Sydney-based co-founders Lara Young and Susan McCarthy announce the launch of VEats, described as a first-of-its-kind plant-based platform where consumers can find businesses in their area offering vegan options, order food online for delivery or collection, and even book a table reservations.
Young and McCarthy have a combined experience of over 30 years in business and marketing and have a personal understanding of the vegan industry.
The platform already includes more than 600 listings throughout Sydney CBD, inner west, eastern suburbs and northern beaches, entailing fully plant-based businesses and those that offer three or more plant-based options. VEats reports that it intends to to have over 50 listings with booking and delivery facilities by the end of this month.
With the help of impact-driven alternative asset manager firm Bamford Capital as advisor and an equity partner, VEats reports plans to expand nationally into Melbourne, Queensland and Perth before aiming to roll out into the UK, landing initially into Brighton and London.
“Australia is one of the fastest growing vegan markets in the world”
Lara Young, owner of a digital marketing agency, explains: “Australia is one of the fastest growing vegan markets in the world and Sydney is the perfect city to launch, with vegan hubs like Newtown leading the way,” says Young. “We hope to showcase the best plant-based food the city has to offer and change the way people perceive and access plant-based food in their everyday lives. Whether you’re a vegan, flexitarian, pescatarian or never had a plant-based meal in your life, we want to help create an even greater shift towards plant-based eating.”
“Having grown up as a meat eater all my life, it never crossed my mind that there was another way of living,” she explains. “At the age of 36 I was overweight, overworked, managing being a wife, a mother of three, running two businesses and everything else life had to throw at me. Food was always there to comfort me,” adds Young.
VEats has partnered with Australia’s leading online ordering platform Order Up! to offer businesses a low-cost and seamless one-stop solution for ordering/pick-up. “We are proud to be partnering with the team at VEats to help make plant-based eating easy and accessible in your everyday life” says Clive Thorpe, CCO of Order Up!
Restaurant partners for the initial Sydney launch include vegan outlets such as Koshari Korner, Gigi Pizzeria and newcomer Flave, as well as meal delivery service Just Add Vegan.
“We’re on a mission to change people’s perceptions of plant-based eating and wow them with flavourful burgers and bowls,” says Samantha Cook, co-founder of newly-launched fast-casual vegan restaurant Flave in Bondi Beach “When we heard about VEats and our shared vision, we were excited to partner with them. Together we’re making plant-based food more easily accessible – just a click away.”
