Target reached!
If we reach our initial goal of £1000, allowing us to restore and convert two vehicl...
How On Earth Vegan
Exeter, England, United Kingdom
Aim
To help our small family business promote healthy and ethical plant-based protein and highlight the benefits of a vegan diet.
How On Earth LTD was created by the Howarth family in September 2017. We are a family of three vegans, and one vegetarian (who tried Veganuary). Mum Heidi is at the core of the business, a brilliant vegan cook and an expert seitan maker! Dad Dan is the designer, a freelance illustrator who loves to create. He is responsible for the look of How On Earth, including its packaging and labels. Daughter Chloe is the the founding vegan, whose love of the movement has inspired much of what we do.
It is a family run business, for vegans by vegans. We currently focus on producing vegan lunch options, exclusively for the University of Exeter Student Guild shop. It is located on the university campus but is open to the general public.
Our home is based in the Devon countryside, just outside of Exeter. We operate from a tiny kitchen, created especially for food preparation. We have lived in Devon for nearly 27 years now, first arriving in Exeter to study in 1991. We love this area, the city and its people. We loved it so much we didn't want to leave. So we made it our home.
The name is, of course, based on our surname 'Howarth' (Thank you Tom for the idea) but our goal is to provide delicious vegan food that cannot be found elsewhere. We can do this by focusing on the meat substitute , Seitan (a mix of tofu and wheat gluten). We use seitan in our fajita wraps, sandwiches and salads, avoiding the usual mix of hummus, falafel and beans. By doing this, we offer food that you can really get your teeth into and maybe food you have been missing or craving. We can make you a bacon sandwich or a fried chicken sandwich...meat-free and full of protein.
Well, we have reached the limit of what our little family business can cope with. We produce over 400 lunch options a week, from one little room at home. Yes, we can carry on like this, just supplying food to one shop in one city, but we feel we should be doing more. We speak to so many people on social media who would love to see our food in their local store, even in their country! Many more Universities could benefit from more vegan choices. Hospitals could stock high protein, healthy meat free sandwiches.
And even Exeter itself could benefit from more vegan choices. We are so lucky to have some amazing vegan shops and restaurants already, but we feel there is definitely room for more. We can offer vegan street food, as well as our pre prepared lunches. Not everyone can get to the University campus, we would like to find new outlets within Exeter and the surrounding area. And that’s just the beginning!
So our main goal is the invest in two vehicles, which we have already found, that will become the How On Earth fleet! They are both secondhand and are quite unique! And with their 500cc engines, they are very economical and environmentally friendly. One of them will become our delivery van, with plenty of room to send more of our food far and wide! The other will become our Street Food truck and will carry our cooking equipment and supplies!
This blog article by Jenny Rose shows the popularity and diversity of vegan street food...especially the trend toward #dirtyvegan food. That food we all love and hate at the same time, like loaded burgers or doner kebabs.
Photo Credit - Jenny Rose/Hackney Downs Vegan Market, London
These vehicles will need repairing, servicing and converting and all work will be carried out locally. You may wonder why we are not buying newer, specialised vehicles. Well, by doing it this way, we feel we are recycling vehicles that already exist and we can customise them to suit our needs, without it costing the Earth. And their engine size is perfect for short distances around the city, or for popping to the next town or village.
So, our goal is to raise £3000 (now £1000) to cover these costs
- purchase of vehicles
- mechanical repairs
- MOT tests
- Bodywork restoration
- Coachworks for converting use
- Paintwork and livery
We have already sourced a very reputable local garage to carry out the mechanical work and local apprentices to carry out the bodywork restoration. Once all this work is carried out and our vehicles hit the road, then we can start focusing on growing the business and its reach throughout the south west and then further afield.
And this is where you lovely people come in! We have lined up a selection of tempting rewards for you, from stickers and badges, to vegan hampers and party catering!
Check out the list running down the righthand side. They start from £1 to £1000.
'For The Animals' Tshirt
BADGES & STICKERS
'Vegan' Tote Bag
Final designs to be confirmed
And this is only the beginning! If we reach out funding goal of £3000, our first stretch goal will activate! With our delivery and street food vehicles sorted, we can then focus on increasing our production capabilities! And to do this, we have two options. The first option, and stretch goal number 1, will be to sacrifice our family kitchen so it can become our production kitchen.
To make this possible, we would need to strip out our original home kitchen and replace it with stainless steel appliances and work surfaces. The floor and walls would need to to be restored, to make them comply with food safety standards. The kitchen will become a work area first and foremost and a family kitchen second. This isn't the most ideal situation, but it is definitely the most cost effective for now.
This stretch goal will be set at £7000 and after the initial goal is paid for, will help cover the following costs
- Stripping out and recycling of old kitchen
- Prepping walls and floor for plastering and floor covering'
- Rewiring of electrics, to include industrial power outlets
- Additional plumbing
- Plastering and floor covering
- Purchase of kitchen furniture (work surfaces, storage, sinks etc)
- Purchase of additional appliances to held increase production yield.
We will document the whole process, from start to finish, in the form of regular Crowdfunder updates. These will be emailed to you after the stretch goal is reached, and will show photos and breakdowns of the work being carried out!
Hopefully we will be able to organise a 'Thank You' party if and when all this work is done. So keep an eye on those emails!
The final stretch goal is the big one, and if we reach this...it will truly be the most amazing boost that How On Earth can wish for. This funding goal will be set at £15000 and will cover the building of a dedicated production kitchen, as an extension to our property.
The structure will single storey, with single skin block walls. It will include a small garage area at the front, for one delivery vehicle and the kitchen will include a store room and a cold store. Access will be via the garage and at the back of the building. The structure will require a separate electric and gas supply and upgraded plumbing and waste pipes. We will hopefully also be able to kit out the kitchen with as much equipment as we can afford. Including the stainless steel work surfaces/tables etc from the first goal.
Once built and equipped, 'How On Earth' can really spread its roots far and wide! We will be able to dedicate more time to food production and distribution. We should hopefully be able to cover more locations within the south west and beyond (please send us suggestions of where you feel we would be most welcome). We will also start looking at employing some extra staff to help with prep and delivery. And look at organizing cookery lessons and classes on vegan food and nutrition. The list goes on!
And it will all be thanks to you!!
There will definitely be a party to celebrate, and every person who pledges will get an invite!
So, that's enough (vegan) waffling for one day! Lets get this business on the road, on some shelves and in your tummy!
This project successfully funded on 13th April 2018