FROM A HOME KITCHEN TO RICHARD BRANSON’S HANDS
BRAND OVERVIEW
Project Jackfruit was a plant-based food startup launched in the UK with the goal of introducing jackfruit as a sustainable meat alternative to a wider audience.
Built with minimal resources, the project focused on education, storytelling, community engagement, and grassroots marketing to generate awareness and sales.
THE CHALLENGE
At the time, jackfruit was unknown to most consumers in the UK and around the world.
The challenge wasn't simply selling a product. It was about introducing a sustainable meat alternative, whilst educating people about food waste, sustainability, and an entirely new ingredient while building trust in a crowded food market with very limited resources.
MY ROLE
As founder, I was responsible for:
Brand development
Marketing strategy
Social media
Content creation
Crowdfunding
PR and media outreach
Investor and competition pitching
Partnerships and events
RECOGNITION
Project Jackfruit gained national and international attention through startup competitions, crowdfunding, media coverage, and industry events.
Highlights included:
Winner of Virgin VOOM regional finals
Invited to meet and pitch to Richard Branson
Featured by Virgin VOOM as one of the UK's most promising early-stage startups
BBC Good Food bursary winner
Successfully crowdfunded initial production and launch costs
Media coverage from Virgin, Daily Mail, LiveKindly, Startups UK and other publications
Retail discussions with major UK retailers including Harrods and Ocado
MEETING RICHARD BRANSON
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MEETING RICHARD BRANSON //
THE PROBLEM
Despite being one of the largest tree-borne fruits in the world, huge quantities of jackfruit are wasted every year.
At the time, an estimated 75% of jackfruit in India went unused due to limited demand, supply chain challenges, and a lack of commercial infrastructure. Meanwhile, demand for sustainable and plant-based food products was growing rapidly.
Project Jackfruit was created to help bridge that gap by transforming an underutilised crop into a convenient, ethical, plant-based food product for the UK market.
RESULTS
£7K+
Successfully crowdfunded for initial expenses
118
Crowdfunder backers
WINNER
Virgin VOOM
BBC
Good Food Bursary winner
GLOBAL
Press coverage
ORGANIC
Retail connections