Setting up Business - What vegan prods do you look for the most?

[Christie]

Hey,

I have been invited to help set up a new internet company focusing on vegan products, and herbs and suppliments. There will be a US and UK business, I have been asked to help run the UK side.

There will be many different websites selling different products all natural/organic/vegan; clothes, kitchen equipment, food, cosmetics, herbal suppliments etc.

I was just wondering what products you all look for the most? What sort of stuff you find it difficult to find in stores? What would you like to see sold here.

We are also looking for small local charites, vegan events and animal welfare groups to work with too.

Thanks, can't wait to hear your ideas!

[Panzer]

affordable clothing is a big deal around here and is hard to find unless you have mega bucks to toss down for it.

[Buddha Belly]

Hi, well done for setting this up. I will think over the next day or so and post something more useful than this

[MrGreen]

i'm actually doing this myself Christie. (in the production stage still.) But it is always nice to have some competition .

As for tips and tricks i know the vegan haribo seems to be something that we will buy as a treat regularly.
I look forward to seeing the final site up and running.

[harpy]

Vegan (and preferably fairtrade) clothes can be hard to find, especially ones for formal wear. Firms like PeopleTree have some if you hunt among the non-vegan ones but perhaps you could e.g. have some kind of portal that only shows the vegan ones.

Same goes for household stuff such as upholstered furniture, mattresses and carpets, not that I ever buy those really (still haven't bought a new sofa, grr) - it's hard to work out what's vegan so it would be good if someone else did it for us.

Hope it goes well.

[veganprincess]

seitan in the uk. I've heard so many people rave about it, and after extensive searching I've only found it (at some ungodly price) in the Wholefoods at Kensington, so I still havent tried it :-(

[everdream]

I second the seiten. I also think you'd have good business selling cheap yet tasty vegan chocolates and sweets/treats, and of course vegan marshmallows.
The clothing is a good idea, too.

[harpy]

As an aside, mock duck, often available in tins from Holland and Barretts at a not-too-extortionate price, is made of seitan, if you would like to try it, everdream and veganprincess.

[twinkle]

And to further the seitan suggestion, wheat gluten flour with which one could make it from scratch is difficult to find in the UK.

[veganprincess]

thanks Harpy I might just try that being payday and all.

I totally agree with vegan treats and esp chocolate

[Blue moon]

I'd go with toiletries and cosmetics, although cosmetics are pretty hard to buy online, you really wanna see what they're like before shelling out.

Toiletries though, especially ones without too many nasty chemicals and at a reasonable price.

[everdream]

Ohh! I have had mock duck, actually. I thought it may have been seiten when I had it, but forgot about that when I posted it.

Tempeh is something I've thought of too.

[kriz]

I don't really buy clothing or beauty products over the internet because I have to try everything on before I buy, unless I know the product before hand. But I would love to buy vegan treats, especially more exclusive ones such as boxed chocolate and cookies. One year I was looking to buy vegan chocolate for everyone but only found super expensive products online, and that really doesn't work because it's the kind of thing you usually buy for coworkers and customers in mass quantity and not to your mom or husband for Christmas. A few pieces of chocolate in a nice exclusive paper or a box is a perfect "feel good" present.