Navigating the challenges of scaling a vegan business

Scaling a vegan business is an exciting milestone, but it’s not always easy. As a mission-driven entrepreneur, you’re not just building a brand; you’re bringing your vision of a kinder, more sustainable world to life.

But scaling comes with its own set of challenges. How do you expand without losing sight of your values? How do you balance growth with financial sustainability? And how do you communicate with new audiences without diluting your vegan message?

The good news? Scaling without compromise is absolutely possible. In this guide, we’ll walk through key strategies to help you grow your vegan business while staying true to the mission that started it all.

1. Expanding without compromising your ethics

One of the biggest worries about scaling a vegan business is staying true to your values. Growth often means new partnerships, bigger production runs, and breaking into new markets – but how do you make sure your ethics don’t get lost along the way?

It’s not always straightforward, but with the right approach, you can scale your business while staying true to what matters most.

Know your supply chain

When you’re just starting out, you often know exactly where your ingredients or materials come from – maybe you even source them yourself or work closely with small, like-minded suppliers. But as your business grows, keeping that same level of control can get trickier.

Your trusted suppliers might struggle to keep up with demand, or you may have to bring in new manufacturers. Suddenly, decisions that once felt simple now require extra scrutiny to ensure your values stay intact.

Here’s how you can keep your ethical standards:

• Vet new suppliers thoroughly – If you use unethical suppliers, it can seriously damage your reputation. Ask for transparency about ingredient sourcing, worker rights, and sustainability practices. It’s vital that everyone in your supply chain is working to high ethical standards because your customers must be able to trust that they’re not in some way funding activities that go against their values.

• Consider applying for vegan certifications – Certifications such as Vegan Society or Plant-Based Certified help reinforce your brand’s commitment.
• Maintain strong relationships with existing suppliers – Scaling doesn’t have to mean leaving behind the suppliers who’ve been with you from the start, especially if they share your values.

If your trusted partners are struggling to keep up with demand, it’s worth having open, honest conversations. There may be ways to grow together, whether that’s adjusting order sizes, streamlining processes, or finding creative solutions. And if they truly can’t meet your needs, they might be able to recommend like-minded suppliers who can, helping you expand while keeping your ethical foundations strong.

Want to make sure your supply chain stays as ethical as your business? Check out our guide on how to keep it that way.

Beware of investor influence

As your business grows, you might consider bringing in outside funding to help fuel that growth. While this can be a great move, it’s crucial to find investors who understand and support your mission. Some investors might pressure you to make compromises that don’t align with your values, so it’s important to set clear boundaries right from the start.

• Seek mission-aligned investors – Look for ethical investors, crowdfunding options, or vegan business grants.
• Maintain majority control – Retaining decision-making power ensures you can grow on your terms. Before bringing investors on board, it’s worth getting legal advice to make sure you stay in control of the business you’ve poured your heart and soul into.
• Clearly define your non-negotiables – Whether it’s using sustainable packaging or steering clear of parent companies with non-vegan ties, make your expectations known from the start. This ensures potential investors understand what’s off-limits before any agreements are made.

2. Maintaining your brand identity and core values

As your business grows, more people will discover what you’re all about, which is exciting! But with that increased visibility comes the challenge of keeping your brand identity strong and consistent, even as you reach new audiences or use different platforms.

Consistent messaging across all channels

Whether you’re launching new products, growing your team, or reaching new markets, it’s essential to keep your brand identity recognisable and true to its roots. To do this:

• Develop brand guidelines – Create clear guidelines on your mission, voice, and visual identity. This will allow you to bring new staff members on board – or to brief external creatives, for example – and have your marketing, advertising, packaging, etc. sound like it all comes from the same entity.
• Ensure all marketing reflects your values – Avoid greenwashing or diluting your vegan message for broader appeal. There are many ways to reach a mainstream audience without compromising your position (you can download our guide packed full of tips here).
• Engage with your community – Keep your existing audience engaged as you grow – they have the potential to be incredible brand ambassadors because they’re already invested in your story and mission. Transparency in your journey will continue to foster trust and loyalty, even when you share stumbling blocks or dilemmas affecting your progress.

