McCain Foods gobbles up minority stake in Dublin-founded plant-based frozen foods producer Strong Roots at $55 million

Dublin-founded maker of plant-based frozen foods Strong Roots and global frozen potato product brand McCain Foods have entered a strategic partnership that will see McCain invest $55 million in Strong Roots, thereby assuming a minority stake in the company. The relationship will fuse each company’s complementary strengths to “fix the freezer aisle” and provide consumers with a wider range of plant-based products on offer.

Strong Roots, the first Irish corporation to obtain B Corp certification, now has McCain Foods’ global footprint at its disposal in existing markets that include the UK and the US, and naturally, enter additional markets via new retailers. Likewise, the partnership also signals ‘ Roots entry into the foodservice market via McCain’s out-of-home network.

For McCain, the partnership benefits are obvious, as the company will immediately bolster its product portfolio, addressing the growing consumer demand for healthier and more environmentally responsible food options. The Strong Roots partnership also falls perfectly in line with the company’s overall strategy, already having made investments in The Simple Root, a plant-based food producer offering dairy alternative products, SIMULATE, a plant-based chicken nugget alternative, and GoodLeaf Farms, an indoor vertical farming company.

“Working in partnership with McCain Foods means that we are able to grow our brand and the values it stands for, while providing us at Strong Roots with the resources and capabilities we need to see change through globally and impactfully,” commented Strong Roots founder and CEO Samuel Dennigan.

According to a statement, “Strong Roots will continue to operate in an independent capacity.” At the same time, the partnership also signals an exit for Series A round lead Goode Partners.