Rapidly growing instant coffee challenger TrueStart has secured a “significant” investment as it seeks to accelerate expansion.
JamJar Investments led the Series A round, joined by consumer-focused fund DLF Venture and a group of strategic angel investors, with the amount raised undisclosed.
TrueStart Coffee plans to use the funding to support its next phase of growth, including a retail expansion of its core range, NPD, scaling brand and sampling activations and investing further in its direct-to-consumer channel.
Husband-and-wife duo Helena and Simon Hills founded the brand in 2015 when they were training for a triathlon. Their mission was to shake up the instant coffee category with innovation by creating a product made using high-grade beans sourced from Colombia.
The brand now has more than 5,000 distribution points in the UK and has listings with Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Co-op, WH Smith, Booths and Costco.
“After 10 years of diligently building our brand bootstrapped, we have fantastic product-market fit and the demand for TrueStart has never been higher,” Helena Hills 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 and energy for our customers. The future is super bright, and we are just getting started.”
Sales at TrueStart, which supplies a four-strong range, including decaf and lightly caffeinated variants, are up by 620% over the past two years, with year-on-year growth of 140% in 2025 and an annualised run rate of more than £10m.
JamJar co-founder Adam Balon added: “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 has already proven they can unlock growth in a way most challengers can’t. We see massive potential and are excited to be part of the journey as TrueStart builds one of the next great consumer brands.”
Since Balon set up JamJar with fellow Innocent founders Richard Reed and Jon Wright in 2012, the fund has invested in more than 100 companies, including the likes of Wild (which has since been acquired by Unilever), Tony’s Chocolonely, Lucky Saint and Xoxo.
DLF Venture principal Clément Helinckx said: “TrueStart has shown it can deliver real, incremental and profitable growth through exceptional products and a meaningful brand. This next stage is about scaling across retail, out-of-home and DTC, by launching innovation that grows the category and activating the brand in ways that recruit new consumers and build long-term brand value.”