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Vegan Essentials
"Where Compassion
Meets Convenience!"
"We sell only 100% vegan products, as has been our
policy since we started our business a decade ago. We're vegans
ourselves, and we would never sell anything that we would not
consume."
Owner: Courtney has been vegan for around 12 years. Ryan, her husband and co-owner, has been vegan for just under 8 years.
Staff: "Our employees are all vegan at this time."
In business since: Late 1998. "We're having our 10th anniversary this year."
Sells: Just under 1400 different all-vegan items, including food and sweets, non-leather shoes and accessories, vitamins and supplements, cosmetics, facial and body care, animal foods, clothing, cleaning products, buttons, stickers and more!
Background: Courtney, who is the founder of VeganEssentials, went vegan originally after getting a really bad case of food poisoning from a chicken meal she'd eaten. She believed that anything that can make you that ill simply can't be good for you, and as she became more aware of the health considerations of vegetarianism, she began to consider the ethical aspects as well. Shortly after going vegetarian, she decided to go vegan, and has been so ever since.
After being vegan for a little over a year, Courtney decided that there needed to be different options for shopping as, at the time, there were very few stores and not a whole lot to choose from. She decided to start her own store to fill the void for the lack of vegan shopping (which was originally done via printed catalog), and has worked for many years to grow the offerings to vegans everywhere. What started out in her sister's basement is now a business employing six people that work full-time to ship cruelty-free products to customers all over the world!
"We have been voted "Best online vegan store" in 2006 and 2007 by Veg News Magazine readers, and are working hard to keep the streak going by continuing to offer more all-vegan products in one place than anyone else. We have many new plans to add unique vegan goods in the future, so people will always want to check back often as every month there are between 15 and 30 new vegan items coming in to our shop!"
Cosmo's Vegan Shoppe (online and retail store)
"We
will not sell any item that contains leather, fur, silk, honey, wool
or any other animal derived product.
We will not sell any product that
has been tested on animals."
Owners: Ken & Leigh Saluzzi
Vegan Staff: 100%
In business since: March 1, 2005
Sells: Household products, wallets, bags, supplements, Liz Lovely cookies, chocolates & sweets, gluten-free products, cosmetics, condoms (not usually vegan), and much more!
Background: Ken Saluzzi went vegetarian in 1994, after doing research for a college paper regarding the ivory trade in Africa. During this time, he was involved in the punk scene, where bands and record labels promoted the vegan lifestyle. This helped to raise his animal rights awareness and eventually turned him towards veganism in 1997.
Leigh became vegetarian in 1992, at the age of seventeen. She thought that veganism would be too difficult, until she met Ken in 2001, who helped her to see how easy being vegan could be. She began writing letters to companies regarding their animal testing practices, and trading in her old leather shoes for vegan ones. After being vegan for five years, she says that she will be for life.
When Ken and Leigh met, they began discussing the possibility of opening a vegan store. Ken wanted to provide an easy way for vegans and vegetarians to buy cruelty-free products without having to read labels.
Alternative Outfitters
Owner: Jackie Horrick
Vegan Staff: 100%
In business since: April 2004
Sells: T-shirts with a message, clothing, faux suede jackets, wool-free scarves and hats, non-leather footwear, handbags, belts, cellphone pouches, makeup, nail care and skin care
Background: Jackie has been vegan for the last 3 years, vegetarian for 26 years, and an animal lover all her life. As a little girl, Jackie adored animals of all kinds and essentially adopted a neighbor's goat, sheep and lambs - to the dismay of her mother. On a trip to Greece at the age of nine, she became vegetarian. The hotel she stayed at was across from a butcher shop. She watched as three helpless lambs were pulled from the back of a truck, tied up and weighed for slaughter. The next morning, their carcasses hung in the window of the shop. Jackie quickly made the connection that the meat we consume comes from living, breathing animals.
Jackie always dreamed of having a career that she could be proud of, that she would enjoy because it was based around the ideals that she believed in with her heart. She considered various career paths, but the idea of starting her own company was terrifying. Her moment came when she realized she always had a problem finding shoes that were not made of leather, that were at the same time stylish and good quality. She knew there must be other people in the same situation.
She decided to create an online resource so that people all over the world could find fashionable leather alternatives and cruelty-free personal care items in one location. She teamed up with friend Henny Hendra. They created a business plan and in April 2004, after only six months of planning, Alternative Outfitters was born and went live.
