Vegan retailer hails crowdfunding drive and expands warehouse space

TheVeganKind co-founders and husband and wife team, Scott and Karris McCulloch. Picture: Contributed

TheVeganKind has relocated to a new 12,000 square foot base in Maryhill, which is four times the size of its previous site and allows it to stock up to 15,000 products.

It also includes a 1,000 sq ft chill room so that more refrigerated deliveries can be shipped to customers across the UK.

The move follows a successful crowdfunding campaign which saw donations from 710 investors and raised in excess of £65,000, beating the initial target of £50,000.

The funds will enable the company to install pallet bays, recruit an additional customer services advisor to its 15-strong team, and invest £35,00 in a targeted billboard advertising campaign.

Co-founders and husband and wife team Scott and Karris McCulloch, from Dalmarnock in Glasgow, ran the crowdfunding drive to help their business cope with rapid growth and increasing demand for meat-free and dairy-free products.

Scott McCulloch said: “It’s been really humbling watching the donations flood in. People were digging deep to offer anything from £5 to £50, and a number of corporate sponsors pledged significant sums of money to ensure we reached and exceeded our initial target of £50,000.

“We will always be seeking investment and re-investing our own profits to ensure we keep growing, but seeing hundreds of amazing people rallying together to help us reach our target has been incredible and will ensure that our growth plans get off to a flying start.”

The couple launched TheVeganKind from their living room table in 2013 as a monthly subscription box after struggling to find easily accessible vegan options on the high street.

Within months the business had to take on its first 1,000 sq ft warehouse to help keep up with demand, and less than two years later continued expansion forced the company to relocate again, to a 3,000 sq ft base.

It was here that the couple launched TheVeganKind supermarket, shipping vegan cheese, pizzas, chocolate, and more across the country.

McCulloch added: “We’re a small company with big blue-chip thinking. We want to create the biggest and best 100 per cent vegan online supermarket that the UK has ever seen so you will know that if it’s vegan, you can get it from TheVeganKind.

“The internet and social media have been key in helping to expand people’s understanding of what’s going on in the meat and dairy industry, which is why veganism is becoming an increasingly popular lifestyle choice.”