LoveSeitan, a UK plant-based protein start-up previously supported by vegan entrepreneur Heather Mills, has decided to cease operations.
Mills, the owner of vegan business VBites, was removed as a director of Aylesbury-based LoveSeitan in September. Co-founder Nicholas Abear, who established the Facon Bacon producer in 2017 with Stephen Swindon, also faced the same fate in March 2022.
Last week, Swindon announced on social media that LoveSeitan was closing down. In a LinkedIn post accompanied by a photo, he stated, “This is the last brunch I will make using LoveSeitan’s delicious Facon Bacon as, after almost six years, we are closing our doors.”
Swindon cited tough market conditions and rising costs as contributing factors to the closure. He admitted that although it had been an incredible journey, they could not convince enough people about the benefits of seitan and it was time to move on to something new.
Besides Facon Bacon, LoveSeitan offered a seitan-based pepperoni and faux-meat roast. The company claimed to be the only bulk producer of seitan in the UK, supplying various food businesses.
However, as of now, the LoveSeitan website is not accessible.
Seitan is a low-fat, plant-based, protein-rich food made from wheat gluten. Unfortunately, the demise of LoveSeitan follows the closure of another UK start-up, The Meatless Farm Co., in June.
Heather Mills invested in LoveSeitan back in 2018. She recently acquired the factory operations of Plant & Bean after the meat-free company went into administration.
Mills expressed her concerns about the UK plant-based market, stating that it has regressed due to Brexit and the Covid pandemic. She believes that the future lies in the “next generation” of vegan foods, emphasizing clean and innovative plant-based options that are beneficial for gut health.