The Vurger Co secures £1.4m towards expansion

Vegan burger concept the Vurger Co has secured £1.4m of investment towards its expansion, including its first site outside of London.

The group plans to open two more sites in the first quarter of 2020, the first of which will be in Brighton in March, as well as more sites later this year. The investment came from a group of investors led by Sebastiano Cossia Castiglioni and Miray Zaki of Dismatrix Group, a multinational private equity, private credit, and venture capital firm.

The Vurger Co opened its first site in Shoreditch in March 2018, followed by Canary Wharf in November 2018, with a vegan fast food menu and commitment to sustainability. It hit its £300,000 crowdfunding goal on Crowdcube in just three days in 2017 to launch the concept.

Rachel Hugh, co-founder of the Vurger Co, said: "We are so proud to have reached this huge milestone for our business. This investment will allow us to expedite our growth plans, open new sites and grow our retail business as we head into 2020.

"It's an honour to be working with Miray and Sebastiano of Dismatrix Group, who not only believe in our vision but bring a wealth of proven experience and knowledge of the vegan market. They have invested in most of the biggest and best plant-based brands in the world. We are so ready for the next phase of the Vurger Co, watch this space!"

The Vurger Co began as a market stall in 2016 and launched its first retail range of burgers in June 2019, with plans expand this arm of the business in 2020.