Joining Rikard today on the Greenhero Podcast is David Pannell, co-founder of Vegan Business Tribe, a community for plant-based entrepreneurs that helps grassroots vegan businesses get off the ground. 

David’s vegan journey started purely through an effort to improve his diet. It actually took him close to 10 years to make a complete transition through meat and dairy reduction. But initially, he found himself gravitating towards unhealthy foods during his time working in a corporate business. But once he began eating vegetarian, he found himself following a rabbit hole of sorts. He came upon a video of male chicks being treated as a waste product in the UK, which ignited his passion for veganism. With his transitory period turning out the way it did, he feels strongly that there is no moral high ground to take over those who are pre-vegan. As he puts it, none of us were born vegan. We started out in the exact same place as everybody else. Now, he and his partner share that mentality through business practice, helping brands understand the consumer journey and the prominence of flexitarianism. The vegan sector has seen massive growth because of it. Especially where David is located in Europe–the idea of veganism is no longer new, and has started to mature.

The Vegan Business Tribe was founded in part, thanks to a spark from a UK vegan activist who pointed out that just because you’ve turned vegan doesn’t mean the impact of animal agriculture was halted and harmful practices have stopped, you’ve just opted out of it. With that in mind, David and his partner realized they could utilize their expertise in growing markets in bolstering vegan businesses. In doing so, they began to work with large brands, understanding the money wasn’t there with individual, smaller-sized companies. However, through collective effort, they could move the vegan scene forward.

A primary hurdle David sees with his clients is they build a business for themselves, not their customers. Spending thousands of dollars on branding, websites, etc. before you have a client base is just a guess. David helps these businesses get their product or service into the hands of customers as soon as possible to start building that following. The approach for growth depends on the business owner as well, with some only having high gear and others taking a less aggressive method. David uses his own business, Vegan Business Tribe, as an example. It was free for a period of time while they built an audience, then he was able to step back and calculate what he wanted to monetize. It was about community first, and as he puts it, it isn’t about the location that brings us together, it’s about ethics. With this global reach and philosophy, he was able to see growth. 

The trends David sees in the vegan marketplace aren’t exactly what you’d expect. Only 50% of his clients have anything to do with food or drink. He is seeing people with existing skills–web designers, programmers, and even lawyers, taking their skillset and applying them to a vegan cause. He’s found that everyone wants an ethical, environmentally conscious supplier and partner. In fact, larger companies can look for such branding as a way to reduce their own impact. 

Things you’ll learn

None of us were born vegan. We started out in the exact same place as everybody else. 

Moving the vegan mission forward toward a more ethical world means utilizing the skills you already have and applying them to veganism.

Much of the vegan market isn’t food and drink–there are shadow industries around vegan brands that include a plethora of careers. 

Links

https://veganbusinesstribe.com/

https://veganbusinesstribe.com/content/podcast/

Today on the Greenhero Podcast, Rickard is joined by Dr. Sunni Patel, founder of Dish Dash Deets, as well as a scientist and gut health influencer that has made it his mission to come up with amazing plant-based recipes and lifestyle plans to help fight gut issues. Dr. Sunni has been featured on Ready Steady Cook, Newsround, and BBC Radio shows. He has helped many people improve problems such as fatigue, mood, immunity, gut, and other health issues using creative evidence-based advice paired with culinary planning and plant-based cooking.

Sunni has been living with inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn's disease since 2014, a condition that is often surrounded by taboo, insecurity, and mental and physical pain. He navigated those challenges until he had a lightbulb moment, as a healthcare professional, he had to turn toward his diet. He cut out dairy and other inflammatory foods before switching to a completely plant-based diet and hasn’t looked back since. Through his personal experience, he made the decision to retrain and utilize his Ph.D. to take a holistic, scientific approach to people’s health with their food and lifestyles. His philosophy is grounded in science and elevated by experience. He works with corporate leaders facing burnout, and people living with IBS and IBD and helps them improve their gut and overall health. 

