Heura strengthens itself by signing Cacaolat's marketing director

Heura Foods reinforces its management team with the aim of facing its accelerated growth rate and being able to undertake the multiple projects it has on the table to continue boosting its internationalization and the launch of new products. The Barcelona-based company of plant-based meat substitutes has just hired Cristina Roig as its new Chief Product Officer (CPO), that is, as product and strategy director.

The Catalan executive has developed her entire professional career in the food sector, holding different responsibilities in mass consumption companies such as GBfoods (Gallina Blanca), Bacardi, Panrico-Donuts, Mondelez, Danone Waters (Font Vella) and Cacaolat. In this last company, owned by the Damm group, Roig has served as marketing and innovation director since 2020, although in the last year she had also assumed the functions of Growth Director.

Now she leaves the iconic company that manufactures milk and cocoa shakes to join the team led by Heura's co-founders, Marc Coloma and Bernat Añaños, two activist entrepreneurs who have set out to revolutionize the current food system, which they consider obsolete, and end the consumption of animal meat by offering consumers an alternative plant-based protein source.

"Cristina Roig joins the Heura team as CPO with the aim of helping in the evolution of the company, making new products and brand values known to consumers. With her comprehensive vision of the entire value chain, supply, distribution channels and markets, she will be able to attract new customers and establish an optimal business strategy for the organization," the company states.

Heura doubled its turnover in 2021, reaching sales of 17.7 million euros, compared to eight million in 2020. For this 2022, they expect, at least, to double turnover again. The results respond to the launch of new products and the rapid growth in the number of stores where the brand is present, a figure that quadrupled in the previous year. Currently, the brand is present in more than 18,000 points of sale in 20 countries: Spain, Andorra, Portugal, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Singapore, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Egypt, Canada, Mexico and Chile.

To finance its growth, last April Heura managed to close a 4 million euro financing round in record time through the Crowdcube platform, which allowed it to incorporate 4,500 small investors into its shareholding, who made an average investment of 925 euros. In the middle of last year, Heura raised another four million euros in another crowdfunding campaign, in which more than 3,000 investors participated, among whom were footballers Saúl Ñíguez, Cesc Fàbregas, Borja Iglesias, Sergi Roberto and Chris Smalling. Heura's shareholding also includes international funds such as New Crop Capital (USA), Green Monday (Hong Kong), Kale United (Sweden) and Tech Transfer Agrifood (Spain), and investors such as Glovo founder, Oscar Pierre.

Throughout 2022, Heura plans to develop up to ten new products, which will join its nuggets, burgers, sausages, chorizo, and meatballs that imitate chicken, beef, or pork. To promote its new burger, made with pea protein, Heura announced yesterday that it has launched a series of mini-games in the famous video game Minecraft, which has 3 million players. According to the company, the brand's presence in the Minecraft universe allows it to reach a very wide potential audience and is an additional support to its strategy to disseminate the benefits of adopting a plant-based diet.

"We wanted to go where the Good Rebels are and find a disruptive way for people to know that there are delicious, healthy, and more sustainable options to enjoy their favorite meals," said Marc Coloma during the presentation of the initiative, which featured the collaboration of international gamer Elisa Waves, who is vegetarian.