Veganuary Co-Founder Launches New Vegan Fried Chicken Brand VFC

Co-founder of U.K.-based movement Veganuary, Matthew Glover, has partnered with renowned chef and restaurateur Adam Lyons to launch a new vegan fried chicken brand. Dubbed VFC, the company is described as a “positive rebellion” against the health, environmental and animal welfare impacts of factory farming by offering people a delicious animal-free choice. 

Officially launched in late December last year ahead of the Veganuary 2021 campaign, the annual initiative encouraging people to go vegan for a month, VFC is run by York-based duo Matthew Glover and Adam Lyons. The idea started when Glover, the co-founder of Veganuary, tried Lyon’s renowned vegan chicken dish at his omnivore restaurant Source.

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.

Adam Lyons, Co-Founder, VFC

Lyons later participated in Veganuary himself and visited an industrial factory farm with Glover, where the experience became a “gamechanger”. 

“He went in as a fledgling vegan, and came out one hundred percent committed to getting VFC into the mainstream market,” said Glover, as reported by Plant Based News. 

“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,” added Lyons. 

Currently, VFC offers two main plant-based chicken products made from wheat protein, including VFC Bites and VFC Fillets, both coming in either spicy or original flavours and are completely soy-free. VFC Bites can also be ordered alongside fries with a tangy barbecue sauce, and bundle offers are additionally available for larger orders. For now, VFC is available via their direct-to-consumer online website with prices ranging from £3.50 (US$4.80) to £25 (US$34.20). 

As the company scales up, VFC has plans to launch its products offline and are already in the process of expanding distribution. Glover and Lyons have also revealed ambitions to lower its prices over time to achieve parity with animal-based chicken. 

Our way to dismantle this destructive system is with great food. This is our sit-down protest.

VFC

Ultimately, the goal of VFC is to convince more people to choose the more environmentally-friendly, health-conscious and cruelty-free option by offering a product that doesn’t sacrifice on taste, bite, experience or cost. 

Far greater numbers of consumers have already begun turning to plant-based meat options over the past year, particularly in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic that has exposed the dangers of the meat supply chain and heightened concerns about nutrition, well-being and sustainability. The Veganuary initiative has since its founding already attracted more than 1 million participants, with the real figure likely to be far higher, given that people around the world are believed to have taken part in the event without signing the official pledge online. 

On their newly launched website, the co-founders of VFC described the mission of the company as an “act of positive rebellion against a system that has brought us climate change, environmental destruction, factory farming and slaughterhouses.” 

They continued: “We applaud those who fight serious injustice with placards and demonstrations, with letters to MPs. We salute those who take to the streets with megaphones or lock themselves to railings. Our way to dismantle this destructive system is with great food. This is our sit-down protest.”

All images courtesy of VFC.