Gut health, Dr. Sunni reminds us, isn’t just in the stomach. It starts when food enters the body to when it exits. There are certainly ultra-processed foods that impact the bacteria in our gut and create symptoms that many people deem embarrassing, further worsening the problems they’re experiencing. It isn’t just “junk food,” though. It can be overhydration or reduction in fiber. He goes on to note that it isn’t just the foods we consume, but our lifestyle influences our gut health as well. Stress management, addictive behaviors, and using addictive substances (yes, caffeine!) all make a difference in the levels of different bacteria in our gut. It impacts people of all ages and genders, but that data is reliant on who feels comfortable seeking out the help they need. Typically, Dr. Sunni works with people who have been on this journey for a while but are in a place where they are seeking a more functional expert who can help them improve their quality of life without making massive sacrifices.

So, where does a plant-based diet come into play? It’s been proven that having a fiber-rich diet can help alleviate symptoms of IBS and IBD, but beyond fiber, a plant-based diet covers a gamut of health-related areas, providing vital polyphenols, antioxidants, and flavonoids that can be of benefit to people living with chronic, non-communicable diseases like diabetes, cancer, obesity, and heart disease. 

Dr. Sunni and his partner have just launched Queer Health Foundation, which incorporates lifestyle medicine and community to a cohort of individuals who experience many health inequalities. It is meant to allow for more education for practitioners and provide access to services for those that are vulnerable free of charge within the queer community.

Things you’ll learn

It’s been proven that having a fiber-rich diet can help alleviate symptoms of IBS and IBD, but beyond fiber, a plant-based diet covers a gamut of health-related areas.

Gut health, Dr. Sunni reminds us, isn’t just in the stomach. It starts when food enters the body to when it exits.

It isn’t just the foods we consume, but our lifestyle influences our gut health as well. Stress management, addictive behaviors, and using addictive substances (yes, caffeine) all make a difference in the levels of different bacteria in our gut.

Links

https://www.dishdashdeets.com/

@drsunnipatel

On this episode, Rikard is talking with Liz Ross, Founder and Executive Director of Rethink Your Food Inc., a nonprofit focused on change towards a plant-based diet primarily among Caribbean people in the Caribbean region and the diaspora. She is a recipe developer who has created over 90 recipes for the Vegan Caribbean Kickstart project and has worked with catering/food service companies interested in adding plant-based options to their menu. 

Liz was born and raised in Trinidad & Tobago, where her family owns land and grows crops. With that background, Liz then went on to spend more time in the agriculture space when she completed the regenerative farming and food systems farmer apprenticeship program at the University of California Santa Cruz, Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, on their 30-acre organic farm and intentional community, later getting her Bachelor in Science degree from James Madison University and studying permaculture at Occidental Arts and Ecology Center. 

With so many significant sources of influence, including her own experience with health changes, Liz continued her trend by making an impact through Rethink Your Food Inc. She also founded conferences where she truly saw the diversity within the plant-based community. She also saw a lack of initiatives and available resources of information. From those three pillars, she found the mission of Rethink Your Food Inc., acting as a way in which people can get reference information to help promote policy change and institutional change. In addition, she founded the project Vegan Caribbean Kickstart, a tool that enables people to make better food choices and help build a movement, while celebrating Caribbean and Caribbean-Latin American plant-based food culture. It provides a space in which people can experience going to the market, picking their food in the backyard, which is common in the Caribbean, and the experience of cooking and the experience of communicating with others throughout that process.

The experience for Caribbean people living in the US and those in the Caribbean is different, but shares a lot of the same trends. As the diets are primarily higher in meat products, it comes down to ease and education. In the US, there is access to Whole Foods and various plant-based products, whereas in the Caribbean there are myths surrounding plant-based diets. However, in both places, where there is convenient food, people will go. By adapting the Vegan Caribbean program to incorporate cooking, the menu becomes adaptable to what is available to better serve both the US, who may not have traditional ingredients and people in the Caribbean, who may not know what is available to them. The response has been positive and comes from all over the world, both Caribbean natives and immigrants. 