Hiring the right people

Bringing new people into your team is an exciting step when scaling a business, but it’s important to bring the right people on board so that you’re all working together to achieve the same goals. To do this:

• Hire people who share your mission – While experience matters, passion for veganism can be just as important.
• Create a strong onboarding process – Educate new employees about your business’s ethics and ensure they feel part of the movement.
• Encourage your team to be brand ambassadors – When employees feel connected to your values, they’ll naturally want to spread the word because they’ll feel excited about being part of something meaningful. Whether it’s talking about your business with friends and family, sharing behind-the-scenes moments on social media, or proudly representing your brand at events, their enthusiasm can help grow your impact in an authentic way.

3. Managing operational growing pains

Scaling isn’t just about the big-picture vision of where you want to take your business – it’s also about tackling the nuts and bolts – like production, storage, sales, location, and finances – that will make it happen.

Scaling production efficiently

Growing demand can strain your production processes. To ensure quality and efficiency:

• Automate where possible – Whether it’s streamlining order fulfilment or automating inventory tracking, reducing manual tasks can help to maintain consistency and free up valuable time for other tasks.
• Consider co-manufacturing – Working with a vegan-friendly co-packer can help scale production without compromising your vegan beliefs. (This article explains co-manufacturing and co-packing in more detail).
• Monitor quality control – As you increase production, it’s essential to maintain the quality of your products to protect the existing trust in your brand. While bigger doesn’t have to mean better, it should at least mean “to the same high standard as we’ve always delivered”!

Financial considerations for growth

Financial planning is essential for sustainable growth and yet it’s often an area where businesses fall down. To successfully scale your vegan business, you will need to:

• Budget for expansion – Calculate the costs of scaling carefully, from hiring staff or moving premises to increased marketing efforts or higher manufacturing costs.
• Diversify revenue streams – Consider subscription models, wholesale opportunities, or new product lines, so you’re not betting everything on the roll of one dice.
• Manage cash flow carefully – Growth requires investment, but maintaining a healthy cash flow ensures long-term stability.

4. Expanding into new markets

Scaling your vegan business often means reaching new customer bases – whether that’s expanding into different regions, partnering with other brands, or strengthening your online presence.

Market research

Understanding consumer demand in different regions is crucial. Cultural attitudes towards veganism, dietary preferences, and pricing expectations can all affect your success.

• Study consumer behaviour – Research how plant-based products are perceived in target markets and get to know the issues that motivate or challenge your audience.
• Adapt to local preferences – Ingredients, flavours, designs, product ranges, and packaging should reflect the cultural expectations of any new market while staying true to your mission.
• Test the waters – Pilot new products or soft-launch in smaller markets before committing to full-scale expansion. People often want to trial vegan products on a small scale before going all in, so a trial offer can also be a great way to introduce your products to a new market.

Strategic partnerships

Collaborating with like-minded vegan brands, influencers, and retailers can help introduce your business to new customer bases while letting everyone know what it stands for.

• Collaborate with ethical retailers – Partnering with mission-driven stockists ensures that you can reach a wider audience who share your brand values.
• Work with ethical influencers – Partnering with vegan advocates who genuinely love what you do can help you reach new audiences and build trust in an authentic way. This could mean sending them products to try, collaborating on a giveaway, featuring them in your content, or having them share their honest experiences with your brand. The key is to work with people who truly align with your values, so their support feels natural and genuine.
• Join forces with complementary brands – Co-branded campaigns or product bundles with other vegan businesses can expand your visibility to their audiences.

Digital & e-commerce growth

Expanding through e-commerce platforms, subscription models, and international shipping can be a cost-effective way to grow without needing physical locations.

