VFC The Vegan Fried Chick*n Start-Up with Global Ambitions
V
FC is an activist brand that makes delicious feel-good vegan food in a bid to win round meat-eaters and
put factory farms out of business. The VFC stands, of course, for Vegan Fried Chick*n, and the company says
its products - bites and fillets in a crispy corn flake coating
- look, cook and taste like chicken, while in fact being made from wheat protein.
The company, which began trading only in December
2020, is the brainchild of Veganuary founder Matthew
Glover. Glover met his business partner Adam Lyons at York restaurant, Source, where owner-chef Lyons served vegan
He says: “We have also been fielding large numbers of
enquiries from UK food service wholesalers and outlets. Feedback from early stockists has been exceptional with our
first partner in Cambridge telling us that VFC accounted for
75% of their total sales in the first week after launch. They saw a marked increase in traffic and orders following the
introduction of VFC and have expanded the range and order sizes in order to keep up with demand.”
The small team with huge ambition has already held
meetings with several of the country’s retail giants. “I have been in many similar meetings over the years,” says McGuckin,
“pitching new products to supermarkets but none that have played out like that. We went in there trying to sell, and they just cut to the chase and asked when can you get this to us?”
The company expects to announce major UK retail and
wholesale deals in the coming months.
meals alongside meat, fish and vegetarian options. “Among
VFC Products & Stockists
the meals on offer was the best vegan fried chick*n I had ever
Currently, VFC’s range
tasted,” says Glover. He thought that if people just tried it,
consists of:
they would realise that factory farming and slaughter were not needed to get the taste and texture of meat. Inspired by Glover, Lyons took part in Veganuary and then, with Covid-19 threatening the livelihoods of restaurateurs and the idea of VFC taking shape, Glover took Lyons inside a typical
• Bites, Original and Spicy, in 500g, 1kg & bulk • Fillets, Original and Spicy, in retail & bulk • Bites & Fries ready meals, in Original and Spicy
industrial chicken farm. “Adam had never thought too closely
They are available online at VFC.co.uk, and two online
about how chickens were reared before then, and that visit
supermarkets: The VeganKind and
was a game-changer for him. He went in as a fledgling vegan
Vevibes, as well as from various
and came out one hundred per cent committed to getting VFC
stockists around the country,
into the mainstream market.”
including: • BVRGER, London
Activist Aims
• Shrub Grub, Cardiff
You can’t miss the rich seam of
• The Good Food Shop, York
activism running right through
• YUZU Streetfood, York
VFC’s branding. Bold packaging features stylised graffiti and
• Veto Meato, Cambridge
campaign messaging, while the website hosts the filmed
• Vx, Bristol
visit inside the chicken farm. Even the company’s mission
• Nature’s Basket, Wolverhampton
statement* draws on the history of social justice movements
• Chuck Chick, Norwich
but there is no finger-wagging here. At the heart of the
• Mighty Wiener, Bournemouth
company lies positivity and wit, and great-tasting food.
• Halloumilicious, Worthing & Brighton
Rapid Growth The company’s first months of trading have seen phenomenal
Contact and Sales Enquiries
growth, overseen by Stewart McGuckin, Director of Sales,
To find out more about the company, its mission and products,
formerly of Nestle and 2 Sisters Food Group. He describes
visit VFC.co.uk. For sales enquiries, contact Stewart McGuckin
the two-month period after launch as “eight weeks of
at stewart@vfc.co.uk / 07388 013344
unprecedented enquiries across all channels and markets while also achieving market-leading first-month sales”.
* VFC’s Mission Statement: Ours is an act of positive rebellion against a system that has brought us climate change, environmental destruction,
McGuckin has fielded calls from food service and retail
factory farming and slaughterhouses. We applaud those who fight serious
distributors, as well as wholesalers from every continent,
injustice with placards and demonstrations, with letters to MPs. We salute
all keen to stock VFC. In addition, there has been significant
those who take to the streets with megaphones or lock themselves to
interest both from investors and from people wishing to open
railings. Our way to dismantle this destructive system is with great food.
franchises around the world.
This is our sit-down protest.
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Fastfood Professional • April and May 2021
April and May 2021 • Fastfood Professional
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