The wonderful thing about being in my position is I get to see the successes that our members have. I always encourage you to drop me an email, tag me in a post or share in our Slack group when you’ve got something to shout about and I start each online session by asking who’s got some wins to share. It’s the best part of the job.
Yesterday I got a message from VBT member Balal who, with his daughter (pictured above), launched Alconot – an alcohol-free gin blend that is both halal and vegan. When they joined VBT looking for more ways to connect with vegan consumers, I suggested entering the Vegan Food & Living Magazine product awards as one of the most high-profile vegan awards in the UK. But I warned, having been a judge myself previously, that the competition would be tough. Yesterday Balal emailed me to say Alconot had won Gold in the overall drinks category. What a result.
It’s been a month of high-profile wins for our members. Our very own Vegan Patty Lady Natasha Orumbie was named as a finalist for the Startup Business of the Year Award after having already won a batch of business awards, and was mentioned by the Mayor of London in his speech this week. Our member Shiv Sivakumar, co-founder of Omni Vegan Dogfood, appeared on the Dragon’s Den TV show and secured an offer of £75,000 from Deborah Meaden and Steven Bartlett.
So when you read reports suggesting veganism is in decline, don’t you believe it. Those of us in the know can see that vegan products and businesses have never been stronger.
David’s thoughts from the week, published every weekend for members only.
As a member, you should receive David’s weekly blog in our Members Weekly email that also includes a full round up of all the conversations from our Community Hub and other updates.
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