It’s no secret that plant-based food is dominating the industry. In January, Veganuary celebrated reaching 2 million participants since it began in 2014. And it’s not stopping there, a report published by Sainsbury’s’ predicted that by 2025 vegan and vegetarians would make up a quarter of the British population, whilst flexitarians would make up just under half.
With more and more people wanting to sink their teeth into a plant-based lifestyle we look at five brands that are pioneering this change.
B-Corp certified brand Allplants was founded in 2017 by brothers Jonathan and Alex Petrides. Their goal was to inspire people to eat a plant-based diet by sending healthy and chef-made frozen meals to their doors that didn’t have a negative impact on the planet.
Fast-forward 5 years later and they’ve raised £38 million in Series B funding (the largest ever Series B raised by a plant-based food company in Europe) which they plan to use to expand their kitchen in North London to 6 times its current size to meet growing demand.
Their selection of frozen meals includes a ‘meat lovers bundle’ and the ‘cheesetarian bundle.’ (Still 100% plant-based). With options such as bolognese, chicken katsu curry and mac and cheese it makes it easy for any meat eater considering a vegan diet.
Based in the Netherlands, Vivera has been providing consumers with meat alternatives since the 90s. Whether it’s their steak (which sold out in some supermarkets within a day of its launch) or a kebab, there’s an array of options for meat lovers to try their favorite dish in a more sustainable way.
Sustainability is a big focus for Vivera moving forward, they’re hoping to become B-Corp certified in the next 2 years. Their packaging is created from FSC-certified cardboard and is easy to recycle. The trays that are used are made from 100% recycled PET bottles (and by using thinner plastic, they have reduced consumption by 17%).
Based in Thessalonica in Greece, Violife produce dairy-free cheese alternatives, ranging from mozzarella to camembert.
But unlike their real cheese counterparts that they’re based on, Violife products produce less than half the climate footprint and occupy less than one third of the land when compared to the same amount of dairy cheese, according to a study conducted with sustainability consultant Quantis.
Violife’s products still promise to melt, grill, toast & roast just like their predecessors.
Founded by Sarah Augustine and Simon Day in 2018, Squeaky Bean’s specialty lies in plant-based deli-style meats that create easy and convenient lunchtime dishes – think pastrami and chorizo slices.
Squeaky Bean was announced as Plant Based Manufacturer of the Year at the Food Manufacture Excellence Awards 2021. They received high praise for their ready-to-eat plant-based chicken pieces they created after seeing how high consumer demand was for chicken alternatives with the right taste and texture.
During the pandemic they collaborated on a home delivery box service through the app (which usually supplies restaurants) to ensure people were still able to get their vegan fix amid lockdown.
Matteo and Nick were both working in a local pub when they discovered the demand from consumers for vegan and gluten-free pizzas.
It was here that the idea of White Rabbit was born, and since that moment the duo haven’t looked back. Their range now includes pizza, pasta and focaccia. Whilst they have also recently released a first of its kind gluten-free and vegan calzone.
Whilst still in their infancy, the brand has already won multiple awards and is stocked in major supermarkets including Morrisons, Co-op, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s and Ocado.
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