Edinburgh vegan food producer to double sales after bumper year for Middle Eastern frittata

Vegan produce supplier Planet Kuku is expecting to more than double turnover this year after enjoying record sales of its Middle Eastern food and expanding to new premises.

Co-founder Mat Noniewicz with Planet Kuku's flagship dish. Picture: Contributed

The Edinburgh start-up, which supplies outlets including Lomond Food Group, Margiotta and Real Foods, is forecasting revenues to reach £200,000 in 2020.

This comes after the vegan producer posted sales of £90,000 last year – up from £37,000 two years earlier.

Edinburgh-based founders Mat Noniewicz and Maria Janowczyk created their flagship dish, a Middle Eastern frittata-style delicacy known as Kuku, using only plant-based ingredients such as chickpeas, flour and Scottish cold pressed rapeseed oil.

The pair recently took on a full-time employee and secured a 1,800 square foot production site at Portobello’s Telferton Industrial Estate, providing the capacity to target more food suppliers, shops and cafes across Scotland.

Noniewicz attributed the company’s recent growth to the backing of support body Business Gateway. He said: “Having our own adviser has been instrumental in our ability to expand into new premises and successfully grow the company.

“Every business has a steep learning curve, however it’s been great for us to have someone at the end of the phone or face-to-face that we can call upon for advice on everything from licenses to growing the team and getting the right premises to marketing the company, which we are very grateful for.”

Susan Harkins, head of Business Gateway Edinburgh, added: “We are delighted to be able to help Planet Kuku to grow their business with ongoing support in many different areas, including one-to-one mentorship, research and network building.

“They have carved out a fantastic niche product which is guaranteed to continue to grow and be a huge success.”