The Mighty Kitchen, a Cypriot start-up won the IFE’s Big Business Break competition.

According to a press release by Mighty Kitchen, the Dragon’s Den-style competition saw four finalists going head to head, in a live, five-minute pitch, in front of a panel of judges during the International Food Expo 2023 for a chance to win up to ₤500,000 in business investment from global food giant Surya Foods.

The Mighty Kitchen launched in the U.K. earlier this year during the Veganuary 2023 campaign is already listed with leading kebab distributors and multiple foodservice locations.

Currently, the Mighty brand is available in 500+ locations in Cyprus, Greece and the United Kingdom. The product range focuses on pea & wheat protein – chicken meat alternatives with Mediterranean flavours, offering succulent chick*n strips, gyros and shawarma as well as Cyprus-style m**tballs.

George Vou, CEO and co-founder of Mighty Kitchen said: “This is a big deal. There was a lot of competition so even when we got into the final 4 it was tempting to be content with that alone. But we were so happy to win it, this opens up a lot of opportunity for the company and to be approved by respected market leaders, such as Harry Dulai – Surya Foods Managing Director, Noor Ali – ASDA’s Head of World Foods at Asda and Mintel’s David Jago, was incredibly humbling too. It’s a huge step and an honour for the team that has worked hard to bring the brand & product range up to this level. We now look forward to partnering with Surya Foods and taking some big next steps together.”

Harry Dulai, the MD of Surya Foods who co-founded the initiative said: “We are very excited to have this opportunity to work with The Mighty Kitchen to help drive growth in the UK market. It really is an innovative product, plant-based but with the most genuine chicken texture I have come across so far in the market. We can’t wait to get discussions going.”

About The Mighty Kitchen

Founded in 2019, based in Larnaca, Cyprus, The Mighty Kitchen revolutionises alternative meat products through materials chemistry and data modelling to produce delicious, fibrous, plant-based poultry and other meat products and ingredients. The Mighty Kitchen’s team comprises a complementary blend of food scientists, engineers, and seasoned entrepreneurs.

The Mighty Kitchen aims to evolve food culture by infusing old-world flavours into food options that positively impact the environment, elevate human health, and improve animal welfare globally.