The driving force for these individuals to sign up for the program varies across two major motives: health and animal welfare. All of Liz’s messaging surrounds the two and helps people connect their morals to the way they eat. It’s about a holistic connection to the community, the land, and those that inhabit it. 

Things You’ll Learn

The experience for Caribbean people living in the US and those living in the Caribbean is different but shares a lot of the same trends. It comes down to ease and education. 

Vegan Caribbean Kickstart provides a space in which people can experience going to the market, picking their food, and the experience of cooking.

Ethics play a major role for many–often individuals were vegan or pescetarian before they knew the words existed. It’s about a holistic connection to the community, the land, and those that inhabit it. 

LINKS

https://vegancaribbeankickstart.com/

https://rethinkyourfood.org/

Today on the Greenhero Podcast, Rikard is with the Founder and CEO of Kelewele, Rachel Laryea. Kelewele is a food service and cultural lifestyle brand reimagining plantains and is on a mission to connect with the African diaspora through food, culture, and innovation.

As a child growing up in a traditional Ghanaian home, Rachel eagerly watched her mother fry plantains in the family’s old cast iron, black pot. She quickly grew a love for the fruit for its sweet taste, often paired with savory and spicy flavors. The first plantain dish she ever had was Kelewele, a popular Ghanaian street food consisting of fried plantains marinated in spices and served with groundnuts.

Equipped with a culinary curiosity after years of assisting her mother cook Ghanaian dishes, Rachel embarked college as a broke undergraduate who could always rely on plantains for cheap eats. Additionally, in her transition to a healthier, vegetarian lifestyle, plantains became her go-to ingredient as a nutritionally rich, vegan food. It was during this time that she first began to experiment with plantains by exploring their versatility and pairing them with bold flavors from across the globe. 

Kelewele was built with a desire to see more culturally influenced and culturally framed products in an American context. At the center of it all is the importance and impact being vegan has, and the versatility, accessibility, and cultural significance plantains have. A major part of that was the education surrounding plant-based eating without losing the history and meaning behind the meals.

We’re in a dynamic time, Rachel says, where retailers and corporations are looking to uplift marginalized communities and voices. On top of that, people are looking to have a more meaningful, experienced-based food option. 

The conversation surrounding plant-based foods is present, but not at scale, Rachel points out. It also isn’t at a place that can rival cultural desires just yet. In an African context, for many, meat is a sign of privilege, success, and that you have an elevated social and economic status. It’s something to be proud of. This conversation challenges that.

Things you’ll learn

 At the center of it all is the importance and impact being vegan has, and the versatility, accessibility, and cultural significance plantains have.

 A major part of that was the education surrounding plant-based eating without losing the history and meaning behind the meals.

We’re in a dynamic time, Rachel says, where retailers and corporations are looking to uplift marginalized communities and voices. On top of that, people are looking to have a more meaningful, experienced-based food option. 

LINKS

https://www.kelewelenyc.com/

@kelewelenyc

Welcome back to the Greenhero Podcast! Today’s guest is Brian Kateman, co-founder and executive director of the Reducetarian Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to reducing meat consumption with the aim of creating a more healthy, sustainable, and compassionate world. He’s the author of “Meat Me Halfway” and lead producer of the documentary under the same name. 

As a child, Brian always had an affinity for the natural world and the animals that inhabit the wild. As he grew into a young adult, he became somewhat of an environmentalist in his undergraduate studies. While in school, he was given his first window into factory farming and the horrors that occur in the process. So, he decided to become a vegetarian. The problem, though, would be “falling off the tofu train” when he would be coaxed into a piece of turkey at Thanksgiving and be given a hard time for “not being a vegetarian” despite taking an active role in improving what he consumed. After enough of those experiences, he discovered that what he really wanted to do was cut back. It wasn’t about being perfect. He realized that there were many people in his life that were unlikely to go full vegetarian, but in aggregate, a lot of people making a small change has a significant impact. From that mission came the term “Reducetarian” or someone who's made a commitment to cut back on the number of animal products that they consume, regardless of the degree of reduction or their motivation.

