Interview: Alex & Ross Longton, founders of Tiba Tempeh

We’ve all sat in our favourite restaurant on holiday, tucked into the locals’ special of the day, and vowed to try and replicate the dish when we get home.

Alex and Ross Longton did just that – and more.

They’ve gone from tasting tempeh for the first time at a beachside restaurant on Indonesia’s picturesque Gili Islands seven years ago, to creating a multi-million-pound business.

Welcome to Tiba Tempeh, where everything starts with three simple, natural ingredients –whole soy beans, live culture and water.

All naturally fermented into a tasty and healthy high-protein block, which can be sliced, diced or grated and used in stir fries, curries and pasta dishes, its range includes a smoky block, marinated pieces and tempeh mince.

The then young couple – who are now married and living near Newcastle with their two young children Jack and Lara – were still tucking into their first mouthfuls of a local tempeh speciality when they started researching it online.

Full of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals, they knew instantly they’d unearthed a plant-based superfood, barely known in the UK, which could be the start of their entrepreneurial dreams.

They also knew it would meet the needs of vegans, vegetarians like Alex, and the increasing number of people like Ross, who are seeking to reduce their meat intake while increasing their protein consumption.

Tiba Tempeh was launched in 2019 – Tiba (tee-bah) is the Indonesian word for arrive – and it is today the fastest-growing chilled meat-free product in the UK, occupying the shelves of major supermarkets both here and on the continent.

Alex says: “I remember we Googled it straightaway and thought, ‘this is the idea we’ve been waiting for’.

“We hired a little scooter the next day, and went around Bali to all the shops, buying all the different types of tempeh, which is traditionally wrapped in banana leaves.

“It was everywhere you went.

“We tried just about everything we could on that first trip.

“We then flew back to the UK, started our research and looked for manufacturers to help us make it at scale.

“We flew to Europe, hired a car and drove it around to factories that could potentially work with us – who hadn’t replied to our emails or phone calls – and knocked on the door.

“We went back to Indonesia the following year and visited Java, where tempeh was invented more than 300 years ago, and worked with a ‘Tempeh Master’, as he was called, who taught us exactly how to make the best tempeh.”

Ross adds: “It was good to really immerse ourselves in that world.

“Day in, day out, we were making tempeh and understanding all about it.”

While its story may originate in Bali, the company is now based in Ponteland, near Newcastle.

And the Longtons have ambitions to become the number one tempeh brand in the world.

“It’s all about thinking big,” says Ross, who is a Northumbria University graduate and former Ponteland High School pupil.

He adds: “We’ve got global aspirations; we’re already in some of the biggest supermarkets in the UK, Spain and France, but we’ve got to build it steadily and sustainably.”

Their ambitious plans were recently boosted by a £1.1 million investment from Maven Capital Partners through the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund II, plus additional funding from Samworth Brothers, the owners of Ginsters and Soreen.

The new round of funding will bring in more staff and enhance marketing, sales and product development.

Ross says: “The investors are absolutely paramount, they help to accelerate the brand’s growth. I think Maven love it too.

“They’ve invested a lot in tech in the North East, and I think they love the simplicity you get with our product.

“Everyone has to eat and they really understood what we were trying to do with a more nutritious, healthy and sustainable product, which also addresses the huge need to find alternatives to meat.

“Unlike most meat-free products, our tempeh is made with natural ingredients and it’s minimally processed.

“It’s not trying to replicate anything; it’s a bit like tofu but tastier and more nutritious, with nearly double the protein content.

“People love the idea of trying something new and experimenting, and we know once people try it, they will buy it, which is exciting.”

Alex and Ross first met while working for Kraft Heinz more than ten years ago, so it is perhaps no surprise they combined to create a business taking the food industry by storm.

Brazilian Alex left her family home in Rio de Janeiro at the age of 15 to study in New Zealand – even though she could not speak English – and worked at Heinz headquarters near London, where Ross was established in marketing.

Alex says: “I did an international business degree in London, got a job offer at Heinz and when I looked at their address, the office was actually behind my house, literally 100 metres away.

“Ross had been there for four years – one of those talented people who came through the ranks quite quickly – and I progressed my career in the sales department.

“It was a huge corporate business, with about 400 people in the building, and we first bumped into each other in the corridor.

“My colleague then had a birthday party, invited Ross to come along and we got chatting.

“When we went out for our first dinner together, we had a conversation about what business ideas we had.

“Ross has built brands and new products, and always had the ambition to launch his own business, and I’ve got experience in sales and have had that entrepreneurial spirit in me since I was young.”

When they launched Tiba Tempeh, they initially worked after hours, while continuing to work full-time, before Alex quit to focus on the business and Ross eventually joined her within three years.

They then moved operations and headquarters to the North East.

Ross says: “It was Alex’s idea.

“She loves the people, and we both wanted to be closer to family and friends.

“Newcastle is our base and the investment will allow us to anchor ourselves and recruit here, which is so important for us.

“Hopefully, we can help galvanise and grow the food industry in the North East and attract more food businesses.”

Adopted Geordie Alex adds: “It took us about a year to build the operations and the supply chain.

“And when we presented it to the first customer, which was Planet Organic in London, the meeting went so well that the listing was agreed and I pretty much gave up my job.

“A couple of years after that, once we had a much bigger business, Ross gave up his corporate career, joined me full-time and we relocated here during COVID-19.

“Now we run it as a husband and wife business; we work alongside each other, and it’s the dream come true.

“Plus, I absolutely love it here. It’s our home. I would never move back to Brazil.”

Working as a husband and wife team has its challenges, Ross concedes, but they are clearly thoroughly enjoying it.

He adds: “You’re probably the most honest with your wife – and it can be amazing working together.

“If Alex doesn’t like something, she will say ‘well, that’s rubbish’.

“Sometimes that’s really helpful; you don’t have to walk around on eggshells, as you might in the corporate environment.

“You can say what you think.

“Sometimes you can be too honest with each other, which can create quite high tension, but we’re aware of it, and we wouldn’t change anything.”

As well as supplying restaurants and recipe box providers, plus Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Aldi and Ocado – not to mention Carrefour in France and Spain – Tiba Tempeh is now in 200 Waitrose stores across the country, including one in Ponteland.

If ever there was a moment of significance for the whole Longton family, it was the day their beloved boxes appeared in the Northumberland town’s Waitrose store.

Alex says: “We took our son with us, and he was just as excited as we were to spot our products on the shelf.

“When we moved up here, Ross did a lot of talking to customers in that store, to understand what we should do with our packaging and product.

“Even though we launched our brand six years ago, we’ve made a lot of changes and evolved the brand to appeal to the likes of Waitrose customers.

“I always say having kids is amazing, it’s incredible.

“It’s also really hard work, but when you see them growing and doing good things, it makes you really proud.

“It’s the same with our business.

“It’s our little baby that we launched six years ago, and the pride in seeing ourselves on the shelves in our local shop was the same.

“It’s just so exciting.”