Natural Innovations welcomes Solina as a minority shareholder
Natural Innovations, a specialist in plant-led and bespoke vegetable solutions for food industry and foodservice customers, today welcomes Solina, one of the global leaders in savoury food solutions, as a minority shareholder in the company.
The investment will further support Natural Innovations in its growth strategy, enabling a renewed focus on global partnerships and innovation. Solina’s scale, industrial expertise and international footprint means it is well-placed to support Natural Innovations’ development and the deployment of its plant-led and culinary capabilities across both existing and prospective customers.
Founded more than twenty years ago, Natural Innovations has built a differentiated position in the UK market by combining chef-led innovation, advanced vegetable processing capabilities and close customer collaboration. The company develops bespoke plant-led ingredients such as roasted, blanched or char-grilled vegetables and culinary-inspired components for foodservice, food manufacturing and meal kit applications, and is recognised for its strong focus on quality, innovation and sustainability.
The investment represents a strategic step in Solina’s ambition to further strengthen its vegetable solutions platform in Europe. It reinforces Solina’s ability to support customers with value-added, plant-led solutions that deliver taste, functionality, and operational performance, while contributing to more sustainable food systems. By partnering with Natural Innovations, Solina enhances its portfolio in a core European geography and complements its existing savoury food solutions offering specialised capabilities in bespoke vegetable ingredients.
Flywheel Partners, the majority shareholder of Natural Innovations, will remain a key partner alongside Solina, continuing to support the company’s growth and innovation agenda.
Matt Wood, CEO of Natural Innovations, commented:
“Partnering with Solina marks an important milestone for Natural Innovations. We share a common focus on chef-led innovation, technical excellence, and close customer collaboration. With Solina’s industrial expertise and international footprint, we will be well positioned to accelerate our innovation roadmap and support our customers’ evolving needs. The business has made significant progress since partnering with Flywheel and we look forward to unlocking further growth opportunities with the support of both Flywheel and Solina.”
Anthony Francheterre, CEO of Solina, said:
“This minority investment is a strategic step in Solina’s journey to strengthen our customised vegetable solutions platform. Natural Innovations brings a unique combination of culinary expertise, innovation mindset and vegetable ingredients capabilities that strongly complement Solina’s portfolio. With our scale and footprint, we will support the Natural Innovations team in fully realising their potential, while preserving what makes the company unique. We have been very impressed by the business that Flywheel Partners and the management team have built, and look forward to partnering with them in the next phase of the journey. ”
Avital Lobel, Managing Partner at Flywheel Partners, added:
“Natural Innovations has built a strong and differentiated platform at the intersection of culinary creativity, R&D and operational excellence. With Solina joining as a strategic partner, the company is ideally positioned to accelerate growth while staying true to its culture and values. As a committed partner to Natural Innovations, we are pleased to continue to support the company in the next stage of its journey and we welcome Solina on board. We would like to commend the Natural innovations team for their continued pursuit of excellence and innovation.”
About Flywheel Partners
Flywheel Partners is an independent investment firm focused on supporting companies with significant growth potential. By working closely with exceptional management teams and founders, Flywheel seeks to help businesses unlock value and realise their full potential.
About Solina
Solina is a leading global partner for the food industry, foodservice, QSR (quick-service restaurants), and nutrition sectors, designing tailor-made solutions that contribute to the creation of food that is good in every sense of the word; good for people, good for the planet. With 50 production sites and numerous local R&D centers close to its customers, Solina’s expertise combines culinary and technical expertise that enables the company to design innovative food solutions excelling in taste, functionality, and nutrition. Headquartered in France, the company counts more than 5000 employees, production facilities in 20 countries, and serves clients in more than 75 countries. Solina’s majority shareholder is Astorg, an independent private equity firm.
