Food and drink entrepreneur network Bread & Jam is launching the UK’s first plant-based summit to inform and upskill vegan challenger brands.
Plant-based brands like Eat JUST, THIS, Veganuary, TheVeganKind and Eat the Change will be taking the virtual stage at Plant-Based Summit 2021.
Organised by Bread & Jam, the UK’s largest community of food and drink entrepreneurs, the event will be held on March 31. It will host major vegan brands and British supermarkets, as well as other plant-based pioneers, to discuss the future of plant-based brands.
With over 30 industry experts, the virtual event claims to be saving 49 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent compared to an in-person summit. Five startups will have the chance to be named the “Next Big Thing” and pitch to vegan buyers like Sainsbury’s, Asda, Waitrose, Whole Foods, Planet Organic, Vegetarian Express and TheVeganKind.
“Incidentally vegan” brands — whose products are automatically vegan but without a concerted effort to make them so — will explain how they position themselves and why that works. Industry thought leaders will predict who will be the “next Beyond Meat”, there will be an exhibitor zone of businesses that can help take plant-based brands to the next level, and investors will reveal what they look for in startups. Additionally, retailer buyers will also talk about how consumer habits are changing.
Bread & Jam co-founder Jason Gibb said lockdown has given the plant-based sector an extra push: “With so much change afoot, we wanted to create a forum for innovative, nimble startups, which are the driving force behind the plant-based movement, to gather with leading like-minded brands, industry experts and major supermarkets, in a space where they could share ideas, experiences and knowledge.”
Seth Goldman, founder of Eat the Change, and chair of the Beyond Meat board, said: “There’s never been a timelier moment to inspire and catalyse planet-friendly diets. We need more entrepreneurs to provide consumers with the education and options they need to really Eat the Change.”
THIS co-founder Andy Shovel added: “The guest list is laden with titans from the plant-based world — apart from me, who slipped in on the sly — so I’m excited to share notes.”
The tickets for Plant-Based Summit 2021 are available for £100 for brands and £150 for industry experts (plus VAT).
