La Vie
Entrepreneur First '19Paris, FR · Founded 2019 · 545 employees on LinkedIn · 16 known investors
La Vie Foods produces plant-based meat substitutes including bacon, ham, sausage, meatballs, sandwiches, and tofu for consumers seeking vegetarian and vegan alternatives. The company operates in the foodtech sector with products designed as direct replacements for traditional meat products.
Also known as La Vie Foods · La Vie™
Founders & leadership
La Vie was founded in 2019 by Nicolas Schweitzer and Vincent Poulichet.
Investors · 16
Also in the syndicate · 12
Company profile
researched Aug 2026La Vie is a French plant-based food company that develops and sells substitutes for pork charcuterie and deli products. Its range includes plant-based lardons, bacon and bacon bits, ham, sliced salami/saucisson, aperitif items such as mini salami sticks, croquettes and finely sliced plant-based ham chiffonnade, meatballs in Italian Style and Spicy Asian variants, ready-to-eat club and XXL sandwiches, and a tofu line (beech-smoked, nuggets and cubes with teriyaki sauce) made in France with French soy [0][1].
Products are built on a patented recipe centred on replicating animal fat with plant ingredients. Formulations are based on rehydrated soy protein, pea protein and sunflower oil, with short ingredient lists — the company cites seven ingredients for its vegetable lardons and eight for its plant-based bacon — no nitrites or nitrates, and 7-8 times (11 times per the 2022 Series A release) less saturated fat than conventional equivalents [3][4][7]. Nutritional data published for foodservice formats show 14.9 g protein per 100 g for lardons, 25 g per 100 g for bacon and bacon bits, and the UK site cites 19 g of protein for the ham [1][3].
The company positions the products for both vegans and meat eaters, emphasising taste parity; it cites blind tastings in which its veggie bacon satisfied 92% of tasters versus conventional bacon, and environmental figures of 88% less CO2, 82% less water and 74% less land use, sourced to a 2020 Blue Horizon report [1][4].
Founding story
La Vie was founded in 2019 in response to the environmental impact of intensive farming, which the company's Series A release put at 18% of CO2 emissions. Co-founders Nicolas Schweitzer (CEO) and Vincent Poulichet (PhD, CTO) identified fat as the element missing from existing meat substitutes and spent about three years on R&D in a Paris laboratory before launching commercially [7].
Business model
La Vie manufactures branded plant-based meat products and sells them through grocery retail and through foodservice/restaurant channels. It operates a dedicated 'restaurant owners' channel offering technical product specifications, packaging and pallet formats, cooking instructions, recipes and merchandising support to professional buyers [1][3]. Funding has also been raised in part from consumers via a crowd equity campaign [5][6].
Sales of packaged plant-based meat products to retailers and to restaurant and foodservice operators [1][3]. The company reported €19 million of revenue in 2024 [5][6].
Traction
Reported €19 million revenue in 2024, 131% average annual growth since launching in 2021, more than 8,200 retail and restaurant partners in Europe, and 149% UK retail growth over 12 months. At Series A the company reported that Carrefour sales exceeded estimates by 200% and that its products were bestsellers in the plant-based meat category there [5][6][7].
Latest developments
In October 2024 La Vie announced a €25 million funding round including Zintinus, Sparkfood and a crowd equity campaign with over 3,000 investors, bringing total funds raised over three years to €50 million. In the same period it launched plant-based ham at Tesco, introduced club sandwiches in France, appointed Arnaud Bachelier (formerly GM and CFO of MOM Group) as Chairman of the Board, and began investing in awareness campaigns including its first TV ad. The French website also promotes newer aperitif, sliced saucisson, meatball, sandwich and tofu ranges [0][5][6].
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Described in trade press as a French plant-based pork and deli brand that has continued to grow while the wider foodtech and plant-based sector saw investment fall (a reported 36% drop). The company states an average annual growth rate of 131% since its 2021 launch, over 8,200 retail and restaurant partners across Europe, and 149% UK retail growth in the 12 months to October 2024. At Series A it stated an ambition to become one of the world's top three plant-based meat brands by 2030 in a market it sized at around €10 billion [5][6][7].
The company's stated point of difference is a focus on plant-based fat rather than protein texture alone, protected by a patent, plus short ingredient lists, absence of nitrites/nitrates and lower saturated fat. Its ham is marketed as containing no textural additives. Awards cited include Snacking d'Or, Saveur de l'Année 2023, international innovation and taste trophies, and a UK 'best plant-based bacon' vote [0][1][3][4][7].