There's no monolith in terms of this movement. There are many different kinds of vegans and vegetarians with their own different philosophies. There is certainly a small percentage of vegetarians that absolutely loathe the idea of creating a movement that's built around accepting that people are flawed. However, the vast majority of vegans and vegetarians understand that it's not always reasonable to expect that most people are going to go vegan or vegetarian without fault, and it’s better to cut back than do nothing at all. 

Everyone is going to have a different entry point to Reducetarian lifestyles. Sometimes it’s climate change, for others it’s animal well-being, and even workers’ rights in factory farms come into play. There's also a major barrier with respect to how people perceive vegan food. If you can present a vegan meal to someone and it actually tastes good, that can actually lower some of the hurdles. Many people also feel the struggle of imperfection–not wanting to make a change because it isn’t perfect. Reframing the space is crucial. You can have those animal products and still have an impact by reducing their consumption of them overall. 

The average person eats over 200 pounds of meat a year. Reducing that by some small percentage–10, 15, 20 percent–is a huge win. It’s about educating people that making an effort is the point of being a Reducetarian. That education is two-fold–the general public and the decision-makers. The vast majority of people choose food based on taste, price, and convenience. It’s about educating the public to put pressure on those who can implement policy change. 

On the horizon for the Reducetarian movement is a fellowship, mentoring students who will hopefully have an impact in the space, as well as more conferences, and exploring food tech.  

Things You’ll Learn

“Reducetarian” is someone who's made a commitment to cut back on the number of animal products that they consume, regardless of the degree of reduction or their motivation

In aggregate, a lot of people making a small change and reducing the amount of meat they consume has a significant impact

The average person eats over 200 pounds of meat a year. Reducing that by some small percentage–10, 15, 20 percent–is a huge win. Having unrealistic expectations are not always the best move

Today’s guest on the Greenhero Podcast is co-founder and Chief Creative Officer at No Evil Foods, Sadrah Schadel. She guided her company's growth from farmer's markets to a national brand fueled by her commitment to animal welfare, social good, and creating killer culinary experiences through simple ingredients. She utilizes the visibility and success of her company as a vehicle to drive transformative impact on social and systemic inequalities, leading No Evil Foods to become the world’s first Certified Plastic Negative plant-based meat brand and a Certified Fair Chance Business. Sadrah provides thought leadership as a Board Member of the Plant Based Foods Association and serves on the Advisory Committee of Inclusive Hiring Partners. She inspires others by telling the authentic story of what it takes to craft a revolution at speaking engagements and summits around the country.

Sadrah and her siblings were all raised vegetarian–something uncommon (to say the least) in the 80s. She’s followed that lifestyle now for 40 years, being vegan for the last 8 consecutive years. As far as transitioning that lifestyle into something that supported her, it came down to aligning her values with her work. Her partner and co-founder, Mike, while working in restaurants, realized that they wanted to make a bigger impact with what they were doing on their homestead by becoming as sustainable and self-sufficient as possible. What they found was that they still purchased much of their plant-based meats, which left them with little flexibility, variability, and versatility in what they ate. So, they sought to create a product that would serve them personally. Ultimately, though, they knew they loved connecting people around food and saw opportunities to help make their community healthier. 

Their goal is to preserve cultural culinary traditions and retain that meaty texture that is found in traditional products. Food is how we communicate, she says, and making sure that isn’t lost in their work is key. 

