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A UK-based tofu brand has revealed that its turnover skyrocketed to £1 million during Veganuary this year.
The Tofoo Co., which is run by husband and wife team David Knibbs and Lydia Smith, doubled its January 2019 turnover. Since being formed four years ago, the company has grown to employ some 70 people, and sell its products in major supermarkets.
‘Growing importance of tofu’
“Our January turnover coupled with Nielsen data [about the growth of the tofu sector] released in January 2020, paints a very positive and accurate picture of the tofu category,” David Knibbs, founder and managing director of The Tofoo Co., said in a statement sent to Vegan Food & Living.
“Trends suggest that tofu is now being considered as a stand-alone ‘real food’ ingredient, not a fake-meat alternative – a great example of the growing importance of tofu to the overall meat-free category is the top two selling products in the meat-free market in January were both tofu products.”
The Tofoo Co., which launched three new products in January, has a number of new product launches planned for 2020.
Veganuary
The Tofoo Co. is one of many food businesses which reported a spike in sales due to the success of Veganuary – which had a record 400,000 sign-ups this year.
Others include KFC, which sold more than 1,000,000 vegan burgers in January, Pizza Hut, which saw sales of vegan pizzas double during the month, and Quorn, which is now increasing its production capacity to meet the overwhelming demand.
‘Exceeded our expectations’
Speaking about the success of the initiative, Veganuary’s Head of Communications Toni Vernelli said: “With the link between animal farming and the climate crisis making headlines nearly every day we expected Veganuary 2020 to be the biggest yet, but it exceeded all of our expectations.
“We applaud everyone who took part and encourage them to continue eating vegan food as often as possible. And we’re grateful to all of the businesses embracing Veganuary and making it easier for more people to eat more plant-based food more often. Together we are making an enormous difference for animals and the planet.”
