As British consumers reject ultra processed foods and demand for sustainable, nutrient dense ingredients surges, Urban Farm-Produce is poised to scale rapidly, backed by committed national retail partners and a unique position at the intersection of multiple fast growing markets.
As the UK’s leading Lion’s Mane mushroom producer, Urban Farm-Produce has entered an ambitious £1.9M seed round to accelerate its mission to transform the future of functional food.
Urban Farm Produce have created a new category by cultivating and transforming Lion’s Mane mushrooms into fresh, dried, ready to eat, and ingredient grade formats without synthetic ingredients and without ultra processing. Their vertically integrated, UK grown supply chain provides retailers and manufacturers with a domestic, transparent, and reliable alternative at a time when provenance and food security are dominating national conversation.
Founder and CEO Elliot Webb commented: “This moment marks a major shift in how the UK approaches real, functional food. Consumers now expect better food security, stronger sustainability and exceptional flavour, and Lion’s Mane delivers all three. We’re not trying to imitate meat or mask ingredients, we’re delivering whole food nutrition in its purest form, grown right here in Britain.”
With £1.6M in committed revenue for 2026 and category leading adoption in retail, Urban Farm Produce has already demonstrated its leadership as demand accelerates. The business has established a robust operational and distribution partnership with total supply chain solutions specialist Oakland International that enables it to scale from three tons of weekly production to fifty tons, benefiting from shared utilities, national cold chain logistics, and expert compliance support. This structure offers a competitive moat that competitors will struggle to match, with certifications, infrastructure, and retailer relationships that take years to establish.
Elliot explains: “We’ve built something incredibly difficult to replicate. Our partnerships, our production methods, and our ability to grow Lion’s Mane at scale give us a head start that puts us years ahead of the market. This investment round isn’t about experimentation; it’s about accelerating a proven model with real world traction and strong commercial demand.”
Investment raised through the seed round will directly fund revenue generating infrastructure, expand production capacity, and accelerate the launch of new Lion’s Mane formats for retail, foodservice, and the health sector. The company plans to expand its fruiting room capacity, establish a substrate production facility for full vertical integration, enhance operational efficiency to drive margins toward their 24% target, and fuel brand expansion through premium retail and direct to consumer channels.
Added Elliot: “We’re building the UK’s first large scale Lion’s Mane ecosystem. Fresh retail produce, ready to eat meals, functional ingredients, they all start with the same principle of whole, unprocessed food grown responsibly. This is food done properly, using nature and technology in harmony.”
As the UK confronts challenges around food security, carbon emissions, water usage and rising health concerns, Urban Farm Produce presents a timely, scalable solution. Lion’s Mane uses only a fraction of the water and carbon footprint of conventional meat, delivers clinically researched functional benefits, and meets consumer demand for minimally processed, locally sourced foods.
Said Elliot: “This is bigger than mushrooms, it’s about proving that a British grown ingredient can outperform imports, outclass ultra processed foods, and give retailers and consumers a new standard in transparency and nutrition. We’re ready to scale and we’re inviting investors who believe in a healthier food system to scale with us.”
With the seed round closing in May 2026, Urban Farm Produce offers one of the UK’s most compelling early stage opportunities in functional food, a category set to redefine how modern consumers eat, cook, and care for their health.
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