The popularity of vegan alternatives and trying out veganism for a limited amount of time (Meatless Mondays for example) have been on the rise. In 2021, a record number of half a million people pledged to try out veganism for the month of January. As a way to support our plant-based StrongHerd and those of us that may be looking for new vegan alternatives to reduce our carbon footprint in the new year, we found the yummiest vegan foods at Balance Festival and spoke with representatives to learn more about their brands. These brands don’t sacrifice quality for plant-based production and were all delightful to get to know. 

Read on to learn about some incredible vegan brands you should keep an eye out for in 2022. 

The Coconut Collaborative

The Coconut Collaborative is a small British company creating a variety of dairy-free versatile products with no sugar added. Their range varies from yohgurts to desserts, including custards, ice creams and so much more. Their product pillars are taste, health and sustainability, and TCC takes pride upon having all clean ingredients. They are a community-oriented brand, actively gathering feedback from their consumers to improve their current products and inform future product development. As people become increasingly cautious about what they’re putting in their bodies, TCC is on a mission to provide healthy snacks that don’t compromise on taste.

A recent product release, their Greek Style Almond & Coconut Yoghurt, is all about providing a dose of dairy-free protein that can be integrated into a number of different dishes. Whether you are looking for a yogurt base for your breakfast or a creamy dollop for your soups, this plant-based delicacy will be your go-to in 2022, and we can vouch for how delicious they are (we’re also massive fans of their Little Pots selection!).

Little’s Coffee Co

Although most coffee companies are inherently vegan, Little’s Coffee Co takes it a step further by bringing incredible flavours into their range. This second generation family-run company started off in Finland after being inspired by Californian farmer market’s flavoured coffee beans and has now come to the U.K. -- it is also the first UK coffee company to go completely plastic-free. All jars are now completely glass and aluminum and are fully recyclable, including the Nespresso®-compatible capsules.

Their flavoured coffee products are all instant and only four calories a cup for those of us minding our calories. It is also fully sugar free and has no artificial additives! We got to try a variety of their range at Balance and can genuinely say there wasn’t a single one of their delicious flavours we didn’t enjoy -- you can choose from a wide variety of flavours to suit your taste ranging from Chocolate Caramel to Irish Cream to Havana Rum to Chocolate Chai and much more. 

HiP Chocolate

Oat milk-based chocolate anyone? HiP Chocolate has crafted a plant-powered chocolate bar to satisfy your sweet tooth whilst being totally vegan-friendly! They have an array of yummy flavours to choose from ranging from the aptly-titled Cookies No Cream to Salted Caramel and Salty Pretzel. They utilise Colombian cacao to reduce the sugar in the product and focus on the cocoa flavour profile, and they are entirely plastic-free and entirely ethically-sourced. 

We were instantly drawn in by them using oat milk, which is not only the best plant milk in sustainability and health but in overall creamy deliciousness. It helps make this milk chocolate bar alternative feel all the more indulgent as well. You can rest easy knowing that you are consuming something that doesn’t have the potentially negative health and ethical implications that regular chocolate milk bars may have. Kick off 2022 right with having these in your cupboard.

Massive shoutout to the amazing teams representing all of these companies at Balance Festival this year. Do you have any other vegan brand or product recommendations we should try in 2022? Let us know! We are always looking to support plant-based businesses with yummy products.