Marleybones raises £2.5m to expand pet food retail and vet partnerships
This article covers Marleybones, a UK pet food start-up, and its closure of a £2.5m funding round led by TAW Ventures. The investment will support Marleybones’ retail and veterinary channel expansion, product development and customer acquisition to reach pet owners across the UK and Europe.
Marleybones, a UK pet food start-up best known for its Pantry Fresh range, has closed a £2.5m funding round led by TAW Ventures, the investment firm founded by Jane Lauder. Existing investors JamJar Investments, Active Partners and Animal Health Angels also participated. The raise is notable both for Marleybones’ continued retail expansion and for the uncommon representation of women on both sides of the deal: the company is female-founded and the round was led by an all-female investor team.
Why it matters
The round underscores growing investor appetite for premium, health-focused pet food in the UK and Europe, a market that has seen steady consumer spending even as broader venture activity has cooled. Marleybones says it has grown more than 200% since its last funding round and is moving beyond direct-to-consumer sales into mainstream retail and veterinary channels.
Who’s behind the round
TAW Ventures led the financing, joined by JamJar Investments, Active Partners and Animal Health Angels. The investor mix combines early-stage consumer expertise with deep pet-care and retail experience — a blend aimed at scaling Marleybones across both mainstream and specialist channels.
TAW Ventures, founded and managed by Jane Lauder, positioned the investment as part of a broader bet on pet wellness and longevity, aligning closely with Marleybones’ founders on improving everyday nutrition for dogs.
In the announcement, Jane Lauder, founder and managing director at TAW Ventures, said:
Like the Marleybones team, TAW Ventures was inspired by my dog, Thaddeus, and driven by a shared commitment to advancing pet health, wellness, and longevity. Josephine and Mikala are redefining what dogs deserve at mealtime, and we’re thrilled to partner with them as they continue transforming dog dining across the UK.
JamJar Investments — the consumer brand fund created by the Innocent Drinks founders — has backed food and wellness names including Tenzing and Proper Snacks, while Active Partners is known for growth-stage investments in lifestyle businesses such as Rapha and Leon. Animal Health Angels adds specialist veterinary and scientific insight to the round, reflecting Marleybones’ push to build credibility in both retail and professional pet-care channels.
If you're researching potential backers in this space:
- Explore our list of foodtech venture capital firms in the UK
- Browse our directory of foodtech angel investors in the UK
Inside the Marleybones portfolio
Launched in 2020, Marleybones sells pantry-style meals described as slow-cooked and nutritionally complete. Its core meal SKUs include Boss Beef, Chic Chicken, Lush Lamb and Sassy Salmon. The company has also added vet-developed functional supplements, an omega oil and natural air-dried treats. Marleybones says all UK-made products use locally sourced British ingredients and are vet-approved.
Growth and distribution
Marleybones reports a range of commercial milestones: distribution in Pets at Home, Co-op and Ocado; product listings with Waitrose and Whole Foods Market; a pilot veterinary channel to engage clinics and professionals; and a Trustpilot score of 4.8/5. The founders say the business has achieved triple-digit growth in recent periods, supporting the case for further retail expansion and customer acquisition spend.
Founder perspective
Co-founder Josphine Bager described the funding as a way to scale distribution and reach more pet owners.
In the announcement, Josphine Bager, co-founder at Marleybones, said:
Dog parents shouldn’t have to choose between quality and convenience. With Pantry Fresh meals, we’ve proven it’s possible to achieve both. This funding allows us to reach even more pet parents and further define ‘fresh’ food for dogs.
Her co-founder, Mikala Skov, highlighted traction across channels and the role of new investors in accelerating the business.
In the announcement, Mikala Skov, co-founder at Marleybones, said:
We’ve built strong traction across D2C and retail, expanded into supplements, and proven category demand with triple-digit growth. With TAW Ventures and JamJar by our side, we’re ready to accelerate our journey to make Pantry Fresh® a household standard.
Sustainability and packaging
Marleybones highlights several sustainability measures: a partnership with rePurpose Global to achieve plastic-neutral certification, use of locally sourced British ingredients for products made in the UK, and packaging its meals in fully recyclable Tetra Pak cartons. The company says this approach avoids “millions” of single-use plastic pouches and trays, moving the product away from typical wet and pouch formats.
What comes next
The new capital will be used to scale Marleybones’ creative, customer experience and retail teams, and to accelerate performance marketing, influencer activity, PR and retail activations. The company is also continuing to pilot veterinary distribution and expand its supplements range.
For the UK and European start-up scene, Marleybones’ round is a reminder that consumer categories linked to health and routine spending—pets in this case—can still attract capital and retail partnerships. The gender composition of the deal team also adds to an infrequent but growing number of female-led investment stories in European venture.
They've invested in Marleybones
Get to know these foodtech investors
| Investor | Sector | Stage | Activity | Team | Connect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 TAW Ventures | 1 investment(s) investment(s) | more info | |||
 JamJar Investments | 5 investment(s) investment(s) | 4 contacts contacts | |||
 Active Partners | 15 investment(s) investment(s) | 7 contacts contacts |
Click here for a full list of 7,233+ startup investors in the UK