Sunfed Meats
Sunfed Meats was a New Zealand food-technology company that produced clean-label, whole-cut plant-based proteins (Chicken Free Chicken, Bull Free Beef, Boar Free Bacon) from yellow pea protein using proprietary water-based manufacturing, sold through major Woolworths, Foodstuffs, Countdown, and Coles supermarkets in New Zealand and Australia before concluding operations in January 2026 via solvent wind-up.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersAuckland, New Zealand
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Sunfed Meats does
Sunfed Meats (legal entity Sunfed Limited) was a New Zealand-based food-technology and advanced manufacturing company that produced clean-label, whole-cut plant-based protein alternatives from premium yellow pea protein. Founded by Shama Sukul Lee and incorporated in 2015, the company engineered proprietary water-based protein distillation and cold-chain manufacturing processes developed in-house at its vertically integrated production facility in Auckland. Its core product portfolio comprised three trademarks: Chicken Free Chicken (chilled meaty chunks), Bull Free Beef (raw prime diced and mince), and Boar Free Bacon (premium hickory). All products were formulated to be allergen-free, gluten-free, soy-free, GMO-free, and preservative-free, delivering roughly 37g of protein per serving with high iron, zinc, and B-vitamin content.
The business model was B2C sale of branded packaged goods through major supermarket chains. Sunfed distributed through Woolworths in New Zealand and Australia, Foodstuffs and Countdown in New Zealand, and Coles in Australia, with products sold across both chilled and frozen formats. The company generated revenue through one-time unit sales at retailer-set price points, focusing on health-conscious consumers, flexitarians, and vegan/vegetarian shoppers seeking meat-like taste and texture without common allergens. It was initially funded by an angel round from Hayden Lee, followed by a NZD 1.5M seed round and a NZD 10M Series A led by Blackbird Ventures with Quadrant Private Equity participation in late 2018.
Despite category-defining products, sustained retail ranging, multiple industry awards, and strong consumer demand evidenced by repeated sell-outs, Sunfed concluded operations in January 2026 via a solvent, orderly wind-up, returning surplus capital to shareholders and meeting all employee entitlements with no creditors. The wind-up reflected a strategic divergence with the lead VC investor, whose software-style, valuation-driven growth expectations conflicted with the capital and time requirements of scaling hard-tech food manufacturing and FMCG infrastructure.
Sunfed Meats firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sunfed Meats
- Legal name
- Sunfed Limited
- Website
- https://sunfed.world
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sunfed Meats was a New Zealand food-technology company that produced clean-label, whole-cut plant-based proteins (Chicken Free Chicken, Bull Free Beef, Boar Free Bacon) from yellow pea protein using proprietary water-based manufacturing, sold through major Woolworths, Foodstuffs, Countdown, and Coles supermarkets in New Zealand and Australia before concluding operations in January 2026 via solvent wind-up.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sunfed Meats industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plant-Based Meat Alternatives
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Finished Meat-Alternative Prepared Foods (Nuggets, Burgers, Sausages, Ready Meals) (AFANAKAO)
Keywords
Where Sunfed Meats is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Auckland
- HQ country
- New Zealand
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sunfed Meats business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Plant-Based Protein Product Sales: Sunfed generated revenue through sales of its plant-based protein products (Chicken Free Chicken, Bull Free Beef, Boar Free Bacon) through major retail supermarket chains including Woolworths, Foodstuffs, Countdown, and Coles. Products were sold through both chilled and frozen formats.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Sunfed Meats product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sunfed Meats manufactured and sold clean-label, whole-cut plant-based meat alternatives — Chicken Free Chicken™, Bull Free Beef™ (diced and mince), and Boar Free Bacon™ — made from premium yellow pea protein using proprietary water-based protein distillation and a vertically integrated cold-chain production facility in Auckland, New Zealand. Products were allergen-free (gluten-free, soy-free), GMO-free, and preservative-free, designed to substitute directly for animal meat in home cooking. Sunfed distributed its products through major supermarket chains in New Zealand (Woolworths, Foodstuffs, Countdown) and Australia (Woolworths AU, Coles) until concluding operations via solvent wind-up in January 2026.
Product overview
Sunfed Meats is a New Zealand-based food-technology company that makes clean-label, whole-cut plant-based proteins. The company's flagship product portfolio consists of three core plant-based meat alternatives: Chicken Free Chicken™ (chicken-style chunks), Bull Free Beef™ (diced steak and mince), and Boar Free Bacon™ (bacon rashers). All products are made from yellow pea protein using proprietary water-based manufacturing processes. The company operated from 2014-2015 inception through January 2026 when it concluded via solvent wind-up.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Chicken Free Chicken™: Plant-based chicken alternative made from yellow pea protein, described as the flagship product.
- Bull Free Beef™
- Boar Free Bacon™
Products and services
- Chicken Free Chicken™ (Wild Meaty Chunks) Lean and clean plant-based chicken alternative made from premium yellow pea protein; provides full meaty texture and cooks in 5 minutes. Designed as a direct substitute for chicken pieces in any recipe, targeted at health-conscious, flexitarian, and vegan/vegetarian consumers purchasing through supermarket retail.
- Bull Free Beef™ (Raw Prime Diced) Plant-based beef alternative made from premium yellow pea protein and cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil; high in protein, iron, zinc, Vitamins D and B12, and dietary fibre. Substitutes for beef pieces in recipes and targets consumers seeking allergen-free, nutrient-dense beef alternatives.
