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– April 4 2020-
16.07
Frozen vegan pizza company One Planet Pizza has brought forward the launch of its delivery service as people are encouraged to stay home and self-isolate.
“With the COVID-19 pandemic sweeping through the world, we at One Planet Pizza believe that now more than ever, we must be compassionate, supportive and caring as a community. So why not gift one of your pizzas to a loved one, or send someone else a care package?” Joe Hill, co-founder of One Planet Pizza, said in a statement sent to Plant Based News.
You can visit One Planet Pizza’s website here
-April 2 2020-
Online plant-based bacon brand Vegan Cartel has launched a crowdfunder, calling for support from its customers as the coronavirus crisis has hit hard.
According to the crowdfunder, which you can find here: “Vegan Cartel speaks to those who have already embraced a vegan life and to those who are considering the transition. Our fundamental purpose is to create high-quality products that replicate the taste and texture of meat so that is easier for people to adopt and enjoy a plant-based life.”
The company is offering a package of incentives to investors, and will use investments to keep the business going.
-April 1 2020-
Guilt Free Pleasures, located in Nottingham, England, sells homemade chocolates, cakes etc to hat are all refined sugar-free, and vegan.
The company told Plant Based News that it is selling gift vouchers online, to use when the store re-opens.
You can visit Guilt Free Pleasure’s shop here
4.08pm
Willicroft, the Netherland’s first plant-based cheese store , has temporarily closed to ‘help slow the spread of covid-19 and protect the community’. The company has now launched an online store for its customers.
“With packaging being an unavoidable part of launching an online store, we wanted to ensure that every piece of material used to ship our plant-based cheeses in is recyclable and reusable to minimise any form of waste,” Willicroft told Plant Based News.
You can visit Willicroft’s online store here
11.58am
Vegan caterer and restaurant owner Charline Galpin has closed her business due to the pandemic.
Galpin now wants to use her free time to upload a new recipe each day on her blog, encouraging people to cook vegan while self-isolating.
She says she will also add some of the new recipes she creates to her eatery Cha Cuisine when it re-opens.
You can check out Galpin’s website here
11.45am
Eco-friendly salon Re:lax, located in Hackney, London, has had to temporarily close due to the pandemic but is still paying rent and staff wages.
The company will now offer online skincare consultations, gift vouchers, and a growing online store, gift packages for when the store opens, and Zoom gua sha workshops.
“We have also taken this opportunity to start producing a lot more free content for everyone to help with stress, anxiety and at-home skincare,” Re:lax told Plant Based News.
11.36am
Catskill Animal Sanctuary in New York has postponed all-vegan cooking classes, sponsor visits, special events, and Homestead stays until May 24.
Speaking to Plant Based News on how the business was adapting to the pandemic, Communications Coordinator Heather Decker said: “In order to keep our Sanctuary family—our Herd—connected, engaged, and smiling throughout this period of quarantine, we decided to move the launch of our brand new Virtual Sanctuary program ahead significantly.”
The Virtual Sanctuary allows you to ‘get up close with rescued farmed animals; hear their compelling backstories told by entertaining, knowledgeable Sanctuary staff’. There’s also opportunity to learn vegan cooking tips and master recipes, taught by the Sanctuary’s cookbook author and award-winning Culinary Director, Linda Soper-Kolton.
Find out more about Catskill Animal Sanctuary
-March 17 2020-
UK chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a £330 billion package of government-backed loans to help businesses cope through the coronavirus outbreak. The loans, which Sunak said will have ‘attractive’ rates will be available from next week.
Funding grants of up to £25,000 will be available for smaller businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors.
-March 16 2020-
PBN has learned that vegan, alcohol-free Redemption will close its outlets. Its Notting Hill branch has already shut its doors.
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An increasing number of vegan businesses are facing financial ruin as the coronavirus spreads.
The virus is believed to have started at a ‘wet market’ – where live animals are freshly slaughtered and kept in close proximity to humans and dead animals – in Wuhan in early December last year.
Since then, the virus has spread globally, causing more than 6,000 deaths worldwide and around 170,000 diagnoses. Italy and Spain have been particularly badly hit in Europe – with citizens under lockdown.
Vegan businesses
Now the panic around the virus means many people are staying home – which is having a huge impact on eateries and other vegan businesses.
Blogger Clare Every, aka The Little London Vegan, is one of the people who is trying help – using her Instagram to highlight businesses who are facing hardship. She said: “Small, independent businesses who are self employed and rely on customers to stay afloat are struggling and they need our help more than ever.??I understand not everyone is able to do any or all of the following but if you are able to, please consider the following options.
“Pop to your local store rather than a large supermarket to pick up supplies?, order takeaways from an independent restaurant – lots of them are on the popular delivery apps and are implementing extra hygiene measures as well as ‘contact free delivery’?, or buy a gift certificate which you can use at a later date.”
She also suggested vegans can make donations to their favorite companies, and order from their favorite brands and companies online.
She added: “Be kind, supportive and understanding. This is a tough time for restaurants & staff and they’re doing their best. Right now isn’t the time for unnecessary complaints or criticism?.”
‘Use your voice’
She continued: “Use your voice on social media to keep spreading the word about independent businesses. I will start posting again from tomorrow because I think we need to be raising awareness about businesses now, more than ever?. Please support businesses run by POC and East Asians who have been hit especially hard because of unfair stereotypes and blatant racism?.
“Research/ask vulnerable people and businesses how you can best help them?. Donate to food banks to help those who are unable to access supplies right now??. This is not an exhaustive list by any means.”
Social media influencers are using the hashtag #supportveganbusiness to further encourage assistance.
Support
In addition, an extensive list of businesses looking for support is being compiled by Emilia Leese co-author of upcoming book Think Like A Vegan. Plant Based News is calling on companies who feel vulnerable at this time to contact [email protected].
“Many vegan businesses are particularly vulnerable in these unprecedented times because they are young,” said PBN co-founder Robbie Lockie. “They have not yet had the opportunity to build up reserves of contingency funds.
“That’s why it’s really important that the vegan community supports these businesses as much as possible, because otherwise these companies we all know and love could be destroyed by this situation.
“Now more than ever we need to stick together and support each other in a challenging time like this. Plant Based News want to support anyone it can to leverage the power of the crowd where needed.”
More updates to follow…