Recently they've won their 2nd annual Proggy Award from P.E.T.A. (Best Animal Friendly Retailer for 2005) and a 2005 Veggie Award from Veg News Magazine for the 'sassiest online store'.
The website offers a tremendous selection of leather alternatives and cruelty-free products.
The Cruelty-Free Shop (Australia)
"All our products have been certified cruelty-free by the independent, nonprofit organization Choose Cruelty Free Australia. CCF's accreditation criteria are amongst the most stringent in the world."
Owner: Jessica (vegan for 5 years)
In business: 4 years
Sells: Hundreds of products, including household cleaners, cosmetics, hair care, body care, companion animal care, baby care, vegan food, cookbooks, accessories, candles, health, and gift boxes
Background: "The idea to start the Cruelty Free Shop was a result of years of trying to find reliable and reputable suppliers of cruelty-free products which always proved difficult and time consuming. I decided to launch the online Cruelty-Free Shop in order to make cruelty-free products accessible, in a quick and easy way, to people who care about animals – a one stop Cruelty Free shop.
"I believe that there are a lot of people out there who are aware of the barbarity of animal testing and I hope to spread the word so these people can show they care in a practical way – by only purchasing certified cruelty-free products. Unfortunately the only way to get the message through to manufacturers that animal testing is unacceptable is to boycott their products, thereby hitting them where it hurts – in their profits!
"Recently there has been much talk in the press about 'truth in labeling', specifically with regards to claims of environmental friendliness of products. This same issue causes a problem with claims regarding animal testing. Although any manufacturer can print 'not tested on animals' on their labels, this does not offer any guarantees. Even if the manufacturer does not conduct animal tests themselves, they may have utilized external laboratories or the ingredients used in their products may have been tested by their suppliers.
"All our products have been certified cruelty-free by the independent, nonprofit organization Choose Cruelty Free Australia. CCF's accreditation criteria are amongst the most stringent in the world. You can purchase products from manufacturers accredited by CCF safe in the knowledge that they have not been tested on animals by the manufacturer, their agents or their suppliers. In keeping with the cruelty free concept I decided to stock only vegan products (ie no animal derived ingredients) as any industry that harvests animal derivatives involves further cruelty and exploitation."
The AFA Store
"We strive to sell only vegan cookbooks, though sometimes we order cookbooks that the supplier says are vegan that we find may contain an occasional recipe calling for 'either cow's milk or soy milk', or honey, etc. We do strive to buy sweatshop free garments."
Run by: Action for Animals, a non-profit vegan outreach & education organization based in Seattle, Washington. The founder and director of the group has been vegan for 13 years, after reading some flyers from P.E.T.A.
Sells: Approx. 100 shirts, 220 books (including a very comprehensive choice of vegan cookbooks displayed with a photo and description), DVDs, bulk literature for outreach, 150 buttons, 150 stickers, other items like license plate frames, rubber stamps, patches, magnets, reusable lunch bags, and some lip balms.
Background: The AFA Store began in 2001. Before that, it was The Vegan Book Project. Action For Animals has existed in its current form since 1999. All individuals involved are volunteers, except for the director, who receives an annual salary (which is below poverty level) to run the store, as well as the organization. Before Amazon.com and online shopping became so popular, The Vegan Book Project began, as a side interest of AFA's director. In 2001, The Vegan Book Project, which was already an online resource for vegan books, expanded into other items, then was merged into AFA and became The AFA Store.
In conclusion, the owner adds: "Thank-you for promoting vegan, vegan-run, small, non-corporate businesses!"
The Vegetarian Site
"The Vegetarian Site sells no animal products or by-products of any kind."
Manager: David Sudarsky, who has been vegan for 13 years, and vegetarian for about 18 years.
Vegan Staff: 100%
In business: 6 years
Sells: Hundreds of products from socially responsible brands: Vegan and hemp shoes, belts, accessories, clothing, books, DVDs and videos, groceries, personal care products, juicers, etc.
"Many companies these days have most of their products manufactured in China under poor working conditions (many shoe manufacturers in particular). We carefully screen our suppliers and avoid those companies that are questionable"
$5 flat-rate shipping
10% of all sales go to nonprofit organizations.
Background: David became vegan on ethical/animal rights grounds. When he learned about the egg and dairy industries, "there was simply no reasonable choice other than to become vegan". The Vegetarian Site was started initially as an informational website, but soon became an online store as well, specializing in environmentally-friendly vegan products. "The site is a great way to promote high quality vegan products while simultaneously contributing financially to animal rights and vegan organizations," explains David.
