An investment firm led by the founders of Innocent Drinks has backed a Bristol coffee brand in a new multimillion pound deal.
TrueStart Coffee, a fast-growing challenger brand, has secured a major Series A investment to fuel its next stage of expansion,
The investment package was backed by JamJar Investments. DLF Venture and a group of strategic angel investors also joined the funding round.
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JamJar Investment was founded by three co-founders of Innocent Drinks, Richard Reed, Adam Balon and Jon Wright, and former Innocent commercial team member Katie Marrache.
TrueStart was founded in 2015 by husband-and-wife duo Helena and Simon Hills – photo: TrueStart
The firm focuses on early-stage investment with the providing a boost to up and coming brands to scale up.
The group’s portfolio includes leading brands such as Deliveroo, Tails.com, Blue Bottle Coffee, Wild and Lucky Saint.
TrueStart said the new capital will accelerate retail growth of its core range, drive product innovation in what it describes as a traditionally static coffee category, expand brand and sampling activations and further scale its rapidly growing direct-to-consumer (D2C) channel.
Founded in 2015 by husband-and-wife duo Helena and Simon Hills, TrueStart was born out of their triathlon training, with a mission to combine high-grade coffee with caffeine-conscious options.
The company focuses on selective sourcing, including links to Colombia where Helena previously lived, alongside rigorous testing aimed at delivering what it calls a clean, consistent energy boost.
TrueStart reports 620 per cent growth over the past two years and 140 per cent year-on-year growth in 2025, while remaining EBITDA positive.
The brand is now stocked by major retailers including Asda, Morrisons, Co-op, Costco and Ocado, and has more than 5,000 UK distribution points.
Helena Hills said the business had spent a decade building the brand through bootstrapping and now had strong product-market fit, adding that demand “has never been higher”.
She said: “This strategic investment will enable us to rapidly accelerate our already explosive growth, to build a category defining brand that always delivers on taste, health & energy for our customers. The future is super bright and we are just getting started.”
JamJar Investments founded by the co-founders of Innocent Drinks provided a multimillion pound investment boost to TrueStart Coffee – photo: JamJar Investments
JamJar Investments co-founder Adam Balon described coffee as a huge category “crying out for a shake-up”.
He said: “TrueStart is exactly the kind of brand and team we love to back… one that brings excitement, optimism and a bit of fun to people’s everyday routines.
“Coffee is a huge category that’s been crying out for a shake-up, and TrueStart is doing exactly that with brilliant products, a clear point of view and founders with the ambition to build something genuinely special.”
TrueStart operated from an office on Runway East, before moving to a purpose-built roastery near Keynsham
Main photo: TrueStart
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