest product launch.

The launch comes as the five-year-old company reported revenues of £72 million for the financial year 2019/20 - up 43 per cent on the previous 12 months.

Its new meal offering has launched in two flavours, ‘spicy Thai Green Curry’ and ‘tasty Tomato and Herb’ - and are made with whole foods and natural ingredients but in contrast to the brand’s other products, are warm and savoury instant meals that are eaten with a spoon.

Founder Julian Hearn said: “Our goal is to make nutritious food more accessible and more appealing to the masses, and Huel Hot & Savoury achieves this.

“Designed for lunchtime, we’re providing our customers with more options to consume 100 per cent complete nutrition without having to count calories and read food labels.

“Huel makes lunchtime easy as the nutrition has all been done for customers.

He added: “This is what our customers have been asking for. Plus it’s made with nutrient-dense quality whole food ingredients, so it’s designed to keep people feeling full with all the good stuff they need to stay healthy.”

Mr Hearn launched the business from his garage in 2015 and now it has 120 staff based in offices in New York, London, Tring and Birmingham. It has seen staff numbers rise by 34 per cent over the last four months,

Huel’s flagship powdered food concept has attracted customers in 100 countries with 92 meals a minute bought over the last year.

It hit the 100 million meals sold milestone in January and during coronavirus lockdown has seen 56 per cent of its sales coming from international markets.

Mr Hearn added: “Hot & Savoury is designed to take on lunchtime as Brits return to the office or stay working at home. With about 275 million lunches consumed during the work week in the UK, some lunch options are quick but they lack quality nutrition and value for money. Hot & Savoury provides a solution for those that want good food that’s affordable as each 100 per cent vegan meal is around £2.36 - making it great value considering it provides the perfect balance of protein, essential fats, carbs and fibre plus all 26 essential vitamins and minerals.