Years lands growth funding as recall clouds expansion plans
Bottom line
UK dog food company Years said on July 1 that it had secured a growth investment from Verlinvest and Five Seasons Ventures to expand its “Cupboard Fresh” brand across retail and European markets. The Nottingham-based company, founded in 2023 by Darren Beale and Ivan Barashki, said the funding will support retail growth, international expansion, and board additions from both investors. Years says it has shipped more than 12 million personalized meals since launch and recently expanded into more than 460 Pets at Home stores in the UK. (verlinvest.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the deal is another sign that fresh-feeding formats are moving further into mainstream retail, with shelf-stable “fresh” products positioned as a convenience alternative to frozen or refrigerated diets. Years is marketing its meals as veterinary nutritionist-designed and tailored for healthy ageing, digestion, and calorie needs, which reflects the broader premiumization trend pet parents are seeing at point of sale. But the news also lands against a more complicated backdrop: Years has separately recalled all fresh dog meals after reports of sudden bilateral dry eye and vision loss in some dogs, with buckwheat under investigation as a possible factor. That makes the company’s growth story relevant not just commercially, but clinically and from a trust-and-safety standpoint. (verlinvest.com)
What to watch: Watch for whether Years can keep its European expansion plans on track while managing the recall investigation and any resulting veterinary, regulatory, or retailer scrutiny. (verlinvest.com)
Years, a UK-based dog food company that says it pioneered the “Cupboard Fresh” category, has brought in growth capital from Verlinvest and Five Seasons Ventures as it pushes into broader retail distribution and mainland Europe. The investment was announced July 1, 2026, with both firms describing Years as a next-generation premium pet nutrition play built around shelf-stable, wholefood-style meals. (verlinvest.com)
The company was founded in 2023 by Darren Beale and Ivan Barashki, and has built its pitch around solving a practical problem in fresh feeding: how to offer minimally processed-style meals without frozen storage or cold-chain logistics. According to Verlinvest’s announcement, Years uses proprietary “Cupboard Fresh” technology to produce ambient-stable meals with up to 18 months of shelf life, while still positioning the product as fresh, complete, and tailored. The company says it has shipped more than 12 million personalized meals and recently expanded into more than 460 Pets at Home stores, a notable step for a brand that began in direct-to-consumer subscription. (verlinvest.com)
That retail angle helps explain the strategic fit for investors. Verlinvest said the partnership is meant to accelerate international expansion, deepen retail partnerships, and support omnichannel growth, while Five Seasons Ventures framed Years as the “next evolution” of fresh pet nutrition because it combines premium positioning with ambient distribution. GlobalPETS reported that the company had posted more than 80% year-over-year growth and was using the financing as part of a broader push into mainland Europe, where distribution efficiency and retail scalability matter. (verlinvest.com)
The product itself is central to the thesis. Years markets chef-cooked, personalized meals formulated by a board-certified veterinary nutritionist, with recipes tailored by breed, age, activity, and other factors. On its website, the company lists pre-soaked buckwheat among ingredients in at least one chicken recipe at 7.2%, which is notable because Years has since issued a separate recall of all fresh dog meals after reports of sudden bilateral dry eye, or KCS, that in some dogs progressed to vision loss. Source reporting indicates the company is investigating buckwheat as a potential cause. That doesn’t negate the investment announcement, but it does materially change the context in which veterinary teams may view the brand. (years.com)
Public expert commentary has been limited so far, but the available signals point to active veterinary involvement. Years has said, in a public statement quoted in online discussion, that it appointed an independent consultant, worked with an RCVS specialist in veterinary clinical nutrition, and discussed case data with several veterinary ophthalmologists to shape testing. Separately, pet parent posts on Reddit described ophthalmologists advising them to stop feeding Years after seeing multiple similar cases, though those accounts are anecdotal and not a substitute for formal case review. More broadly, ACVO notes that KCS is commonly diagnosed in dogs and that immune-mediated inflammation is the most common cause, underscoring why any suspected diet-associated cluster would draw unusual attention from clinicians. (reddit.com)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, this story sits at the intersection of nutrition innovation, retail change, and pharmacovigilance-style signal detection. Shelf-stable fresh formats could broaden access for pet parents who want fresh feeding without freezer storage, and they may give clinics and retailers a new category to discuss when counseling on diet. At the same time, the recall linked to ocular adverse-event reports is a reminder that novel formulations, ingredient changes, and fast-scaling brands can create new monitoring challenges. If more cases are confirmed and a causal mechanism is established, the episode could shape how veterinarians question diet history in acute ophthalmic presentations and how emerging pet food formats are scrutinized. (verlinvest.com)
For the industry, the deal also reinforces how active European pet investors remain in premium nutrition. Five Seasons has prior exposure to the space, including Butternut Box, and Verlinvest highlighted its longer pet-sector track record. That suggests investors still see room for differentiated feeding models, especially those that can bridge direct-to-consumer and brick-and-mortar retail. But Years now has to prove that its operational and clinical response to the recall is as scalable as its distribution model. (verlinvest.com)
What to watch: The next key developments are likely to be the outcome of the recall investigation, any retailer or regulator response, and whether Years continues expanding in Europe on the timeline outlined in July, or pauses to address safety, reimbursement, and brand-trust issues first. (verlinvest.com)