One Stop Vegan Shop
Owner: Julie Setzer, (vegetarian for 3 years)
Sells: Hundreds of personal care products, children & baby items, cosmetics & oral care, books, candles, footwear, message shirts and products, paper products. More products are continually being added.
Background: "Thanks to P.E.T.A. and my dad, I started learning more and more about animal rights. When I became vegetarian I looked for vegan products, but I became frustrated when I found I had to go to three or four stores to find everything. That's what prompted me to open my own store."
Vegetarian Shoes and Bags
"We strive to make a difference in this world, not only by providing cruelty free-footwear, but also by donating a generous portion of our profits to animal rescue and rights groups."
Owner: Daniela, who has been vegan for 10 years
Vegan Staff: 100%
In business: 3 years
Sells: Men's and women's shoes, boots, sandals, handbags, belts, and pet carriers.
A portion of sales go to nonprofit organizations.
Background: "I love fashion, especially shoes, and I found it very time consuming and frustrating searching stores for non-leather shoes that were stylish and fashionable. Many of them have leather soles or leather insoles. I felt there was a market of other professionals with the same dilemma."
Daniela became vegan on Thanksgiving. "I was biting into my Thanksgiving turkey when I felt the sheer panic this poor animal felt at the moment of slaughter. I spit out the meat, went home, cleaned out my kitchen and fridge, went vegan cold turkey (no pun intended) and haven't looked back since."
www.vegetarianshoesandbags.com
Allison's Gourmet
Owner: Allison Rivers Samson, the company owner, has been vegan for 10 years, and a vegetarian for 18 years. The answer she gives for becoming vegan is that she couldn't find any reason NOT to be, so it was an obvious and natural choice!
In business since: 1997
Sells: Organic, vegan artisan bakery and gift company. Presently, the product line includes cookies, brownies, monthly clubs, gift-boxed chocolate truffles and caramels, special holiday items, gift tins, and gift baskets and the product line is always expanding!
Background: A lifelong passion for sweets, coupled with a reverence for our planet and all of its inhabitants led Allison to open Allison's Gourmet, after eight years of carefully perfecting her recipes to rival or surpass any baked goods available.
Allison's Gourmet won the Best Brownie Award in VegNews Magazine's Veggie Awards. Being the very first on-line vegan bakery, Allison's Gourmet has been featured in many print publications, like The Wall Street Journal, The San Francisco Chronicle, Vegetarian Times, VegNews Magazine, Healing Lifestyles & Spas, Woman's Day, E: The Environmental Magazine, Veggie Life, The Vegetarian Journal, The Puget Sound Business Journal, as well as several books, countless web site reviews, on the television shows Good Day L.A. and The Rosie O'Donnell Show, and is endorsed by numerous celebrities in the entertainment business and the animal rights movement.
Comondi (Toronto, Canada)
"There are many stores which offer environmentally friendly products but are not vegan and many other stores which offer vegan products but do not take into account the effect on the environment. At Comondi we recognize the links which bind everything together and strive to carry products which do not break these links."
Owner: Marisa King, who has been a vegan for 9 years.
Vegan Staff: 100%
In business: Six months
Sells: Cookbooks, hemp bags, hemp wallets, Bazura Bags & purses (bags made from recycled juice cartons), soaps, bath salts, shampoos, conditioners, shaving soaps, toothpaste, dishwashing liquid, recycled glassware, organic cotton towels, organic cotton sheets, organic cotton shower curtain, dog & cat collars & leashes, organic cotton baby clothes & accessories, organic cotton menstrual pads, 100% post-consumer recycled paper and envelopes, corn pens, hemp socks, organic cotton dishcloths and cleaning cloths, loofah scrubbers, etc.
5% of sales (NOT just profits) go to companies working towards positive change for animals and the environment.
Their standards are high, and require products to be vegan, environmentally sound, fairly traded and organic wherever possible.
Background: Marisa King holds a Masters in Environmental Studies with a focus on Animal/Human Relations. While studying at university she read John Robbins' book, May All Be Fed: Diet for a New World. She became vegan the very next day and started advocating for animals. Having previously had no idea of the cruelty inherent in the food production industry, she couldn't believe that such barbarism was allowed to take place on such a monumental scale. It soon became apparent to her that this was the status quo and that animals were treated as mere production units. "Everywhere I looked, in every human industry, animals were abused, exploited and extinguished. Animals simply had no voice or not ones that humans would deign to listen to."
