Veg-net, a new plant-based industry event taking place on 5 June 2024, has partnered with the Vegan Business Tribe to launch a ‘Dragon’s Den-style’ competition for vegan-owned food brands.
The ‘Battle of the Brands’ competition will give one vegan-owned food brand the opportunity to pitch its business to win a free place at the event, worth almost £2,500.
David Pannell, founder of business support community Vegan Business Tribe, explained that smaller, independent vegan businesses often find it hard to achieve visibility alongside larger plant-based brands.
He said: “It’s great that we have so many companies producing plant-based products, but products that have been created by vegan founders often don’t have the same resources and can find it hard to even get a foot in the door”.
“Often, these are the companies that have a bigger mission – they are not only responding to a gap in the market, but they also actively want to make a change in the world with their purpose-driven product. So, we think it’s important that we ensure that ‘ethical activist brands’ also have a seat at this event, opening doors so that their stories can connect more powerfully with the end consumer.”
Three finalist companies will be selected from all competition entries to go through to a live Zoom final. The finalists will be judged by a panel of industry experts: Vegan Business Tribe’s Pannell; Andy Shovel, co-founder of This Foods; and Joe Hill, co-founder of One Planet Pizza.
The winner, selected by the judges in the live final, will be awarded a free place at Veg-net where they will benefit from 10 pre-arranged meetings to pitch their product to retail buyers and industry experts from across the UK and Europe.
Commenting on the competition, judge Joe Hill commented: “There’s probably no easier and more direct route to get in front of retailers as a vegan-owned challenger brand right now than this competition”.
“We’re looking for a brand which really catches the eye, that we know will make the retailers sit up and take notice because it’s something they haven’t seen before. There’s also a trend towards healthier plant-based options right now and that’s something we’re definitely going to be taking into account too.”
Qualifying vegan-founded brands can enter on the Vegan Business Tribe’s website, where they will be asked to register to secure their place and submit a one-minute video that introduces their product, explaining why they deserve the place at Veg-net.
Entries close on 21 April 2024. Unsuccessful entrants who still wish to attend Veg-net can register for the event – the first five brands to quote ‘Vegan Business Tribe’ will qualify for a 40% discount off the full delegate price.
Plant-based brands not founded by vegans are also welcome at the event, and can apply for a place directly through the Veg-net website.
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