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Hooked Foods developed a range of plant-based food products designed to offer consumers nutritious and sustainable alternatives to traditional seafood and meat. The company focused on creating protein-rich options with short ingredient lists, aiming for excellent taste and high quality. Their offerings included plant-based fish and meat substitutes, emphasizing health benefits and environmental responsibility in their product formulation and development process.
The company was co-founded in 2019 by Tom Johansson and Emil Wasteson, driven by an insight into the growing need for more sustainable food systems and a desire to reduce the environmental impact of conventional animal agriculture. Johansson and Wasteson embarked on a mission to innovate within the food tech space, focusing on plant-based alternatives that did not compromise on flavor or nutritional value.
Hooked Foods’ products were aimed at everyday consumers seeking convenient, healthy, and ethical meal options available in grocery stores and foodservice. The company envisioned contributing to a broader shift towards a more sustainable consumption of protein. However, Hooked Foods ceased operations and filed for bankruptcy in January 2026, concluding its efforts in the plant-based food market.
Hooked Foods has raised $5.6M across 2 funding rounds.
Hooked Foods has raised $5.6M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Hooked Foods has raised $5.6M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Hooked Foods's investors include Big Idea Ventures, SOSV.
Hooked Foods is a Swedish food tech startup founded in 2019 that develops and sells plant-based alternatives to seafood, such as vegan tuna (Toonish), salmon (Salmoonish), fish sticks, tuna spreads, and recently expanded into plant-based chicken products.[2][3] It serves restaurants, grocers, and major retailers like ICA Gruppen and Coop Sverige in Sweden, and is expanding into Germany via partnerships, targeting consumers seeking sustainable options free from overfishing, bycatch, microplastics, and toxins.[1][2][3] The company solves the environmental crisis in oceans by replicating the taste, texture, and nutrition of animal-based seafood using plant proteins, with strong growth including 25% month-over-month sales increases in 2022 and new product launches in Sweden's largest chains starting October 2024.[3]
Hooked Foods was co-founded in 2019 by CEO Tom Johansson and Emil Wasteson in Sweden, driven by concerns over threatened fish stocks, overfishing, ocean pollution, and unbalanced marine ecosystems.[2][3][4] The idea emerged from a mission to promote sustainable fish consumption through innovative plant-based alternatives, starting with Toonish (vegan tuna) for restaurants before expanding to retail shelves in 2022 with products like Salmoonish salmon.[1][2][3] Early traction came from B2B restaurant sales, followed by explosive retail growth—reporting 300% estimated yearly growth in 2022—and pivotal moves like a German market entry via sales agency Ooha and crowdfunding, plus recent portfolio diversification into vegan chicken based on retailer and consumer feedback.[1][3]
Hooked Foods rides the surging plant-based protein trend, addressing global overfishing and seafood sustainability amid rising demand for alt-proteins in Europe—exemplified by its entry into Germany, Europe's largest plant-based market.[1][2] Timing aligns with evolving consumer preferences for transparent, eco-friendly foods, as seen in packaging updates and retailer partnerships driving category expansion beyond seafood into chicken.[3] Market forces like regulatory pushes for ocean health and flexitarian shifts favor its scalable HME tech, positioning it as a challenger against giants like Nestlé while influencing the ecosystem through retail penetration, foodservice exploration, and tools enabling efficient scaling.[1][4]
Hooked Foods is poised for accelerated European expansion, with Germany as a launchpad for retail dominance by late 2024 and potential foodservice deals, alongside further product diversification to match dynamic market demands.[1][3] Trends like precision fermentation, hybrid proteins, and sustainability mandates will shape its path, bolstered by operational efficiencies from integrations like Tracezilla.[4] Its influence may evolve from Nordic niche player to pan-European leader in alt-seafood, humanizing sustainable eating and pressuring incumbents—ultimately advancing the shift to ocean-friendly consumption that sparked its founding.[2]
Hooked Foods has raised $5.6M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $5.0M Seed in September 2021.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 1, 2021 | $5.0M Seed | Big Idea Ventures | |
| Dec 1, 2020 | $600K Seed | Big Idea Ventures, SOSV |
