Follow Your Heart (company)
 | |
| Industry | Vegetarian and Vegan Food |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Johnny Weissmuller’s American Natural Foods |
| Founded | 1970 |
| Founders | Michael Besançon, Bob Goldberg, Paul Lewin, and Spencer Windbiel |
| Headquarters | Canoga Park, California |
| Products | Vegenaise |
| Website | followyourheart |
Follow Your Heart is a vegan and vegetarian food company that began in 1970 as a restaurant in Canoga Park, California. In 1977, they began selling Vegenaise, an egg-free mayonnaise substitute whose name is a portmanteau of vegan and mayonnaise. The company now also produces other lines of vegan food, such as vegan cheeses, salad dressings, and VeganEgg.
History
The company began as a sandwich counter in the back of a market called Johnny Weissmuller's American Natural Foods in Canoga Park,[1] In 1994 the restaurant and store suffered serious damage in the Los Angeles earthquake, but remained in business.[2]
Food lines
The company developed a line of its own vegetarian food. One of its first successes was Vegenaise, which became the best-selling vegan mayonnaise replacement in the US,[3] invented by co-founder Bob Goldberg.[4] Up to fifty million gallons of it are produced annually, and the product is also sold in various alternate forms,[5] including soy-free (where the soy is replaced with pea protein powder).[6] They developed a line of deli products, first available commercially in 1988 after a local grocer asked the restaurant to begin packaging its tofu salads for them to put out for sale,[4] focused on plant-based replacements for more traditional non-vegan foods.[7] sliced cheese replacements mirroring the flavors of various types of cheese.[8] Its products are sold in 23 countries, with a turnover of about $50 million in revenues per year.[9]
In 2015 Follow Your Heart was named the company of the year by PETA.[7] That year the company also partnered with musician Lil B to produce an app of Follow Your Heart-inspired emojis;[10] the company's mascot is itself named VegEmoji.[6]
References
- ^ "Love vegetarian food? Follow Your Heart to this Canoga Park restaurant". 17 January 2017.
- ^ Morris, Regan (19 December 2016). "The vegan boss who followed his heart" – via www.bbc.com.
- ^ "This is What It's Like Being Vegetarian for 50 Years (and Starting One of the Biggest Vegan Food Brands Ever)". 30 July 2017.
- ^ a b Chandra, Gowri (3 April 2017). "The Little Canoga Park Vegetarian Restaurant That Created the Natural Foods Industry".
- ^ Hudson, Janet (1 July 2012). The Easy Vegan: Over 440 Delicious Recipes and Menus for Every Day of the Year. Hampton Roads Publishing. ISBN 9781612832227 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "This Is How Your Favorite Vegan Mayonnaise Gets Made". 22 July 2016.
- ^ a b "How This Plant-Based Food Pioneer Has Been Shaping the Future of Food for the Past 40 Years - One Green Planet". www.onegreenplanet.org.
- ^ Sentenac, Hannah (23 April 2015). "Follow Your Heart's New Vegan American Cheese Melts, Tastes Like the Real Thing".
- ^ "The Hippy Cashing in on the Vegan Craze". Money Week.
- ^ "Lil B Unveils New vegEMOJI App With Vegan Company Follow Your Heart". Complex.