- Bull Free Beef™ (Raw Prime Mince) Plant-based beef mince alternative made from yellow pea protein, beetroot, cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil, and cocoa butter; high in protein, iron, zinc, Vitamins D and B12, and dietary fibre. Designed to substitute for mince in any recipe.
- Boar Free Bacon™ (Premium Hickory) Plant-based bacon alternative made from premium yellow pea protein and 100% Australian cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil with hickory smoke flavour. Quick to cook and substitutes directly for bacon rashers in recipes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Produced same amount of protein as beef with 113x less greenhouse gases
Companies that use Sunfed Meats
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sunfed Meats technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Sunfed Meats partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Woolworths (NZ & AU)corePrimary retail distribution partner with continuous product ranging in both New Zealand and Australia since market launch. Deep distribution achieved demonstrating sustained retailer confidence and consumer demand.
- Foodstuffs (NZ)coreMajor New Zealand supermarket chain partner with continuous product ranging since market launch.
- CountdowncoreNew Zealand supermarket chain offering Sunfed products nationwide for online and in-store purchase.
- ColescoreAustralian supermarket chain partner for expansion into Australian market. Chicken Free Chicken launched in Coles in 2019.
- Aaron Brunet (Masterchef NZ)minorMasterchef NZ winner partnered with Sunfed to provide cooking tips and guide for preparing Chicken Free Chicken products.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sunfed Meats competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Beyond Meat: US-based plant-based meat pioneer making pea-protein burgers, sausages, and chicken alternatives for major grocery and foodservice retailers. Most directly comparable to Sunfed by raw material (yellow pea protein), clean-label positioning, and supermarket-led GTM in two-market footprint at its early stage.
- v2food: Australia-based plant-based meat brand ranging in major Australian supermarkets. Directly comparable to Sunfed's chicken-free/burger SKUs in the same ANZ retail channels and category, making it Sunfed's closest geographic direct competitor.
Broad incumbents
- Impossible Foods: US plant-based meat leader with capital scale orders of magnitude larger (~$2B raised per company disclosure). Comparable by product category and whole-cut ambition, but uses soy-heme technology rather than yellow pea protein and operates at much broader global scale — making it a relevant benchmark rather than direct competitor.
- Quorn: UK-based established meat alternative brand using mycoprotein fermentation technology. Comparable whole-cut positioning and grocery distribution, although technology platform (fungal fermentation vs pea protein) and geographic lead market differ.
- MorningStar Farms: Long-established refrigerated/frozen plant-based protein brand (Kellanova subsidiary). Comparable by mass-market grocery distribution model and meat-alternative category leadership, with broad frozen meat-replacement portfolio analogous to Sunfed's Chicken Free/Bull Free/Boar Free range.
- Lightlife (Greenleaf Foods): Canada-based plant-based brand under Greenleaf Foods (Maple Leaf). Comparable to Sunfed's clean-label positioning with mainline grocery SKUs (sausages, burgers) and similar scaling challenges in the broad plant-based category.
Emerging players
- Tofurky: Independent US plant-based brand focused on deli slices, bacon-style strips, and ground alternatives. Comparable on clean-label positioning and Bacon-style product analog (Boar Free Bacon), although smaller-scale and soy-based rather than pea-based.
- Alpha Foods: US DTC and grocery plant-based brand with comparable frozen/chilled chicken alternative and ground analogues. Smaller-scale competitor with overlapping SKU categories to Sunfed's portfolio.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sunfed Meats social profiles
Digital presenceSunfed Meats financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sunfed Meats leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Sunfed Meats funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sunfed Meats M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sunfed Meats
What does Sunfed Meats do?
Sunfed Meats manufactured and sold clean-label, whole-cut plant-based meat alternatives — Chicken Free Chicken™, Bull Free Beef™ (diced and mince), and Boar Free Bacon™ — made from premium yellow pea protein using proprietary water-based protein distillation and a vertically integrated cold-chain production facility in Auckland, New Zealand. Products were allergen-free (gluten-free, soy-free), GMO-free, and preservative-free, designed to substitute directly for animal meat in home cooking. Sunfed distributed its products through major supermarket chains in New Zealand (Woolworths, Foodstuffs, Countdown) and Australia (Woolworths AU, Coles) until concluding operations via solvent wind-up in January 2026.
Is Sunfed Meats a public or private company?
Sunfed Meats is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently closed.
When was Sunfed Meats founded?
Sunfed Meats was founded in 2015. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sunfed Meats based?
Sunfed Meats is headquartered in Auckland, New Zealand, in the Oceania region.
How does Sunfed Meats make money?
One revenue line is on record: plant-Based Protein Product Sales.
Who are Sunfed Meats's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Beyond Meat and v2food. Broad incumbents are Impossible Foods, Quorn, MorningStar Farms and Lightlife (Greenleaf Foods). Emerging players are Tofurky and Alpha Foods.
Does Sunfed Meats have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sunfed Meats.
What industry is Sunfed Meats in?
Sunfed Meats's product category is Plant-Based Meat Alternatives. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFANAKAO, Finished Meat-Alternative Prepared Foods (Nuggets, Burgers, Sausages, Ready Meals). Its SIC code is 2000.