A major cause for people to turn away from plant-based eating happens when consumers get down to the nuts and bolts of the plant-based products they are eating. When they see that these products really aren’t that much healthier, they tend to revert to what they know. No Evil Foods fits into the space of consumers who are looking for a healthier product with a meat experience. The challenge there is the stigma around plant-based foods being over-processed and having massive ingredient lists. These items are an indulgence, Sadrah says, like something you’d eat out at a restaurant. No Evil Foods brings plant-based eating home. It’s about creating diversity—there are plenty of burgers and nuggets, but that isn’t an everyday meal. This leaves room for category management, differentiating different plant-based products to help consumers understand the foods better. 

Things you’ll learn

Plant-based eating is not new. There are cultures that have been eating plant-based for thousands of years.

A major cause for people to turn away from plant-based eating happens when consumers get down to the nuts and bolts of the plant-based products they are eating. When they see that these products really aren’t that much healthier, they tend to revert to what they know.

The philosophy at No Evil Foods is to create clean ingredients that are high protein and nutrient-dense, texturally rich, enjoyable, versatile, and reflect the way that people are cooking in their kitchens so that they have an opportunity to eat more healthfully to eat in a way that's more sustainable.

LINKS

https://www.noevilfoods.com/

@noevilfoods

Today’s guest on the Greenhero Podcast is Dr. Zubaida Qamar. Dr Qamar has spent years researching the behavioral aspects of nutrition and social and cultural aspects of health in various communities. She is currently leading many projects aimed at improving food insecurity and literacy. 

Dr Qamar’s email signature signs off with the quote “Maslow before Bloom” which speaks to her attitude towards basic needs, specifically food insecurity. Maslow came up with a psychological theory of motivation, which basically says that people’s basic needs must be met before they can achieve higher needs. Bloom developed educational theories and practices. Since Dr Qamar conducts her food insecurity research primarily with college students, she sees how if their basic needs aren’t met, they cannot perform well.

The field of nutrition science is very much still evolving and information and messages can come across to consumers as confusing or changing. The messaging and social media content around nutrition can be misleading or sensationalized when not coming from a registered dietician who is working and studying the science. 

Dr Qamar defines food security as: access to adequate, nutritious food for an active, healthy life at all times. Globally, 1 in 10 people suffer from food insecurity currently and there are many things we can address to help lower that number. Addressing food waste, food literacy, and access to security are her main focus. 

Recently there has been a shift to “nutrition security” rather than just “food security” so the focus is shifting to the quality of the food rather than just the quantity and availability. Dr Qamar says that’s where the concept of “food literacy” comes in. Food literacy is the set of skills and knowledge to buy, plant, prepare, and eat food to provide adequate nutrition. Knowledge and behavior changes are a long process but both start with education. People are starting to understand the importance of quality in their food, the impact on their health, and the connection between nutrition and preventing disease. Now the challenge is in helping people to change behavior.

Currently, much of the US population is not getting enough fruits and vegetables and a plant-based or plant-forward diet is often less feasible for those who are already facing some sort of food insecurity. A lot of education work and resource development needs to be done to help people meet those milestones of nutrition. 

Research shows that reducing food waste is the number one way to help climate change. The average person currently creates one pound of food waste every day so finding even small ways to reduce the amount you are throwing away can be a monumental help. Focusing on whole foods, reducing waste, eating out in sustainable ways, are all ways you can make behavior changes. Also consider everyone’s needs: access, knowledge, do they have a kitchen and instructions they can understand and use, which all affect the ability to make these healthier choices.

Things You’ll Learn

What people are getting wrong in nutrition science and what to focus on

Food security vs insecurity, Food literacy, and what small steps nutrition academics and dieticians and others are doing to affect change

What types of resources are available to help with food security and literacy.

LINKS

https://www.linkedin.com/in/zubaidaqamar/
https://twitter.com/zubaida_qamar

Today’s guest on the Greenhero Podcast is Alexandr Samocha, Senior Scientist at Wildtype, a cell-based company. There, Alexandr works at the intersection of novel cell line development, molecular biology, and large-scale cultivation to build toward the future of food. His current focus is to cultivate the most sustainable salmon on Earth.

