“We’re an activist business. We set up the company because we care deeply about the injustice of factory farming.”

Veganuary founder Matthew Glover has launched a vegan fried chicken company called VFC.

According to the founder the move is ‘an act of positive rebellion against a system that has brought us climate change, environmental destruction, factory farming and slaughterhouses’.

Glover, who is also behind other world-changing vegan projects such as Million Dollar Vegan, and Veg Capital, has teamed up with chef and restaurateur Adam Lyons for the new venture.

The idea to collaborate came after Glover tasted the vegan fried chicken on offer at Lyon’s restaurant Source in York.

A series of events including Lyons participating in Veganuary and Glover taking the chef inside a typical chicken factory farm led to the idea of a ‘bold’ and ‘edgy’ VFC taking shape.

‘Activist business’

According to Glover, VFC’s mission is to ‘dismantle’ the destructive meat industry with great food.

 “We’re an activist business. We set up the company because we care deeply about the injustice of factory farming,” he told Vegconomist.

“Campaigning for the animals will be at the core of our message, and the sale of delicious vegan fried chick*n will help us expand that message, and save many millions of chickens from suffering.”

The new vegan fried chicken is seitan-based and contains 19g of protein per 100g. The  meat -free alternative is also soya and nut-free.  The brand has created three products in original and spicy flavours: Bites & Fries, with a tangy barbecue sauce, VFC Bites, and VFC Fillets.

‘Empty factory farm sheds’

Lyons, for whom the chicken farm visit was a ‘game-changer’ said: “We’re not messing about.

“We’ve developed a fantastic product that looks, cooks, and tastes like chicken, we’ve appointed an ambitious team, and we are ready to play our part in emptying those factory farm sheds. That’s what drives us on.”

VFC

While VFC products are currently only available to purchase online from VFC.co.uk, the brand is aiming for a great launch and subsequent growth.

It has partnered with award-winning brand design consultancy Elmwood- the team behind Tesco’s Wicked Kitchen range – for billboards and online advertisements and hired a sales director whose main focus will be to get the vegan fried chicken on the high street as soon as possible.

Another key priority for the brand is to achieve price parity with slaughtered chicken followed by making its products even cheaper eventually.

• Read: Vegan Christmas food pre-orders up 700% at Waitrose

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Mohsina Dodhiya

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