After completing her Masters Degree, Marisa looked for ways in which to make the plight of animals more visible to the public. In day to day life she and her vegan roommates found it difficult to procure vegan items which were also made with ecological integrity and through fair trade. They generally had to mail-order from the United States, and even then many companies didn't ship to Canada. The had the idea of starting an online vegan company within Canada.
In 2006, the Year of the Dog, Comondi also donated 15% of their sales from any dog-related products to organizations working to improve the lives of dogs. Global Action Network is the current recipient for their work in Asia.
VeganGoods.com
Owner (and the only employee): Christi, has been vegan for six years.
In business: a couple of years
Sells: Hundreds of vegan and cruelty-free products including cosmetics, body care items, personal care items, products specifically for women, purses, wallets, clothing, books, candles, food and sweets, chocolate, companion animal products, gifts and gift baskets, first aid, vitamins, natural therapeutics, cleaning supplies, bumper stickers and magnets.
Background: Vegan Goods was started as the shopping cart extension of A Different Daisy, an online site offering vegan information, recipes, interviews and more.
Christi started selling products online in 1998, after seeing a need for cruelty-free alternatives. "My journey to veganism began when I was a young girl, when I spent the majority of my time with animals. They were my closest friends. I grew up with so many 'pets' and had such a love for them. It wasn't until I graduated high school that I realized exactly what had to happen in order for meat to become dinner. I guess I knew what happened, but it never actually struck me. It was a huge awakening for me when I realized that I didn't have to eat meat and that I didn't have to eat dairy or eggs. Not long after that, I discovered the horrors of animal testing and factory farming. I was disgusted with myself! Why hadn't I realized this sooner? Now, I live my life as cruelty-free as possible and do my best to promote kindness. I am much happier and healthier because of this lifestyle change." says Christi.
She is also a dedicated animal rescuer and caregiver. "At present I have 19 cats and 4 dogs in my care, all homeless at one time."
Kindhearted Women
"We're Animal Friendly! We do not use beeswax, honey, animal oil, wool, silk, milk, or any animal or insect derived product ever. PERIOD." (This rule has been broken only once, when a case of baby rattles that were coated with beeswax were bought accidentally. Kindhearted Women sold them at a discount, CLEARLY marked.)
Owner: Tracey, vegan for approximately seven years.
In business since: 2002.
Sells: Bath & body care products, hair & baby care, imported Shea butter, African black soap, essential oils, whipped body butters, our own Claymazing Powder, hemp and cotton diapers and diapering supplies. "Soon we will have organic clothing including vegan-approved soft shoes for infants and toddlers (as an alternative to leather ones). We will also carry baby slings and vegan play-silks."
Most products hand made
Background: Tracey and Leslie, two 'work-at-home moms' started this company to offer a vegan (and often organic) alternative to plastic and paper diapers and commercially available body care products. "Purchases help us to stay at home and parent our children." says Tracey McFall of Springfield, Massachussets. "Animal ingredients are used not because they are better than vegetable-derived ingredients but because they are cheaper. Slaughterhouses must dispose of by-products from the slaughter of billions of animals every year. The industry has found an easy and profitable solution; rather than pay to dispose of the waste, they sell it to cosmetics manufacturers. Animals are not ours to eat, wear, use, or experiment on."
On their web site they list some of the reasons why they "choose to create their products the cruelty-free way". The site explains why it is cruel to use silk or bee products or wool. I found it very interesting and suggest a visit.
Bourgeois Boheme
A hip online boutique offering approximately 300 products for both men and women. Their entire cosmetic range and most of their toiletries range is BUAV certified (British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection). "We are very shortly only to stock BUAV certified products as our commitment to end animal testing for beauty products"
Vegan Staff: 100%
Alicia Lai has been vegan for 18 months and vegetarian for 13 years.
Van Tran has been vegan for 18 months and vegetarian for four years.
In business since: May 2005
Approved under the Humane Cosmetics Standard (HCS)
Sells: Footwear for all occasions, boots, bags, purses and wallets, scarves, hats, gloves, toiletries and cosmetics, jewelry, mobile / Ipod muffs and gift certificates
Background: Alicia and Van, a husband and wife team, decided to set up the company due to their frustration at not finding stylish vegan fashion. "We want to educate consumers that their conscious choice of an ethical product will benefit not only themselves, but animals and the environment as a whole. We believe in nonviolence in all that we do: our words, actions and thoughts, and in being kind and giving respect to all living beings. Bourgeois Boheme was born in response to wanting to fulfill this philosophy and marrying this with a cruelty-free lifestyle; where style and fashion need not be sacrificed. Bourgeois Boheme is a celebration of life!"