Cell-based food can be a ‘wild’ concept to wrap our heads around, but Alexandr explains it plainly as a process of taking a sample of tissue (in this case, salmon) and isolating cells, working to help those cells grow faster and cheaper with the same nutrients as a traditional salmon cell. In doing so, these cells can grow forever in tank-like cultivators, completely outside of the animal. From there, they can mix those cells with scaffolding from plant cells to produce a 3D tissue structure. A tissue sample of a juvenile salmon the size of a pinky could (and does) produce 100’s of thousands of pounds of salmon.

These cells create cell-lines, which are immortalized through the same nutrient feeds of fats, sugars, minerals, and everything else that an animal would need. They go through a process of determining the health of the cells to push the limits of each line. 

Developing the texture and structure of salmon is something Alexandr and his colleagues take pride in. Their cultivated salmon utilizes the plant-cell scaffolding as a guide in how to grow. The cells divide and multiply and mature the same way a conventional salmon would. It's the same fat content. It's the same proteins, it's the same nutritional profile, and it gives the same texture.

Building a vocabulary presents an interesting challenge for cell-based food providers like Wildtype. Understanding the public’s perception requires careful attention to how the product is marketed. “Cultivate” indicates and demonstrates that they’ve put intentional effort and attention into building and growing something for consumption. In the end, the cultivated salmon IS salmon, and can provide a product that is easier to track and is a cleaner, healthier option. 

Both farmed and commercially fished salmon are not sustainable and present a huge environmental impact. In cultivating salmon, the footprint is shrunk. In large fermenters (much like a beer tank), ranging from 50 to 1000’s of liters, cells are grown with nutrient feed, then condensed into smaller vessels where they incubate. 

Things You’ll Learn

 A tissue sample of a juvenile salmon the size of a pinky could (and does) produce 100’s of thousands of pounds of salmon.

Wildtype’s cultivated salmon utilizes the plant-cell scaffolding as a guide in how to grow. The cells divide and multiply and mature the same way a conventional salmon would.

 In the end, the cultivated salmon IS salmon, and can provide a product that is easier to track and is a cleaner, healthier option.

LINKS

Join the waitlist to try Wildtypes cultivated salmon:

https://www.wildtypefoods.com/

@WildtypeFoods

Today's guest on the Greenhero Podcast is Audrey Lawson-Sanchez, Founder and Executive Director of Balanced. After years of working as a teacher and seeing the devastating impacts of nutrition insecurity and diet-related disease in children, Audrey decided she wanted to do something about it. So she founded Balanced, a nutrition security and public health advocacy organization with a mission to improve the menus in schools, hospitals, and other community institutions to help people and communities around the world balance, build, launch, and run campaigns focused on replacing at least 20% of the known disease-causing foods on institutional menus with health-promoting plant rich alternatives. 

Most people are familiar with food security–ensuring that everyone has enough food so they don't go hungry. Nutrition security takes that concept and elevates it, making sure the food that is available is high-quality and nutritious. Typically, folks who are food insecure also have very limited access to fruits and vegetables, especially in institutional locations like schools and hospitals. 

At these locations, there is often a food director who is tasked with building a menu within guidelines set by the government. The trick is, the food becomes a profitable source of income, or at the very least, doesn’t lose the school money if kids eat the food provided. With 30 million children depending on school lunch at a free or reduced cost, it’s important that this be nutritious food, but it isn’t. At the same time, if the child doesn’t eat the food, the school loses money. 

There is often an argument that “this is what they eat at home”. While partially true, Audrey reminds us that at school, there is someone whose job is to prepare the food the students eat, and they should be exposed to new foods at school. It takes 15 exposures to acquire a taste, she says. It’s better to include them through ‘stealth health’ by not announcing huge and massive changes to the menu, as that could prevent kids from trying the food. Simply changing to a different nugget or burrito can be better accepted by offering it. There is an opportunity on the curriculum side as well. Students are constantly taught “this is what you should eat” or “these nutrients are good for you.” But those options aren’t available even in their own cafeteria. 

