Dee’s Wholefoods To Sell In Netherlands
16th September 2015
Cork vegan food company, Dee’s Wholefoods is bringing their delicious range of burgers, sausages and convenient ready meals to the Netherlands.
The Irish company has secured a lucrative deal with Jumbo, one of the largest players in the Dutch groceries sector. The deal will bring Dee’s Wholefood products to almost 600 stores across the country.
The company’s founder, Deirdre Collins is excited to take her first steps into the mainland European market: “This is a huge and very exciting step forward for the business and will allow us to create 3 new jobs here in Cork. The Netherlands is one of the most mature, yet vibrant and dynamic markets in the world and it is fantastic to be able to bring our products to Dutch consumers. Similar to their Irish and British counterparts, many Dutch people are increasingly looking at alternatives to meat as part of a healthy life style. Reports are showing that as many as 3.5 million Dutch consumers regularly abstain from eating meat at least a few days a week.”
Globally, the market for meat-free food continues to grow and recent studies have estimated that the vegan and vegetarian market was worth €921 million in 2014 and show that 12% of UK adults and 1 in 5 of those aged 16-24 follow a vegetarian or vegan diet! Across the European Union, most countries are showing similar trends with a growing market share for meat-free alternatives as consumers embrace healthier options.
“I am delighted to see people opening up to the idea that vegan and vegetarian food is anything but a compromise. Plant-based foods provide an amazing pallet of flavours and textures and with a bit of creative inspiration, anyone can make outstanding meals,” added Deirdre.
Dee’s Wholefoods has been going from strength-to-strength. The company saw an outstanding 82% growth year-on-year export sales in the 2013-2014 period and is available in stores in Ireland, the UK, the UAE and now in the Netherlands. The company also recently secured investment from Enterprise Ireland’s High Potential Start-up Programme and Broadlake, an Irish investment group that specialises in companies with high export potential.