• Optimise your online store – Ensure your website is user-friendly, mobile-responsive, and optimised for international customers (if you plan to sell to different regions).
• Utilise marketplaces – Platforms like Etsy, eBay, or specialist vegan marketplaces can increase visibility.
• Consider subscriptions – Offering subscription boxes or recurring product deliveries can create predictable revenue streams and boost customer retention.

5. Expanding your customer base while staying authentic

Reaching new customers is an exciting part of growing your business, but how do you attract the right people – those who will genuinely connect with your plant-based mission? Expanding your audience doesn’t mean diluting your message. Instead, it’s about finding ways to introduce your brand to more people while staying true to the original message that matters so much to your existing customers.

Educate without alienating

There’s a good chance that not everyone who buys your products will be vegan, especially as your business reaches a wider audience. Still, every purchase is a step in the right direction.

• Meet people where they are – Use inclusive language that appeals to flexitarians and the veg-curious without watering down your message.
• Harness the power of storytelling – Share your journey and values to build a strong emotional connection with your audience. Have you been where they are now? How did your business come about? What drives you? What impact do your products or services make? You want to bring people into the experience.
• Encourage word-of-mouth marketing – Loyal customers can be your biggest advocates. You could offer referral or loyalty bonuses to reward their support.

Expanding into mainstream retail

If you plan to enter supermarkets or larger retailers, consider the following:

• Negotiate ethical placement – Ensure your products are placed in vegan or plant-based sections rather than being lost among non-vegan alternatives.
• Monitor retailer ethics – Some supermarkets have stronger commitments to sustainability and ethics than others. Choose where you stock your products carefully because, ultimately, it will reflect on your brand.
• Stay connected with your direct customers – Expanding into retail can feel impersonal compared to direct-to-consumer sales, so maintain your online presence and community engagement through newsletters, loyalty schemes, special offers, events, and campaigns.

6. Navigating public perception and potential backlash

As a vegan business, you may face criticism about expanding, whether it’s from non-vegans dismissing your mission or even from within the vegan community. People can be wary about periods of growth because they fear the business will forget its roots or “sellout” in some way.

Handling criticism gracefully

Growth often invites scrutiny, not least because your business will be more visible to a wider audience. How you handle feedback can strengthen your reputation, if managed in the right way.

• Be transparent – If you make changes, such as reformulating products or adjusting packaging, communicate openly with your audience about why you’ve made those changes, especially if they will help your customers in some way.
• Acknowledge mistakes and improve – If you face valid criticism, own it, and take action. People will respect this more than hiding a mistake.
• Stay focused on your mission – You can’t please everyone, nor should you want to! Staying true to your values will resonate with the right people.

Navigating high ethical standards

The vegan community quite rightly holds businesses to a high ethical standard. This can be challenging but also an opportunity.

• Stay connected with your community – Your customers care about your mission, so make sure they feel heard. Respond to their questions and feedback on social media, join discussions in vegan forums, or even run polls to see what matters most to them. Being open and engaged helps build trust and keeps your brand rooted in the values that brought people to you in the first place.
• Support other vegan businesses – Collaboration over competition strengthens the movement as a whole. There’s enough opportunity and potential to grow together and share best practices, rather than bringing other businesses down.
• Lead by example – Show that it’s possible to grow without compromising your values. Be transparent about your ethical choices, whether it’s using sustainable packaging, partnering with ethical suppliers, or supporting fair wages. Share your journey – challenges and all – so other businesses (and your customers) can see that ethical growth isn’t just possible, it’s the future.

Growing with purpose

Scaling your vegan business isn’t just about expansion – it’s about amplifying your impact and staying true to the values that inspired you to start this journey.

Growth comes with challenges, but every step forward means more people discovering plant-based alternatives, more ethical businesses thriving, and more positive change in the world. That’s something worth scaling for.

Want to connect with more like-minded people and grow the ethical business community? Add your business to the Ethical Globe Directory to reach customers who share your values, or follow us on social media (links in the footer) for more tips, insights, and inspiration on scaling with purpose.