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 |
| Parent | Danone |
| 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 vegetarian and mayonnaise.[1] 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.[2] In 1994 the restaurant and store suffered serious damage in the Los Angeles earthquake, but remained in business.[3]
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,[4] invented by co-founder Bob Goldberg.[5] Up to fifty million gallons of it are produced annually, and the product is also sold in various alternate forms,[6] including soy-free (where the soy is replaced with pea protein powder).[7] 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,[5] focused on plant-based replacements for more traditional non-vegan foods [8] such as sliced cheese replacements mirroring the flavors of various types of cheese.[9] Its products are sold in 23 countries, with a turnover of about $50 million in revenues per year.[10]
In 2015, Follow Your Heart was named the company of the year by PETA.[8] That year the company also partnered with musician Lil B to produce an app of Follow Your Heart-inspired emojis;[11] the company's mascot is itself named VegEmoji.[7]
In February 2021, Follow Your Heart was acquired by the European food company, Danone.[12][13]
References
- ^ "FAQs | Follow Your Heart®". followyourheart.com. Retrieved 2022-04-21.
- ^ "Love vegetarian food? Follow Your Heart to this Canoga Park restaurant". Los Angeles Daily News. 17 January 2017.
- ^ Morris, Regan (19 December 2016). "The vegan boss who followed his heart". BBC News.
- ^ "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. 3 October 2016.
- ^ 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.
- ^ foodnavigator-usa.com. "Follow Your Heart CEO on selling to Danone: 'For us to maintain a leadership role, we needed to accelerate our growth'". foodnavigator-usa.com. Retrieved 2021-06-02.
- ^ "Danone acquires plant-based pioneer Follow Your Heart". Food Dive. Retrieved 8 August 2023.