In April 2018 Australians searched on Google for ‘vegan meat’ and ‘vegan cheese’ more than people in any other country.

Coles, Woolworths and other retailers are actively seeking out more plant-based products to put on their shelves.

Even meat, dairy and egg producers are recognising that their industries are under threat, with the smart ones investing in animal-free alternatives.

This global shift towards vegan eating and living offers opportunities for entrepreneurs. How can aspiring and existing vegan business owners succeed in this fast-growing market?

Join Seth Tibbott, founder of iconic US vegan food brand Tofurky, and Cale Drouin, national sales manager at Australian import and distribution company Botany Group’s plant-based and health division in this panel hosted by Katrina Fox, journalist, Forbes contributor and founder of Vegan Business Media, as they discuss topics including:
• What’s driving the take-up of vegan/plant-based living

• What plant-based products are currently ‘hot’ right now

• What to be aware of when dealing with large supermarket chains

• Strategies for getting your products into retailers

• Export challenges and tips

• What’s happening in non-food-related vegan business sectors and the opportunities this provides
Whether you already own a vegan business or are thinking of starting one, you’ll gain valuable tips and insights from this expert panel.

PANELIST DETAILS:
Seth Tibbott
Seth founded Turtle Island Foods, now The Tofurky Company, in 1980 on $2,500, his life savings from his eight-year career as a teacher/naturalist in the Portland, Oregon public schools. The company’s first product was tempeh and the first few years were a struggle financially to the point where Seth lived in a treehouse to save on rent. After hitting the big time with the first of its Tofurky roasts in 1995, the family-owned business now sells its products – which are made in a new eco production plant – in over 21,000 stores worldwide.

Cale Drouin
Cale is the national sales manager at Australian import and distribution company Botany Group’s plant-based and health division. Before that he headed up distribution companies Plant Based Foods and Revolution Foods. He also owned vegan eatery The Green Edge in Brisbane for two years. Cale works with local and international plant-based food brands to help place them in Australian supermarket chains and independent retailers.

Katrina Fox
Katrina is an award-winning journalist, PR consultant, founder of Vegan Business Media, host of Vegan Business Talk podcast, and author of Vegan Ventures: Start and Grow an Ethical Business – the first global book providing success strategies for aspiring and existing vegan business owners. She has written extensively for niche and mainstream media for 18 years on animal advocacy, social justice and ethical business and is a regular Forbes contributor specialising in writing about vegan and plant-based business.