LoveSeitan, which supplied plant-based products to the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Aldi, has ceased trading after slower-than-expected take-up of seitan as a meat alternative.
Established by co-founders Steve Swindon and Nick Abear in 2017, the bulk manufacturer attracted investment from Heather Mills in 2018, joining her VBites investment portfolio.
Swindon announced on LinkedIn that the business was closing its doors after six years.
“Tough market conditions and increasing costs have contributed to this but, at the end of the day, we could not convince enough people of the benefits of seitan,” he wrote in the post.
“It has been an incredible journey and I’m grateful for every minute of it but it’s time to move on to something new.”
It is the latest plant-based business to beat a retreat from the market as demand in the category cooled.
LoveSeitan made a range of seitan products, including Facon Bacon and Seitan Pepperoni for pizza toppings.
It supplied Tesco’s Plant Chef own-label range with a No Meat Pie, Sainsbury’s Plant Pioneers with pizza and No Steak Bake and Aldi with meat-free pie. The business also listed Co-op, Whole Foods Market and Planet Organic as customers, as well as working with the likes of Bidfood, Brewdog, Hunt’s Foodservice and Purezza in foodservice.
Seitan is a high-protein vegan meat alternative made from wheat gluten that traces its roots back to ancient China.
No comments yet