A FROME soup company recently secured a £75,000 investment from businessman Nick Jenkins after appearing on BBC Two’s ‘Dragon’s Den’ earlier this month.
Watmuff & Beckett’s soups and risottos are the brainchild of local friends Andrew Watmuff and Michael Beckett.
The two men set out with a vision of championing the best of abundant British produce, focusing on ramped-up flavours, fresh ingredients and traceable produce – marking a new era of transparency in the ready meal sector.
They secured a £75,000 investment from Moonpig founder, Nick Jenkins, when they appeared on Dragon’s Den on 5th February.
Nick Jenkins said, “From the outset in the Den, the other Dragons and I were really impressed by the taste of Watmuff & Beckett’s soups and risottos.
“Andrew and Michael’s partnership and their respective experiences in retail and Michelin-level cookery proved to be a winning combination. With such a strong brand, heart-warming backstory, existing distribution and the potential to expand the range even further, investing in their business was one of my easier Den decisions.”
The company’s soup led Dragon Touker Suleyman to declare it was the best food he’d ever tasted in the Den.
Andrew Watmuff said, “We’re both really excited to be working with Nick. His talent for branding, marketing and brand strategy is going to be an invaluable tool in making Watmuff & Beckett everyone’s go-to soup and risotto range.
“We’ve already begun recipe development for our new flavours and are excited to grow our distribution. We’ve both put a lot of love into the brand and are really proud to see it growing – the experience in Dragon’s Den was nerve-racking, but a worthwhile one for sure.”
The company says the combination of Watmuff’s farming heritage and retail-buying experience with Beckett’s Michelin-starred credentials, has resulted in an expertly crafted range of farmers’ market-style high-quality ready meals.
Flavours include Perfect Pea & Fresh Mint Soup (the only RedTractor certified soup on the market); Sweet Potato, Carrot and Ginger Soup; and Wild Mushroom Risotto.
Watmuff & Beckett products are available to buy from Asda, Tesco and Ocado.
