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What’s The Deal With Veganism? 4 Quick Facts
Have you ever encountered someone who was on a Vegan diet, or who preferred to buy only Vegan-made products? Veganism is defined by The Vegan Society as, “a way of living which seeks to exclude, as far as is possible and practicable, all forms of exploitation of, and cruelty to, animals for food, clothing or any other purpose.” It’s a lifestyle choice that millions of Americans take seriously, and therefore expect stores to supply products that are made in a Vegan-friendly way.
So what should you know about vegans, veganism, and its benefits to your customers?
1. Vegan Products Are Animal-Friendly
This one should be a no-brainer, even for those with limited knowledge of vegan products, due to the fact that vegans refrain from any and all animal products, even dairy and eggs. If you care about the treatment of animals, which many of your customers surely do, then you might want to consider supplying people with vegan-friendly options. To be clear, this does not simply mean selling vegan foods; vegan products can also extend to apparel, toys, jewelry, and more.
2. Veganism Is Practiced By A Large Portion of the US Population
It’s estimated that around 15 million residents of the United States are vegetarian, and half of those vegetarians are vegans. That makes the total population of vegans in the U.S. around 7.5 million. Although that’s only a small percentage of the total U.S. population, it’s a continuously growing number of people. Many of these people refuse to buy from businesses that don’t supply some sort of vegan option in their store. Whether you’re a grocery store or a retail store, consider adding some vegan options into your inventory. And, if you’re really looking to go all out, consider switching to a vegan-only business model.
3. Linked To Many Health Benefits
Although veganism isn’t the healthiest diet a person can go on, it does offer a number of health benefits due to its restrictions. For example, since vegan diets eliminate animal meat, and meat is often associated with saturated fats and high cholesterol, vegan diets help to greatly reduce the risk of heart disease. In addition, most vegan diets require you to replace animal products with vegetables (much like a vegetarian diet) therefore adding some much-needed vitamins and minerals into a person’s diet. Vegan diets can also aid in reducing chronic diseases, such as diabetes type 2, and cancer. Your customers care about their health, and you might want to consider this point when deciding whether to supply them with vegan products.
4. Profitable For Businesses
You’re a business owner (or, at least, someone who is hoping to enter the business world), so you know how important profit is for business. In fact, a recent study shows that the market for plant-based, vegan meat substitutes will reach $5.17 billion by the year 2020. That’s a huge amount of potential profit for curious vegan-friendly adopters. If you’re looking to bust into the vegan market, consider starting small with a few vegan-friendly options, and then, if you see it working for your business, add more vegan options later.
If you’re looking for more info on vegan products and vegan wholesalers, FGmarket has you covered. We’ve got a fantastic selection of vegan vendors who would love to pursue a partnership with you.
For more on FGmarket’s vegan vendors, click here.
21 Missions Agave Offers A Sweet Alternative To The Norm
It seems like everyone these days is looking for those healthier alternatives. And for good reason. One of the easiest alternatives has got to be Agave Nectar, a natural fructose sweetener that replaces sugar. It’s sweeter than cane sugar, yet has a low glycemic index, which means it doesn’t quickly raise blood sugar levels. It’s the ideal natural sweetener for anyone watching their caloric intake and reducing their consumption of cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup.
21 Missions Agave doesn’t just offer an alternative for sugar, either, but sells products that can replace honey or maple syrup, too!
It’s almost too easy to use this natural liquid sweetener that pours easily and dissolves quickly, so whether you like your coffee hot or iced, Agave Nectar has got you covered. This product is sweeter than cane sugar, so less is needed in your drinks and recipes. A side benefit is that it helps keep baked goods fresher longer since it’s a moisture retainer. As delicious as it is, it probably won’t last too long on your shelf, but if you tend to buy in bulk, you’re good: it has a shelf life a minimum of four years!
But how does it taste? Agave will not alter the natural flavor of the food or drink, but will sweeten while enhancing that natural flavors already found in your foods and beverages.
Agave Nectar is vegan, kosher, USDA Organic, and GMO-Free, just in case you thought its great taste was the only great thing about it.
While you’re shopping for this sweetener, consider throwing in your virtual cart the flavoring syrups, too. They are gourmet syrups perfect for transforming food and drinks, including sparkling waters, lemonade, smoothies, and even drizzled over baked pears and apples and other fruits and berries. The syrups come in five flavors: vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, very berry, and coconut lemon.
The sweetener is made from the Blue Weber Agave pina where it is taken to a processing plant where the starches are transformed into the all-natural fructose sweetener they have sold since 2002. It is made with the pina, botanical extracts, whole fruits and spices, and that’s it. All of the ingredients, as you can see, are natural. It is the finest agave nectar sweetener in the world. The agave nectar is also sold globally. Agave Nectar is available in wholesale, foodservice and retail sizes.
So, when replacing those processed foods, don’t overlook this simple product. Check out all that 21 Missions Agave has to offer, today! Your customers will thank you for it.
FGmarket’s Weekly Pick — Hellenic Farms LLC
If your customers are looking for excellent Hellenic (Greek) products, then take a look at what Hellenic Farms LLC has to offer.
