Northern vegan food company Meatless Farm has entered administration and made its staff redundant, citing a lack of demand for meat-free products.
The Leeds-based company, first established in 2016 by Danish entrepreneur Morten Toft Bech, has become a fixture in major supermarkets over the years – establishing itself in the US, China, and several European countries, and at its peak selling over £11m worth of its plant-based ‘meat’ alternatives.
It had become well known for its meat alternatives with mince, chicken breasts, sausage and burgers once a popular choice, but now after a ‘difficult period’ the company has ceased trading, reports The Hoot.
Image: Meatless Farm
Image: Meatless Farm
On Friday 9 June 2023, Meatless Farm’s 50-strong workforce were made redundant and yesterday 13 June, the company entered administration.
Commercial director Tim Offer announced on his LinkedIn profile: “Sadly, my time at Meatless Farm has come to an end… the business has unfortunately made all the teams redundant.
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“I learnt a huge amount in a short space of time and have absolutely loved the people and the brand.”
Image: Meatless Farm
Image: Meatless Farm
Interim finance executive John Loughrey added: “Sadly things have not worked out for Meatless Farm so I am now looking for my next assignment, as will numerous other colleagues.
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“I have had a great time in a fantastic company, and have had the honour and pleasure of working with some amazing people. It is a shame the company has not made it through this difficult period and I wish all my former colleagues the best of luck for the future.”
Last month the company hired restructuring specialists Kroll in hopes of finding a buyer for the business.
Kroll announced yesterday that Geoff Bouchier and Benjamin Wiles have been appointed joint administrators to oversee the financial management of the business.
It comes amidst a slump in the overall demand for meat-free products.
Sausage producer Heck, also based in Yorkshire, recently reduced its vegan range citing a similar lack of customer demand for meat-free products.
While some parts of the vegan food industry continue to perform well, such as plant-based milks, cheese and yoghurt, analysis suggests that demand for plant-based ‘meats’ has slowed down.
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Daryll Umali, Managing Director at vegan food company Moving Mountains, said: “With one less brand advocating the environmental agenda, the news of Meatless Farms administration is a sad loss for the plantbased movement, and our thoughts are with all those who lost their jobs.
“However, we can confidently say this loss is not a reflection of the plantbased industry’s trajectory – the chopping and changing is part of the maturing process that comes with an evolving new industry.
“This is an exciting and fast-paced race to develop new and delicious products with advanced technologies and genuine IP. Some brands may unfortunately fall short through unsustainable business models, channeling disproportionate funds to brand building, and without a quality product to match the result is unprofitability – this is something our organically grown business isn’t subject to.
“In 2022, YouGov reported one in four consumers are reducing their meat intake. You only have to ask a group of millennials their coffee order (the answers an oat flat white) to hear the demand. And, the buoyancy and growth of Moving Mountains is testament to that unrelenting demand for plantbased options”
Featured image – Meatless Farm
Business
The plans to build 107 new homes in Manchester city centre – including affordable housing
Daisy Jackson
A new community of homes – including affordable housing – is on the way to Manchester city centre.
Fresh new images have been unveiled of Ferrous, a brand-new 107-home rental scheme that will be built in Piccadilly East later this year.
The new development from Capital&Centric will include 15% affordable housing, as well as a new pocket park.
The new scheme is partly thanks to a £1.6m investment from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, which will see a previously underused brownfield site regenerated.
The site near Manchester Piccadilly was previously owned by Transport for Greater Manchester.
Although the planning consent didn’t require an affordable housing, Capital&Centric has committed to delivering around 15% of the new homes as affordable.
Alongside the pocket park, there’ll be a small kiosk designed as a launchpad for an independent food or drink operator.
Piccadilly East was named by The Sunday Times as one of the UK’s most up-and-coming places to live, thanks to developments like Crusader Mill and Neptune Mill, plus the landmark ‘Jenga’ Leonardo Hotel.
Tom Wilmot, Joint Managing Director at Capital&Centric, said: “The GMCA funding is helping unlock new homes on a challenging city centre site while allowing us to deliver affordable homes as part of the scheme.
“We’ve also carved out space for greenery and an independent operator because small pockets of public space make a massive difference. In a post-industrial city you have to go big on planting. Kampus showed that and we want to create a mini version here.”
Construction on Ferrous is expected to start later this year with completion anticipated in 2028.
New state-of-the-art modern wellness and recovery destination opens in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s wellness landscape has just changed… for the better.
Brysk has arrived in our city, unveiling a premium, design led studio dedicated to recovery, performance, and preventative health.
Opening its doors just off St Ann’s Square, offering what it calls a ‘technology-led approach’ to everyday health, Brysk is all about helping people stay ahead of stress, poor sleep, inflammation, skin concerns, and low energy.
Designed as a wellness studio rather than a spa or clinic, Brysk aims to bridge the gap between premium comfort and clinical level care, and is currently the only place in Manchester to provide a full suite of modern recovery and wellness services under one roof – including the city centre’s only hard-shelled hyperbaric oxygen chamber delivering 1.8 ATA sessions.
Whole body and localised cryotherapy treatments are also available, alongside red light therapy and compression therapy.
Manchester was chosen for Brysk’s launch due to the city’s strong wellness and fitness culture.
Tailored for everyday people, not just amateur and elite athletes, Brysk supports busy professionals, parents, and shift workers, as well as those managing menopause symptoms, skin concerns, chronic inflammation, or recovering from injury.
The studio is also set to host a weekly run club, wellness events, and group recovery sessions now that it’s open to the public, while corporate wellness mornings and private group bookings are also available in Thursdays and Saturdays, supported by Proflex Therapy – the studio’s physiotherapy partner.
Brysk is a new modern wellness and recovery destination in Manchester / Credit: Supplied
Brysk owners, father and son team Chris and Nathan, say their aiming to become Manchester’s go-to destination for cryotherapy and modern wellness, building a culture where recovery and preventative health are viewed not as a luxury, but as essential to everyday life.
All services on offer are delivered through structured safety-led protocols, backed by sports science and nutrition knowledge.
Single sessions, tailored service packages, and flexible credit-based memberships are all on offer, meaning clients are able to integrate recovery and preventative health into their routines in a way that suits their lifestyle.
Georgina Pellant -
14th June 2023 
