Vegetarian Express
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1990
- HeadquartersWatford, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
Vegetarian Express firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Vegetarian Express
- Legal name
- Vegetarian Express Ltd
- Website
- https://vegetarianexpress.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1990
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Vegetarian Express is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Watford
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Vegetarian Express business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Wholesale Food Distribution: B2B wholesale distribution of plant-based and vegetarian ingredients to foodservice establishments including restaurants, caterers, and commercial kitchens. Revenue generated through product sales with minimum order requirements and tiered pricing based on order volume.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard wholesale pricing with minimum order |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Vegetarian Express product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Vegetarian Express is a UK B2B wholesale distributor of plant-based and vegan ingredients, supplying over 1,200 SKUs across categories such as meat and seafood alternatives, plant-based cheese and dairy, grains, pulses, herbs, spices, world-cuisine ingredients, bakery goods, and catering supplies to restaurants, hotels, and contract caterers. Orders are placed through a direct e-commerce platform with next-day temperature-controlled delivery across the UK, complemented by the proprietary Vegetarian Express Range sub-brand and the Seed-bank recipe portal.
Product overview
Vegetarian Express is a UK-based wholesale foodservice company operating exclusively online, offering over 1,200 plant-based and vegan ingredients to professional kitchens, caterers, and foodservice businesses. The product portfolio is organized into 22 distinct categories spanning ambient, chilled, and frozen products, including meat alternatives (Eat Curious, Mock, Heura, THIS), seafood alternatives (Vegan Zeastar), dairy alternatives, plant-based cheeses (Violife), baked goods, world cuisines, and specialty ingredients. The company operates its own proprietary brand range alongside third-party branded products, and provides the Seed-bank recipe portal with 400+ recipes as a customer resource. The platform functions as a pure e-commerce ordering system without a public API.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Vegetarian Express Range: The company's own brand of wholesale plant-based ingredients, from Açaí to Za'atar, crafted from years of experience in plant-based food.
Products and services
- Plant Proteins & Centre of Plate Wholesale plant-based meat alternatives and centre-of-plate proteins, including tofu, tempeh, seitan and pre-marinated options from brands such as Eat Curious, Vegan Zeastar, MOCK, THIS and Heura, sold to professional kitchens.
- Meat Alternatives
- Plant-Based Cheese
- Plant-Based Milk, Dairy and Egg Alternatives
- Plant-Based Fish and Seafood Alternatives
- Plant-Based Burgers and Sausages
- Vegetarian Express Own-Brand Range
- World Cuisine Ingredients
- Herbs, Spices, Seeds, Nuts and Fruits
- Grains, Pulses, Rice and Pasta
- Bakery and Sweet Ingredients
- Future 50 Foods Collection
- Seed-bank Recipe Portal
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1200 plant-based ingredients available
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Vegetarian Express
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Vegetarian Express technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Vegetarian Express partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- allmanhallminorallmanhall is a catering supply partner featured in a sustainability article about circular food systems. Vegetarian Express is mentioned as one of allmanhall's supply partners practicing circular economy principles including regenerative agriculture, sustainable sourcing, and food waste reduction initiatives.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Vegetarian Express competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- KeHE Distributors: US specialty/natural foodservice distributor supplying natural, organic, and plant-based products to foodservice operators across North America. Closest international analogue under the specialist plant-based foodservice wholesale business model.
- Bidfood: One of the UK's largest foodservice wholesalers, supplying restaurants, caterers and hospitality operators across ambient, chilled and frozen categories. Directly comparable as a B2B wholesale foodservice distributor with overlapping customer base (Sodexo, contract caterers) though with a much broader, omnivorous product range.
- Suma Wholefoods: UK wholefood cooperative wholesaler distributing vegetarian, vegan, organic and ethically sourced lines to independent retailers and foodservice customers. Comparable specialist/wholesale model with deep vegan/heritage credentials and B2B foodservice reach.
- Caterforce: UK foodservice buying group and distribution consortium whose members include several of the same contract-catering accounts Vegetarian Express serves. Comparable as a B2B foodservice supply intermediary targeting the same enterprise hospitality customer base.
- 3663: UK foodservice supplier offering ambient, chilled and frozen lines across multiple categories to caterers, hospitality and care-sector operators. Direct peer under the B2B foodservice wholesale model with overlapping product breadth and customer type.
- Tree of Life: UK-based distributor of natural, organic, vegetarian, vegan and free-from specialty foods into retail and foodservice channels. Closest direct peer in terms of specialist plant-based/free-from focus and multi-channel foodservice supply model.
- Brakes Group: UK's largest specialist foodservice wholesaler serving pubs, restaurants, hotels, schools and hospitals. Direct peer under the B2B foodservice wholesale model, with significant presence in plant-based and free-from ranges that increasingly overlap with Vegetarian Express's specialist assortment.
- Total Foodservice: UK foodservice wholesaler operating from a nationwide network of cash & carry and delivered-wholesale branches serving independent caterers, takeaways and hospitality operators. Comparable B2B wholesale model at smaller scale and with broader product range.
- Essential Trading: UK worker-cooperative wholefood wholesaler specialising in vegetarian, vegan, organic and ethically sourced lines supplied via wholesale to independent retailers, caterers and food outlets. Closely comparable specialist cooperative wholesaler with overlapping plant-based product depth.
Broad incumbents
- UNFI: North America's largest publicly traded specialty/natural food distributor with broad retail and foodservice coverage. Comparable at the business-model level (specialty/wholesale distribution to operators) but operates at vastly greater scale and breadth across non-food categories.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Vegetarian Express social profiles
Digital presenceVegetarian Express financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Vegetarian Express leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Vegetarian Express funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Vegetarian Express M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Vegetarian Express
What does Vegetarian Express do?
Vegetarian Express is a UK B2B wholesale distributor of plant-based and vegan ingredients, supplying over 1,200 SKUs across categories such as meat and seafood alternatives, plant-based cheese and dairy, grains, pulses, herbs, spices, world-cuisine ingredients, bakery goods, and catering supplies to restaurants, hotels, and contract caterers. Orders are placed through a direct e-commerce platform with next-day temperature-controlled delivery across the UK, complemented by the proprietary Vegetarian Express Range sub-brand and the Seed-bank recipe portal.
Is Vegetarian Express a public or private company?
Vegetarian Express is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Vegetarian Express founded?
Vegetarian Express was founded in 1990. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Vegetarian Express based?
Vegetarian Express is headquartered in Watford, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Vegetarian Express make money?
One revenue line is on record: wholesale Food Distribution.
Who are Vegetarian Express's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are KeHE Distributors, Bidfood, Suma Wholefoods, Caterforce, 3663, Tree of Life, Brakes Group, Total Foodservice and Essential Trading. UNFI is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Vegetarian Express have an API?
No public API is recorded for Vegetarian Express.