Hellenic Farms LLC is the United States’ premier importer and supplier of Hellenic products, sourced directly from all over Greece. They work with a network of small artisan producers to import only the best products available to the American market.
They seek to not only bring premium Greek products to the States, but to also educate others about the health benefits of Greek products, and what’s known as Grecian Gastronomy (or Greek diet).
One of their awesome products imported from Greece is the Five Extra Virgin Olive Oil Set. This set is available in three different variations: the Red Limited Edition Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Estate Vinegar, the Black Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil and White Ultra Premium EVOO, and the Clear EVOO and Balsamic Estate Vinegar. These EVOOs are superior quality, pure olive oils without any additives, and are derived from the hand-picked Koroneiki variety of olives. The vinegars are made from Semillion white grapes found in Northern Greece.
For Greek products that are a cut above the rest, give your customers the option of olives, olive oils, vinegars and other products distributed by Hellenic Farms LLC!
The Vanilla Company Seeks To Educate Others About The Importance of Pure Vanilla
It’s easy to forget how important vanilla flavoring is to the food industry. Typically, we might only think of vanilla as important to ice cream flavoring, birthday cake, or maybe even your favorite coffee creamer. But vanilla extract and the entire vanilla farming industry are important for not only their inclusion in some of the world’s favorite desserts but also for their impact on the world’s economy as one of the biggest import/export products on the market.
Here’s another thing most people might not know: surprisingly, nearly 99% of vanilla fragrances and flavors sold to consumers is actually artificial.
You might be wondering, “What’s the big deal? I’m still getting the flavor of vanilla that I want, just at a cheaper cost to me.”
While this might be true, a market dominated by artificial vanilla flavorings means that vanilla farmers in South and Central America, and around the world, suffer because of this. The demand for pure vanilla has gone down because of the ease and inexpensiveness of making artificial vanilla. The Vanilla Company and its founder, Patricia Rain, want to change that.
Patricia Rain has become known around the world by the prestigious title of The Vanilla Queen. She is well-known as the foremost expert in the vanilla industry.
After writing a cookbook on artichoke recipes in the early ’80s, Rain became more and more interested in the vanilla industry. She had always been interested in the versatile little plant, but it wasn’t until she was persuaded to write another cookbook about vanilla, The Vanilla Cookbook, that she really dove into becoming an expert on the subject.
In 1992, she was invited to speak at the quincentennial celebration of foods of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico, and this is where her pursuit of knowledge really took off.
Over the years, she would travel the world in search of as much info as she could gather about the vanilla industry, visiting remote regions of the world and working directly with vanilla growers. In the process, she learned a wealth of info about the crop and entered into close friendships with many of the farmers that she met along the way.
Eventually, she would start The Vanilla Company as a way to not only provide income for herself, but as a way to work with farmers and women around the world to grow their businesses, and help them to achieve the dreams they chased after.
Today, The Vanilla Company still works with vanilla farmers around the world, and sells the pure vanilla extract that these farmers work so hard to produce.
The vanilla products sold by The Vanilla Company is superior in every way to the bland artificial products sold by 99% of the market.
The Vanilla Company’s vanilla is:
- More flavorful than other vanilla extracts
- Free from harmful chemical additives
- Kosher
- GMO and Gluten-free
- More bang for your buck, due to the vanilla beans being purchased directly from vanilla farmers, eliminating the middleman.
- Sustainably grown and fairly traded
- and Organically Grown!
It’s not just vanilla extract that The Vanilla Company sells, however. They also sell vanilla beans, paste, powder, vanilla sugar, and vanilla salt. These products are sold following the same guidelines as the vanilla extract, so you always know you’re buying vanilla products that sustain farmers who grow vanilla for a living.
Patricia Rain is passionate about what she does. She wants people to know about the importance of the amazing vanilla plant and what it does for so many people around the world.
Although prices for vanilla are high at the moment, Patricia Rain wants wholesale buyers to know that these prices should be dropping back down by November of 2016. This is due to certain regulations in Madagascar, where most of the world’s vanilla beans come from, undergoing a major change in rules and regulations for vanilla growers in that country.
The Vanilla Company and the Vanilla Queen want to make sure that the vanilla plant thrives and survives for generations to come. Check out The Vanilla Company, and buy your vanilla from a company that really does care about the environment, the vanilla farmers, and, of course, the vanilla plant.
FGmarket’s Weekly Pick — Thesis
At Thesis, a dedication to naturally-made beauty products is their mission. “Purity is the essence of Thesis products. Always will be,” according to their website, and if you look at what their products are made from, you’ll see that this statement holds true.
Thesis leave out all the yucky stuff that makes many beauty products actually do more harm than good to your body. They use only pure ingredients, and leave out things like bad chemicals, cheap fillers, and synthetics (such as preservatives, colors, detergents and flavors). Their products are also all vegan-friendly, catering to the wants and needs of your vegan customers!
Everything from face, bath & body, hair, mom, baby,and even men’s products are available from Thesis, so you’re guaranteed to be getting the best selection of natural beauty products to offer your environmentally conscious customers!
Check out Thesis today, and start offering the purest, no-nonsense products in the beauty industry!