A York company famous for its ‘vegan friend chicken’ has rescued a fellow Yorkshire plant-based food company from administration.

VFC, which is based at York Business Park, Rose Avenue has acquired the Meatless Farm, which is headquartered in Leeds.

The Meatless Farm brand, which enjoyed sales of £12m a year, will be retained, with the product range diversifying VFC Foods’ existing plant-based chick*n portfolio. 

VFC says buying Meatless Farm marks a crucial milestone in its growth strategy and its mission to provide more vegan products across retail and foodservice, with the aim to remove animals from the food chain.

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The deal was funded from the company’s cash reserves.

CEO David Sparrow said: “Meatless Farm has built strong consumer awareness, which aligns with our core values, and their exciting product portfolio enhances our existing range.

“By integrating both brands, we can utilise numerous synergies with valued customers and suppliers, thus driving innovation and extending customer choice.” 

Co-Founder, Adam Lyons, added: “Acquiring this remarkable brand is a testament to the hard work of the Meatless Farm team, who have done an exceptional job in developing and establishing quality products. Meatless Farm aligns seamlessly with our growth strategy, and we are confident in the underlying consumer demand for plant-based products.”

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VFC says the plant-based market continues to experience growth across the UK and EU, with unit sales growth of plant-based milk, meat and cheese surpassing those of their animal-based equivalents.

Matthew Glover, Co-Founder of both VFC, Veg Capital and Veganuary, stated: “VFC Foods is well positioned to sustainably grow the Meatless Farm brand once the cost-of-living crisis eases, and the plant-based space has experienced further consolidation.”

“Reducing our meat consumption is crucial for a healthier, more sustainable future and, at VFC Foods, we will continue developing vegan alternatives which taste so good, they render the need to kill animals obsolete.”

VFC Foods launched during the pandemic in December 2020 and landed its first major listing in Tesco in 2021.

The company says it has gone from strength-to-strength since then, with its vegan chick*n alternative.

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Over the last year the brand reports “a significant upward trajectory, with coverage increasing tenfold.”

Its latest next-generation ‘more meat-like’ recipe has won further distribution across Sainsbury’s, as well as new listings in Asda, Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose.

VFC can also be found on the menu of 600 Marston’s Community Pubs across the UK following a national foodservice roll-out.

Internationally, VFC also reports strong growth, launching into Albert Heijn in The Netherlands, La Sirena in Spain, and expanding into the USA, where the brand was voted Best New Vegan Chicken Product.