Vegan of Light
An online café press store
Owner: Christina Arasmoa, vegan for 12 years and vegetarian for 18 years.
In business: eight months
Sweat shop free
Sells: A wide variety of shirts with vegan and vegetarian messages. They are conventional cotton for the most part (there's one organic choice).
Background: A single mom, Christine became vegan from watching The Peaceable Kingdom by Tribe of Heart. She runs this store to help pay the bills, use some of the money for donations and to help with covering the time involved with vegtampabay.com; a site she designs and maintains. Say something important to humanity and order from her online site.
Truth (Belts)
"I do believe that they are the best 'genuine non-leather' belts in the world; as of yet I have not come across a fake leather belt that has the quality and longevity of a Truth belt" - Renia Pruchnicki (owner)
Owner and founder: Renia Pruchnicki
In business: 5 years.
Sells: Belts, bags; purses, tote bags, messenger bags and bracelets. Truth offers belts that come in two categories; Virtue and Vice. Virtue belts are made primarily out of cotton, polyester and elastic webbing. They have a fashion forward look, are vibrant in color and unisex. Vice belts are made from materials that look just like leather, but are not! You wouldn't be able to tell the difference! They are made from a very high quality PVC material.
Background: "When I started Truth, I was not a vegetarian at all! I wasn't even thinking about anything like that. My background, career-wise, is in fashion design. When I started my own business, I chose the name Truth because I wanted a one-syllable word that had 5 letters in it (an odd number of letters is always more aesthetically pleasing) and the word Truth is so positive and beautiful, everyone can relate to it. Because I had never worked with leather, I simply used all of the technical materials that I had used in the past (cottons, polyesters and vinyls). Little did I know at the time that vegetarians and vegans would love Truth belts! Over the years, I started doing some research on why meat is unhealthy. I suppose it was through my customers and also companies who wanted me to put a link on my website, that I started learning about vegans and vegetarians. Over the years I gradually cut out meat and eventually found that the craving for things like steak were no longer there. I haven't had milk for many years now. I drink rice milk, which I love. I still eat seafood, so I guess I am not 100% vegetarian, but who knows? Maybe with time that will change! My company Truth has slowly turned me into a vegetarian! Truth has not grown to the point that I can quit my day job, but I hope to get there one day."
P.E.T.A awarded Truth a Proggy award in 2003 for 'Best Leather Replacement Clothing Company in North America'. The Vice belts offer styles from conservative to funky. All Vice belts have a stamp on the back that reads 'genuine non-leather'.
www.vegetarianbelts.com (online sales)
Dank Forest
Innovations for
Sustainable Living
In business since: 1999
Sells: Approximately 200 items, mostly apparel and accessories, made from organic hemp. Dank Forest provides environmentally friendly products and information for sustainable living.
Sweatshop labor never used.
Being socially responsible is the focal point of the business.
Background: The owner has been vegetarian since 1993 and started the company to better the world. The company focuses its retail division on providing high quality, low cost, organic hemp products that enable customers to live an efficient and harmonious lifestyle. Dank Forest was one of the first companies to sell organic hemp merchandise to the retail market in North America.
Vegan.com
Sells: ONLY vegan cookbooks and every food item the site promotes is vegan.
Publisher: Erik Marcus, a vegan of nearly 20 years
Site began: 7 years ago
Background: Erik became vegan because he witnessed slaughterhouse footage during his freshman year of college. Erik's video on factory farming will be out in the summer of 2006.
Erik offers regular podcasts with Erik Marcus and various internet feeds.
Green Valley Online
"Natural products for
health and vitality."
Two online shop websites (both exclusively
vegan)
www.gvtc.co.uk and www.veganhealthandbeauty.com
Registered with The Vegan Society.
Owners: The two co-owners have been vegan for around 10 years and 6 years respectively.
Staff: All vegan. "We are only a small family run company (three of us hard at work) and we are all vegan."
In business: Over 8 years
300+ products. Main ranges are vitamins, supplement and herbal remedies with organic and natural body care, babycare and food supplements also stocked. "We are in the process of expanding our range to include cosmetics and other natural health care products with more to follow."