Technology
A patented recipe developed over roughly three years of R&D in a Paris laboratory, in which about 5,000 recipes were tested, focused on reproducing animal fat with plant-derived fat that infuses the product and allows crackling, infusing and caramelising. Formulations use rehydrated soy protein, pea protein and sunflower oil with natural flavourings and colourings such as anthocyanins and lycopene; bacon bits are smoked with beech wood [0][1][3][7].
Go-to-market
Distribution through major grocery chains — Carrefour in France at launch, and Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Whole Foods Market and Planet Organic in the UK, with plant-based ham listed at Tesco in 2024 — combined with restaurant partnerships including Honest Burger, Byron, Bill's, Oowee Burger and Vurger. The company also runs awareness and sampling campaigns and launched its first TV advertisement, and uses a humorous brand voice with mock celebrity endorsements on its website [0][1][5][7].
Retail grocery shoppers and restaurant/foodservice operators; consumers targeted include vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters seeking pork alternatives without changing eating habits [1][4][7].
Geography
Headquartered in France with products manufactured in the Vendée region; core markets are France and the United Kingdom, with more than 8,200 retail and restaurant partners cited across Europe. The company has stated ambitions for wider European and US awareness [0][1][5][7].
History
Founded in 2019; commercial launch in October 2021 with veggie bacon for foodservice and veggie lardons in Carrefour in France. In January 2022 the company announced a €25M Series A led by Seventure and said it planned to hire 40 people, doubling headcount, and to enter the UK and wider Europe. It subsequently expanded into UK retail and foodservice and broadened its range to ham, salami, meatballs, aperitif items, sandwiches and tofu. In 2024 it launched plant-based ham at Tesco and club sandwiches in France, appointed Arnaud Bachelier as Chairman of the Board, and in October 2024 announced a further €25M round taking three-year fundraising to €50M [0][1][5][6][7].
Risks & controversies
The sources note that the round was completed against a backdrop of a 36% decline in food tech investment and difficulties for many plant-based companies, indicating sector-level funding and demand risk. No company-specific controversies are described in the available sources [5][6].
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 8
launches, deals, and filingsLa Vie raised €25 million from historical shareholders, new specialised investors Zintinus and Sparkfood, and a crowd equity campaign with over 3,000 investors described as France's largest, bringing total raised over three years to €50 million. Funds are directed at distribution in France and the UK, product innovation, and awareness/sampling campaigns including a first TV ad.
La Vie products are sold in Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Whole Foods Market and Planet Organic in the UK, and used by restaurant chains including Honest Burger, Byron, Bill's, Oowee Burger and Vurger.
Arnaud Bachelier, former GM and CFO of MOM Group, was appointed Chairman of the Board of La Vie.
The company introduced a range of plant-based club sandwiches in France.
La Vie listed its plant-based ham at UK supermarket chain Tesco.
La Vie's plant-based bacon was awarded the Snacking d'Or and the Saveur de l'Année 2023 title, alongside international innovation and taste trophies; in the UK it was voted 'best plant-based bacon'.
La Vie announced a €25 million Series A round led by Seventure with Oyster Bay, Capagro, Partech, Entrepreneur First and Capital Blue, plus business angels including Natalie Portman, Oatly board chairman Eric Melloul, Back Market CEO Thibaud Hug de Larauze, Vinted CEO Thomas Lodewijk Plantenga and BlaBlaCar founder Frederic Mazzella. Proceeds were earmarked for innovation, range extension and distribution in France, the UK and the rest of Europe.
La Vie launched its first products, plant-based bacon for foodservice and plant-based lardons, listed in Carrefour hypermarkets and supermarkets across France.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- La Vielaviefoods.com · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does La Vie do?
- French foodtech making plant-based pork substitutes — bacon, lardons, ham, sausage and tofu — sold in retail and foodservice.
- Who founded La Vie?
- La Vie was founded by Nicolas Schweitzer, Vincent Poulichet in 2019.
- Who are La Vie's investors?
- La Vie's investors include Bleu Capital, Entrepreneur First, Oyster Bay Venture Capital, Zintinus.
- Where is La Vie headquartered?
- La Vie is headquartered in Paris, FR.