UK-Based Cupboard Fresh Dog Food Brand Years Partners with Verlinvest, Five Seasons Ventures

Years, a UK-based pet nutrition company pioneering the Cupboard Fresh category, has announced a growth investment from Verlinvest and Five Seasons Ventures, two leading consumer investors with deep pet sector expertise.

The partnership will support the company’s next phase of expansion as it scales across retail channels and European markets, meeting growing consumer demand for premium, health-focused, and convenient nutrition solutions.

Founded in 2023 by Darren Beale and Ivan Barashki, Years was built on a simple belief: that fresh, minimally processed wholefoods are meaningfully better for dogs’ long-term health and can be made more accessible for pet owners. Its proprietary Cupboard Fresh technology enables the use of fresh, high-quality ingredients while delivering the benefits of ambient storage and distribution, resulting in nutritionally complete, wholefood meals with up to 18 months of shelf life. Designed by veterinary nutritionists, the meals prioritize healthy ageing, digestion, and tailored caloric needs.

Since launch, Years has shipped more than 12 million personalised meals, with each meal tailored to a dog’s weight, age and nutritional profile. Most recently, the company expanded its retail footprint through a landmark partnership with Pets at Home, making its range available across more than 460 stores in the UK as well as online.

Beale, Co-founder & CEO of Years, said: “We founded Years to challenge the assumption that fresh pet food must come with logistical compromises. By combining research-backed nutritional quality with ambient convenience, we’ve created a new category that resonates with modern pet owners. With Verlinvest and Five Seasons Ventures as partners, we’re positioned to accelerate our mission across Europe.”

Barashki, Co-founder & CTO of Years, added: “That proposition is resonating well beyond the fresh feeding community, with 66% of our subscribers previously feeding their dogs kibble or wet food, meaning we are successfully redefining how pet owners approach their pets’ nutrition. With Verlinvest and Five Seasons Ventures behind us, we can take another giant step towards our mission of giving dog owners more years together with their dogs.”

Verlinvest and Five Seasons Ventures will work closely with Years’ leadership to accelerate international expansion, deepen retail partnerships, and bring the brand’s premium nutrition offering to new markets. Ivan Farneti, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at Five Seasons Ventures, and Anaïs Jollivet, Senior Principal at Verlinvest, will join the Board of Years as the company enters its next phase of development.

Ben Black, Managing Director at Verlinvest, said: “We are delighted to partner with Darren, Ivan and the Years team to accelerate their mission of bringing nutritionally complete, fresh food in a scalable, convenient, ambient format to a wider audience. We are excited for them to join our extensive premium pet portfolio which started over 10 years ago with our investment in Chewy.com, and support their creation of the Cupboard Fresh category on an international basis – unlocking more Years with our pets.”

Ivan Farneti, Partner at Five Seasons Ventures, commented: “At Five Seasons Ventures, we have backed several successful dog and cat food brands and were early believers in the shift towards fresh pet nutrition and subscription models. We see Years as the natural next evolution of this category. By combining the nutritional benefits of fresh food with the convenience of ambient storage, Years is making premium pet nutrition accessible to a much broader consumer base while enabling true omnichannel distribution through both direct-to-consumer and retail channels. We believe Years has the potential to become one of the defining brands in the next generation of pet nutrition.”

Years serves dogs across all breeds and life stages through a range of personalised, chef-cooked wholefood recipes, including seasonal meat dishes, breed-specific functional toppers, and superfood supplements.  The brand is inspired by leading wellbeing and health research and focused on advancing the next generation of pet nutrition through science, quality, and convenience.  Raymond James acted as financial advisor to Years in connection with the transaction.