Death of Veganuary: Sustainable Eating Is Big Business All Year Round – Startups

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Startups 100 Index reveals six of 2024’s most disruptive companies are sustainable F&B
startups
● Businesses include BetterDairy, THIS™, HoxtonFarms,Julienne Bruno, BoldBeanCo,
and MilkyPlant
● Thebusinesses have collectively raised almost £60m in funding to make eco eating
mainstream
● Together, they show that animal-free eating is for life, not just for after Christmas

The era of Veganuary looks set to come to an end, as a new wave of innovative UK startups is transforming the F&B sector to make green eating a year-round occasion.
The Startups 100, the UK’s longest-running small business index, has revealed that six of the most disruptive UK companies for 2024 are sustainable food and drink startups.
Having raised just under £60 million in funding so far between them, these businesses are
feeding growing investor and consumer appetites for a greener and more ethical approach to food consumption, ready to shake up supermarket shelves in 2024. Offering a wider variety of sustainable food options than ever before, these startups are also
challenging the notion that veganism has to sacrifice taste or convenience.
Whether choosing animal-free cheese or cultivated lab-grown fat, consumers no longer have to press pause on the food they love to eat ethically. Brits can incorporate green principles onto their dinner plates in many different ways, even if they don’t follow a strict vegan diet this January.
2024’s TopSustainable F&BStartups:
The Startups 100, now in its 16th year, is a list of the top new UK-based businesses to watch. Leading the green gastronomy revolution, here are the sustainable F&B firms that scored highest this year

● BetterDairy- Hackney-based ‘brewer’ of dairy products that are 100% animal-free
● THIS™-meatalternatives so realistic that even meat-eaters can’t tell the difference
● HoxtonFarms-food tech firm that’s “growing” cultivated fat for meat alternatives
● JulienneBruno- delicious vegan-friendly cheeses inspired by the Italian Burrata
● BoldBeanCo-thetastiest, protein-packed beans and a perfect alternative to meat
● MilkyPlant- machine to make plant-based milk from the comfort of your own home

This year’s Startups 100 list suggests that climate-conscious eating will be more than just a
one-month fad in 2024. As these startups continue to grow, they will play an increasingly
important role in transforming the food industry.
Brands like Julienne Bruno are already stocked in popular food joints like Pizza Pilgrims, while Hoxton Farms is preparing to sell its cultivated fat product as a B2B ingredient to enable the growth of meat alternative companies.
Richard Parris, Editor of Startups.co.uk comments:
“Fighting climate change begins from our dinner plates. To hit ambitious climate targets, we’re going to have to tackle a meat-eating culture that’s been built on a foundation of intensive farming. And that’s where these exceptional UK startups come in. Whether it’s supplying lab-grown dairy products with no farmed animals needed; creating convincing plant-based meat alternatives; or simply producing the best chickpeas I’ve ever tasted, each of these businesses has an authentic and exciting approach towards sustainable eating. Being one-and-done for a month in Veganuary is over– these businesses are showing us how a sustainable diet can be here for the long run.”