The Week In Plant-Based: Vejii Acquires VEDGEco For $6.2M Cauldron Goes Carbon-Neutral

The vegan news never stops! Each week, the Green Queen team dives into the latest developments for plant-based foods around the world so you can catch up on what’s happening across the industry, from new products to special collabs and more. This week, online marketplace Vejii closed on its acquisition of plant-based wholesale platform VEDGEco while plant-based vitamin company Vegums launched Stateside and Cauldron released its first carbon-neutral product.

Canada: Online marketplace Vejii acquires wholesale platform VEDGEco for $6.2m

The acquisition will give British Columbia-based Vejii a new revenue stream through Hawaii-based VEDGEco’s B2B online platform for plant-based wholesalers in addition to access to VEDGEco’s existing facilities around the US. 

VEDGEco was one of the first-ever online wholesale platforms dedicated to plant-based foods and able to provide restaurants and independent grocers with more plant-based options than they might find through a traditional distributor.  

Vejii began trading on the Canadian Stock Exchange (CSE) at the end of 2021.  

US: Vegums launches its vegan vitamin and supplement line in the US

The UK-based company was founded by two pharmacists in 2018 to address the vitamin and mineral deficiencies often associated with vegan and plant-based diets. 

For its US launch, Vegums has made three products available: a multivitamin, a fish-free Omega 3 supplement, and an iron supplement. American customers can buy all products directly from the Vegums website or through Amazon. 

Vegums says it has carbon-negative status in the UK thanks to its biodegradable and reusable packaging materials. The company aims to achieve the same status in the US.

UK: Cauldron launches first-ever carbon-neutral product

Korean Bites, the latest product from the plant-based food manufacturer, is now available at Tesco and Sainsbury’s stores in the UK and is Cauldron’s first-ever item to be certified as Carbon Neutral.

The snack itself contains a mixture of veggies including carrots, sweet potatoes, onion, kale, and peppers in addition to Asian spices. 

Cauldron worked with solutions provider ClimatePartner to calculate and offset the carbon footprint of the product. The launch of Korean bites is one small step in Cauldron’s larger carbon neutral program. The company aims to be Net Positive by 2030. 

US: LikeMeat’s Plant-Based Chick’n Wings Now Selling In Party Packs

Americans, take note. Ahead of the much-anticipated Superbowl Sunday next month, LIVEKINDLY Collective brand LikeMeat is releasing its Chick’n Wings item in a Party Pack size at Sam’s Club retailers across the US. Packs are available for $19.98 in the freezer aisle of Sam’s locations.

Each pack contains three pounds of LikeMeat’s plant-based chicken wing analogues, which the company initially launched in 2021.

Ireland: Plant-It Foods plans to enter US market

After debuting its plant-based products at the Plant Based World Expo this past December, Plant-It announced its intentions to enter the US market in 2022.

The company, which launched at Tesco in Ireland in 2021, is currently building out its US team and told Food Navigator it will introduce products in several US regions in Q2/Q3 of 2022. Plant-It also expects to expand to the UK, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark in early 2022 with plans for additional countries, including Israel, China, and the UAE, later in the year. 

 Lead image courtesy of Vejii.