Background: Rob became vegan after being veggie for a couple of years. This came about after he became involved in various animal welfare and animal rights campaigns (including the export of veal calves and live export of sheep) and had his eyes opened to the horrors that also existed in the production of eggs and milk. "The online company (Green Valley Online) then came about almost by accident as part of a retail outlet, but has steadily grown and, we hope, will continue to do so."
"We are always on the look out for new ideas for vegan products that people might wish to see on our websites. We recently added the Feel for This and Fresh Face Cosmetics ranges due to requests and feedback that we received and these are already proving to be popular."
www.gvtc.co.uk
www.veganhealthandbeauty.com
They also look after the website for Hillfields Animal Sanctuary: www.hillfields-animal-sanctuary.com
Just One Moon Co.
the mother company of two different web sites: www.FairCoffee.com and www.Ecowindchimes.com
Owner: Stephen Betzen, is vegan at home and work. "I have been vegetarian for five years and vegan for one. My wife Rachel Betzen helps me part of the time and she is vegan. She has been vegetarian for seven years and vegan for one."
In business: a year and a half
They sell products in which care has been taken in production to protect the environment and the community. They sell organic fair trade coffee, and wind chimes made with the environment in mind (95% of the waste is recycled and biodegradable soap is used for cutting)
Located in Dallas Texas
VeganGiftShop.com
Founder & owner: Eric Brent, vegetarian first for 5 years and now vegan for 16 years.
Staff: vegetarians.
Offering selections in vegan hemp wear, wallets, purses, bags, shoes, energy bars, protein powder, chocolate, chocolate powder, cacao, snacks, gift baskets, animal rights message t-shirts, cookbooks, raw books, juicers, eco-friendly lunch boxes and kits.
Background: The founder and owner of the company, Eric Brent, is a longtime vegan. He first began eating a vegetarian diet at the age of 21 when he was introduced to vegetarianism by friends. It was at that age that he ate his very first veggie burger. Soon after that, he turned vegan completely and has been living the vegan life for 15 years. Eric actively shares his understanding and passion for veganism with his family, friends, and those with who he comes into contact.
"For all your vegan and cruelty-free gossip, news, reviews or information don't forget to keep in touch."
Location: Nimbin, NSW, Australia
Owner & Founder: Rebecca Bennett - "I am fully vegan. I have been vegetarian for over ten years. Vegan for most of that time. (I became) vegan due to health and ethical reasons. It just felt like the right thing to do for my soul and humanity."
In business since: 2002
Sells: Vegan e-books, Vegan Cookbooks (downloadable mostly), Veggie Quotations Book, Animals Ingredients Exposed, The Top 10 Things To Know Before Going Vegan Guidebook ~ "The top ten things is a quick and easy crash course compilation of the easiest way to prepare yourself for vegan (and 100% vegetarian) living. You'll get tips, ideas and techniques that have so far been shared only with a select few close friends, family and subscribers."
"If You are interested in Vegetarian, Vegan or Cruelty-Free Living; Or maybe you're new to Vegetarianism and looking for ideas or recipes on such things . . . Then Vegan Secrets can help you find out more with our Insider Vegan Secrets Book/s Finally Revealed."
Background: Rebecca has worked in the vegetarian and vegan industry in Australia for years. She is the founder of www.VeganSecrets.com and www.Vegetarian-Secrets.com portals with many interesting vegan and vegetarian books, articles, recipes, veg living tips and tricks plus her blog at: http://www.VeganSecrets.com/blog which has online information on everything vegan, vegetarian and cruelty-free.
To Get 2 FREE *Special BONUSES* valued at $97
visit:
www.VeganSecrets.com
Veganline.com
"This doesn't apply in the same way to footwear, but we do sell things that we are reasonably sure are vegan and there is always a chance that something slips through."
Owner: "Nearly vegan in practice."
In business since: 1998
Vegan footwear - two or three dozen styles of different rarities and qualities, including shoes like the Bouncing Boot which is made in the UK specially for Veganline.com out of breathable microfibre using mouldable cushion soles and sewn seams. We hope to specialise in European and fairtrade shoes and have a high proportion of stock that is either European or Fairtrade.
Vegan wallets - made for
veganline in several colours and two shapes.
Unusually these are made in the UK.
