World population growth has corresponded with an increase in the consumption of animal-based foods. This has placed considerable strain on the world’s natural resources, including land, energy, water, and nutrients. It has been projected that by 2050, our planet will no longer be able to meet the demand for meat-based food products.

Consumer awareness and sentiment has shifted accordingly and there is now a fast-growing demand for plant-based food, health, and beauty care products. In the last few years, food producers have started to meet that demand. According to the Good Food Institute, more than 700 new plant-based meat, egg and dairy products were launched in 2019.

But this ever-growing community of vegans and non-vegans alike have limited physical and online locations to purchase vegan products. Ultimately, these products are still not as accessible to the public as they should be.

Additionally, we believe these products are expensive and fragmented across many different markets.

When Vegan Fine Brands was founded in 2016, there were limited vegan grocery stores or markets in the U.S. So we started by launching our first store, Vegan Fine Foods, in Fort Lauderdale, FL in 2018. 

Four months later, we launched Vegan Fine Café inside of the Vegan Fine Foods market. This made us the one of the first all-vegan markets and cafés in America with over 4,000 square feet in retail space.

In late 2019, we launched Vegan Fine Body with 1,000 square feet of retail space right next door to the Vegan Fine Foods market. Vegan Fine Body is a specialty boutique focused on vegan alternatives for health and wellness.

Our stores are the one-stop shop for plant-based groceries, health, and beauty products. They are bridging the gap between accessibility and ethical sourcing for our audience of vegan-living customers.

In grocery stores across the U.S., plant-based food sales are growing steadily, while sales of many conventional animal products are stagnant or declining. Last year, while the overall food market grew at just 2.2%, the plant-based food sector saw growth at over 11%.

Source: 52 Weeks Ending December 2019, Commissioned Data from SPINS 

The global plant-based foods market is expected to reach $74.2 billion by 2027. The global plant-based meat market by revenue is expected to grow at a CAGR of over 18% during the period 2019-2025.

This same trend holds true throughout the industry, with plant-based meats gaining momentum in the pandemic, up 148% more than last year, spiking at 50% over the peak panic buying of animal-based meat.

Source: 52 Weeks Ending December 2019, Commissioned Data from SPINS 

Plant-based milk grew at 5% versus just 0.1% for dairy overall. In fact, plant-based milk sales totaled $2 billion in 2019 and now accounts for 14% of the retail milk industry.

As the modern consumer’s preferences continue to change, we believe massive opportunities have opened for new brands to gain loyal customers. Growing retail segments include prepared and packaged foods, beverages, vitamins, supplements, CBD products, cosmetics, and skin/body/hair care products.

Source: SPINS Natural Enhanced Channel and MultiOutlet Channel (powered by IRI), data ending 6/14/20

Our stores are now home to some of the best unique local brands, which we curate to serve our diverse customer base. This is all in service of our broader mission: To make vegan living and a plant-based diet accessible to everyone.

Since opening, we’ve taken in approximately $1M in revenue in our first year of operating Vegan Fine Foods  while serving more than 50K satisfied customers.

We’ve been growing our online presence as well, with over 25K followers across platforms and an email list with thousands of customers.

At the end of 2019 we introduced our all-vegan wine & craft beer bar inside our Fort Lauderdale location, and entered the retail market for high-end CBD and hemp-based products.

Also in 2019, we began launching our private label brands and have aggressive plans to introduce over 100 new products in the next 12 months.

Our stores are much more than just a marketplace — they’re a place where our diverse customer base of vegans and non-vegans alike can come together and shop, eat, drink, and socialize.

Our products are always on the cutting-edge, featuring the most sought-after and highest quality vegan products in every sector.

We’re changing the narrative around vegan products - we aim to make them accessible to everyone.

Vegan Fine Brands’ business model includes a variety of revenue streams, beginning with its in-store sales of vegan products. Our in-store sales’ margins are compounded with our private label product sales, as well as our in-store services.

We will soon complement our brick-and-mortar location with a robust ecommerce platform, which in addition to product sales, will also sell advertising opportunities.

Our Vegan Fine Cafe acts as our own quick service restaurant, with prepared foods, additional retail products, catering services, and meal kits.

At Vegan Fine Body, we sell vegan and cruelty-free health and beauty care products, as well as in-store services like make-up and skin treatments. We will also sell these products online.

Lastly, we plan to have our Vegan Fine Franchising arm take in revenue through the sale of our Vegan Fine Foods, Cafe, and Body franchises, as well as royalties from all of their gross sales. We have a number of interested, prospective franchisees, and we are planning to enter into franchise agreements in the future.

We have a number of different competitors on both the national and local level, and have established advantages over both segments.

Compared to our national competitors like Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s, our positioning as a completely vegan retailer will hold much appeal for our target customers. We believe vegan consumers will gravitate towards a retailer that is 100% committed to an all-vegan lifestyle.

Against our smaller, independently-owned peers, we will have a considerable edge in product sourcing. Additionally, we believe the services we provide within our stores will make our shoppers’ experiences one-of-a-kind.

We want to be the most admired plant-based consumer products company in the world, with our brands as leaders in their market segments and product categories. We will achieve our mission as the global leader in plant-based retail by being faster, smarter, agile, passionate, and strategic.

With our private label brands now launched, we hope to cement Vegan Fine Brands as a destination for the highest quality in vegan products. 

Ultimately, Vegan Fine Brands and our subsidiaries will be known for world-class customer service, the highest quality plant-based products, and the best place to work and flourish.

Founder and CEO Steven Smith has spent time working for Procter and Gamble and PepsiCo in various capacities using his skills as an engineer and manager. He holds an MBA and Ph.D in Strategy and International Business from Rutgers University.

Head of Finance, Rainford Knight, has a Ph.D. in Finance from Florida Atlantic University, as well as years of experience in corporate finance, risk management and due diligence for hedge funds and private and commercial banks.

Head of Operations, Sara Sherbondy, has a proven record of success in supply chain management, operations, and logistics, and has been called upon for her expertise in advisory roles for many large corporations around the world. Sara holds an MBA from Florida Atlantic University. 

Head of Human Resources, Cynthia Mullins has held senior positions prior to joining Vegan Fine Brands. She serves as president of Baldwin Rise Advisory Services and as international legal counsel for JMW Consultants, Inc. Cynthia holds a juris doctor degree from the University of Connecticut School of Law and degrees in business ethics and compliance.

Head of Marketing, Nihat Strider has an extensive marketing background in industries. He is the founder of Florida Marketing Group, a company specializing in creating tailored marketing solutions, marketing strategies and conducting market research. Nihat’s expertise includes digital marketing and e-commerce. He holds an MBA in Marketing from Florida International University.

We are one of the first-movers in a fast-growing and exciting market in the U.S. and globally. And we have proven through our first few years of operation that there is a large, passionate community of vegans looking exactly for the products and experience we offer. 

With your investment we aim to continue our expansion via franchising in the U.S. and internationally, new ecommerce assets, and further development of our private label brands. We plan to establish ourselves as a market leader in the natural, organic, and plant-based retailing industry.