A women’s health and nutrition business whose founders were once laughed out of investor meetings has grown into a £42 million company, with ambitions to more than double sales within two years.
Free Soul, founded by mother-and-son duo Rohini and Arjun Sofat in 2017, recorded sales of £42 million in the year to April 2026, up from £35.4 million the previous year. The London-based business is targeting turnover of £100 million by 2028. Its products are now stocked by Boots, Tesco and Holland & Barrett and the company ranked tenth in the latest Sunday Times 100 fastest-growing private companies list.
The business was launched after Rohini, 57, turned to exercise and supplements while supporting her husband through a serious illness. She found the market offered little tailored to women beyond weight loss and appearance. “When they pitched the idea to investors, people didn’t believe in female health and wellbeing then,” said Arjun, 32. “It was a two-minute conversation and that happened again and again.”
Despite the setbacks, the pair pressed ahead. After Arjun left his analyst role at Barclays Investment Bank in 2017, they cold-called nutritionists until one agreed to help develop their first product, a vegan protein powder combining several micronutrients.
Unable to afford manufacturers’ minimum orders, which would have cost more than £100,000, Arjun started a construction business alongside gardening work to raise funds. The proceeds helped finance their first pallet of Free Soul stock. The founders also taught themselves website development and social media advertising through YouTube tutorials, while travelling to gyms across London from 4am to distribute samples and gather customer feedback.
Free Soul secured a launch with Superdrug in 2019, followed by Holland & Barrett in March 2020, just as the UK entered its first Covid lockdown. The disruption accelerated the company’s focus on ecommerce, including expansion on Amazon and greater investment in social media advertising.
The business made its first hire in 2021, when angel investor Sonny Arora also invested. Free Soul has raised more than £500,000 in total, although the founders have since bought back part of the investment. It now employs around 50 people.
The company already sells wholesale in South Africa, France, the Middle East and the Netherlands, with the US among its next major targets.
“We think this financial year we’ll be able to go abroad,” Arjun said. “The US is really interesting, so we’re looking at that very closely.”
For the Sofats, the journey has transformed a business once dismissed by investors into a fast-growing player in the women’s wellness market.