Vegan belts - made on site by veganline with two or more buckle styles
Background: "I was just out of boarding school and very open to ideas. My brother shacked up with a fierce vegan and my college was full of vegans. My brother gave me 'The Animals Report' and 'The Fast Food Vegetarian' (both now out of print) as easy introductions to veggiedom at the time. I never saw the TV documentaries about animal cruelty that made thousands of people go veggie in the 80s, but avoidance of animal cruelty was my motive for change. It seemed obvious to someone ready for change that this was a good change to make. Also one of my few hetrosexual crushes was with an Iranian student who was so seriously vegan that I had to be just out of respect, even though I never really knew her."
"After college I realised that the rest of the world hadn't had these experiences, was getting-on with conformity and changing far more slowly. I only got really involved in selling vegan shoes when I needed a career change to get out of social work in 1998."
"Most of the last ten years have been spent running Veganline.com as a hobby: we look forward to running it as a smoother looking business in the next ten years!"
"Buying Fairtrade or European stock is not as easy as it seems. Journalists write articles every few months saying "why are these shoes so old fashioned: why can't we have changes at whim?". The answer is that the UK electorate voted for a government that closed down most of UK manufacturing as an economic policy from 1979 onwards. Since then the local factory trade has been running on smaller and smaller orders, lower and lower margins, and older and older machines. When you think that there can be a 30-100 operations in making a complicated shoe, and that's before buttering up the customer and clearing the cheque, you'll appreciate that these suppliers can't change styles overnight."
The Urban Vegan
An Amazon store with vegan cookbooks, books, cosmetics, vegan foods, shoes and handbags, also other items like CDs and cookware.
Owner: Dynise Balcavage, a vegan for about 3 years, vegetarian since about age 14
In business since: "I started my blog/online store in 2006. I'm currently writing a vegan cookbook."
Background: "I decided to become vegan after learning about the horrors of milk and egg production. Once I peeked behind the curtain, I knew I could never consume or wear another animal product. It was one of the best decisions I ever made."
"Through my blog, I try to bust the stereotypes associated with vegans and vegan cooking. As you can see from my blog I am pretty normal."
Alternative Stores
About 1500 products and growing
Owners: One vegan and one vegetarian
In business since: October 2006
Sells: A very large range of vegan shoes, food and groceries, vitamins & supplements, sweets, books, cleaning products, bags & clothing
Background: "I became vegan after being veggie for many years when I learned of the suffering caused by the dairy and egg industry. Health was also a big factor. We decided to start Alternative Stores to offer affordable shoes for vegans and vegetarians in the UK. With customer demand, this grew to supply almost everything a vegan could need ."
Vegan Divine
"Rest
assured that your purchases from Vegan Divine contain 100% vegan goods
lovingly arranged and packaged for the recipient - so shop confidently and
enjoy the experience of Conscious Gift Giving!"
Owners: Co-founder sisters, Santamrit & Simran, are vegans since 2006, operating their company with such standards.
Vegan staff: 100%
In business: 2 years
Sells: 55+ unique gift designs that feature organic, natural, eco-friendly and cruelty free quality products.
These conscious vegan gift baskets are hand-crafted and showcase many women-owned, small and local businesses that strive to support fairly traded and sustainably harvested practices. Environmentally sound products, such as natural raffia, 100% biodegradable cellophane, reusable fabric ribbon, and recycled packaging and shipping materials are used.
"From gift occasions for Baby, Bridal, and Holidays to Corporate, New Home, and Thank You themes, you will find the perfect gift that reflects a heart felt message. Our wide assortment of delicious gourmet, spa and novelty items are attractively packaged and fun!"
Background: "Vegan Divine is owned and operated by vegan sisters, Santamrit and Simran, who began their journey as vegetarians to then later embrace a vegan lifestyle. Their reasons for adopting such a way of life are personal health, ethical/spiritual, and environmental. All reasons valued equally. Boldly moving forward to claim lives that are examples of passion, purpose and service, Simran and Santamrit have dedicated themselves to a higher calling. This calling combines a lifetime of vegetarian (vegan since 2006) lifestyle, with a talent for creative and artistic expression to manifest a Vegan Gourmet Gift Basket Company: Vegan Divine!"
Neuaura Shoes
Location: London, UK
Vegan Staff:
The owner is a life-long vegetarian and the assistant is vegetarian as
well. "As a company we don’t discriminate but it does help when a staff
member is a vegetarian. Some of the freelancers we work with are
vegetarians as well."