The structure of Balanced is a sort of nesting doll. At the center is their grassroots advocacy program, where they train individuals in their communities to launch healthy menu campaigns, providing everything they need to put pressure on institutions to look to make a change. Balanced helps these advocates build positive momentum through a real stakeholder in the community. On top of that ‘doll’ is their institutional outreach program. This is where Balanced reaches out to these institutions and communicates what they’re about, what they can provide, and how it operates. From there, it’s all about policy work on a state level to get these changes implemented. 

Things You’ll Learn

Most people are familiar with food security–ensuring that everyone has enough food so they don't go hungry. Nutrition security takes that concept and elevates it, making sure the food that is available is high-quality and nutritious. 

Typically, folks who are food insecure also have very limited access to fruits and vegetables, especially in institutional locations like schools and hospitals. 

Combating nutrient-deficient menus can be difficult, as companies will find ways to maneuver around guidelines to fit within the specifications presented, leaving students with huge holes in their diets. 

LINKS AND SOCIAL

https://www.balanced.org/

@thebalancedorg

Thanks for joining us on another episode of the Greenhero Podcast! Today’s guest is Nil Zacharias, a leading expert on food systems change, with a focus on the growing plant-based foods industry. He is the Founder and CEO of Plantega, a startup on a mission to make plant-based food more accessible and equitable. He also hosts the Eat For The Planet Podcast and co-authored the Eat For The Planet books. 

Nil’s journey to plant-based eating started when he traveled from his home in India to New York City for law school. While he was there, he discovered a love for food but wasn’t clear on the source of all the meat he was consuming. After doing his research and understanding that industrial animal agriculture and food production was a major global issue, he opted out of a meat-based diet entirely. He shifted career paths and began sharing information through his social media, books he authored, and founding Plantega, a plant-based bodega line. 

His transition to veganism was a process of working out beef and red meat, then to pescetarianism, then to being vegan. While his choice was sparked by environmental reasons, understanding the interconnectivity of issues stemming from the industry began a primary engine for change. It was an easy decision for him, so finding new foods to enjoy and new ways to enjoy the same foods was an exciting process. It starts from a personal need.

Plantega came about as Nil began to realize that while informing consumers about food production industries, keeping the media up to speed, and other education was important, it’s vital that we understand that choice is a privilege not available to everyone. Launching Plantega was a way to bring these goods to the consumer in an accessible, affordable way. It’s about meeting demand even on the small business level. Bodegas are in-and-out style shopping, and it was about creating a menu that was familiar given the setting of the Bodega, starting with basic sandwiches and growing to a 14-item menu. With integration on GrubHub, their items are much more accessible to a broader audience. 

The three stakeholders in Plantega’s growth were the brands providing vegan products, the bodegas they’d work with, and the consumers. Brands were surprisingly open to the pitch. Bodegas were on board once they saw the options they’d be able to provide to meet customer demands and broaden their menu. Customers were primarily non-vegan, but were happy to finally have access to the products they’ve heard about and at a reasonable price. 

A benefit of bodegas is the inbuilt customer base that long-standing stores have. That, when coupled with the marketing and branding of what Plantega offers, brings in new and returning customers. These stop and shop locations are perfect for a quick bite, providing more people with fast, vegan options without going to a sit-down restaurant. 

Having governmental leadership in support of plant-based eating has certainly helped growth. But it isn’t about changing bodegas, it’s about empowering them. They serve their communities, and Nil values that and wants to help them make money. 

Things You’ll Learn

Transition to a plant-based lifestyle starts with a personal drive and personal need.

Launching Plantega was a way to bring these goods to the consumer in an accessible, affordable way. It’s about meeting demand even on the small business level.

It isn’t about changing bodegas, it’s about empowering them. 

LINKS, SOCIALS, PEOPLE TO CHECK OUT

https://eatplantega.com/

https://eftp.co/

https://twitter.com/nilzach

Rachel Dreskin, CEO of the Plant Based Foods Association.