Fresh pet food supplier Years has received a capital boost from two investment bodies.
The new backing from Verlinvest and Five Seasons Ventures is designed to support the company’s next phase of expansion as it builds scale across retail channels and European markets. As part of the agreement, Ivan Farneti, co-founder and managing partner at Five Seasons Ventures, and Anaïs Jollivet, senior principal at Verlinvest, will join the board of Years.
Founded in 2023 by Darren Beale and Ivan Barashki, Nottingham-based Years operates a personalised DTC subscription platform and a growing retail presence at chains including Pets At Home and Just For Pets. Since launch, Years has shipped more than 12 million personalised meals to UK dog owners.
Darren Beale, chief executive and co-founder of Years, said: “We founded Years to challenge the assumption that fresh pet food must come with logistical compromises. By combining research-backed nutritional quality with ambient convenience, we’ve created a new category that resonates with modern pet owners.
“With Verlinvest and Five Seasons Ventures as partners, we’re positioned to accelerate our mission across Europe.”
Co-founder Ivan Barashki continued: “Our proposition is resonating well beyond the fresh feeding community, with 66% of our subscribers previously feeding their dogs kibble or wet food, meaning we are successfully redefining how pet owners approach their pets’ nutrition.”
Farneti added: “At Five Seasons Ventures, we have backed several successful dog and cat food brands and were early believers in the shift towards fresh pet nutrition and subscription models. We see Years as the natural next evolution of this category.
“By combining the nutritional benefits of fresh food with the convenience of ambient storage, Years is making premium pet nutrition accessible to a much broader consumer base while enabling true omnichannel distribution through both direct-to-consumer and retail channels. We believe Years has the potential to become one of the defining brands in the next generation of pet nutrition.”