In business since:
March, 2007
Sells:
Vegan Dress Shoes for Women
– (looking to expand to mens by Fall 08)
Background: "The CEO, Arti Upadhyay, started working in the footwear industry about 8 years ago. She had always been a vegetarian and realized that stylish, affordable, vegan shoes were missing in the marketplace. About 2 years ago, she decided to branch off and start a line of her own. Due to her vast experience in the footwear industry, starting a vegan line was a very natural next step for her."
Vegan
Perfection
"We
only market vegan products. We research this thoroughly before we decide to
take on a new product. There are no exceptions to this rule – everything we
import/sell/distribute must be vegan, must be good quality, must be produced
by ethical companies and must be natural products.
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Vegan Staff:
The owner, Jeremy
Johnson, has been vegan for about four years. "My partner, Rebecca, who I
started the business with, has been vegan for a total of about 10 years. We
are the only ones involved with the business, but when it comes time to
expand, we would, if possible, like to keep the business 100% vegan.
In business since: May, 2006
Sells:
70 vegan
food & body care products, plus a small range of books, recipe books, DVD’s.
Background:
Jeremy became vegan
whilst living and working in
London.
"When Rebecca and I moved to Australia in 2005, we were REALLY disappointed with the options and products available to vegans. So, I decided to look into importing and distributing some of the very best vegan products that we really loved from our days in London. And it has all progressed from there – now people in Australia have access to many of the great products, and more and more vegan and ethical businesses are popping up all over the place. It is an exciting thing to see!"
"We
hope to achieve enough success that it demonstrates to other vegans out
there that ethical/vegan business can flourish and be successful. Hopefully
then more and more people will take the plunge and start their own business
that is based on their own beliefs and ideals. It can work. Provided you are
determined enough, work hard enough and believe in what you are doing.
Buy Kind -
Experience the
best, award winning veg restaurants in the world… without leaving home.
"...working hard
to 'eliminate suffering and ILLUMINATE JOY' for all creatures great and
small."
Order delivery-to-the-door from award-winning vegan restaurants: Vegan 'Shrimp' Tempura, Gourmet Pizza, the Best-Ever Veg 'Bacon Cheddar Cheese' Burger, Cakes, Cheesecake, Tiramisu and so much more - Delivered!
Owner: One
owner, Jody Kivlin (the active, decision making, sweat equity partner) is
vegan. The other silent partner and financial investment owner is not vegan
but agreed to the conditions that Buykind would be of course 100% vegan with
decisions left to the vegan owner of Buykind.
In business since:
November of 2006
Six award-winning,
vegan restaurants that have created a vegan menu - appetizers, entrees,
desserts for buykind, of the most delicious and amazing vegan foods. that
can be ordered and shipped to the door.
The 'buykind store' offers vegan chocolates, wines, bakery goods, vegan dog
food, organic and beast-of-burden-free coffee, and 'cowches' by Helga.
"The company is set up with a minimum of 10% dedicated to ending cruelty to animals, however basically as co-owner, all of the dollars I can spare above living expenses goes toward this endeavor. Also, as a company we carried out our first buykind 10% which actually cost far more than what we have realized in profits. An excerpt from this rescue can be found at www.buykind.com/lilyjosieandbillygalahad.html"
Background:
"My passion since I
learned of the insane brutal cruelty farmed animals suffer is to do all I
can to end it. This is the mission of buykind. BuyKind's motto is 'Eliminate
Suffering. ILLUMINATE JOY' - for all creatures great and small.
"An excerpt of the amazing story of how my life was changed can be found at
www.buykind.com/mission.html with a picture (at the top and bottom of the
page) of myself and my teachers, my loves and the inspiration for buykind -
my rescued angel baby goats, now my little (big) babies. You can google my
name to learn more about me."
www.buykind.com
Vegan Gift Shop
Vegan &
cruelty-free products for the conscientious shopper.
Owner: Eric Brent, vegan for over 15 years
In business since: 2005
Sells: a wide range of vegan food and products including cookies, energy
bars, waste-free lunch kits, message t-shirts for men/women/children,
chocolate, raw chocolates, cookbooks, health books, shoes, wallets, bags,
hemp wear, superfoods and wholefood supplements, juicers, and gift baskets.
Background:
"Eric
Brent, a long-time vegan for over 15 years, had envisioned a shop dedicated
to all vegan and cruelty-free products. So he created VeganGiftShop.com."
www.VeganGiftShop.com
