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Brad Vanstone is the pioneering force behind Willicroft, a company at the forefront of the plant-based revolution, offering dairy cheese lovers a sustainable and ethical alternative.

As the Co-Founder, Brad channels his passion for environmental stewardship into creating products that not only taste great but also reduce carbon footprints significantly. With an entrepreneurial spirit fueled by his dedication to combating climate change, Brad has led Willicroft to become Europe's first plant-based cheese company certified by B Corporation.

Under his leadership, Willicroft has seen remarkable growth, with products gracing over 600 stores and select fine dining establishments, including Michelin-starred restaurants, and more recently launching Europe’s 1st fermented plant-based butter.

Brad's vision extends beyond commerce, aiming to shift consumer habits towards more sustainable choices, one delicious bite at a time. Now let’s dive into a talk with the man himself!

Hi Brad, could you share the origin story of Willicroft and what inspired you to enter the plant-based cheese industry?

I started Willicroft back in 2018 when I had recently moved to the Netherlands and was looking to eat a plant-based diet. I found it difficult to find alternatives to cheese, so I began making some at home. It all started in my apartment and at first, it was just an experiment to create something for my partner and me. However, I quickly became immersed in the process, drawing on my background experience from time spent on my grandparents' dairy farm, where I learned some of the basic processes.

Initially, I started selling my cheese alternatives in markets here in the Netherlands. After a year, I decided to set out on a path to tackle the problem I had faced the year before: finding delicious alternatives to cheese that also had a compelling nutritional and emissions reduction story. And that's how it all began!

In the entrepreneurship rollercoaster, what keeps you driven and motivated to push Willicroft forward?

Food is the highest emitting industry, making up 25% of global emissions. Dairy and meat emissions alone equal 14.5% of all global emissions, taking up half the habitable land surface. That’s a massive problem that needs fixing!

Dairy products are so ingrained in our diets, particularly here in Europe. Crafting products that taste and function like the original takes a lot of patience and iterations. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither will the plant-based sector be. We’re super driven to make plant-based products for people who love dairy so compromise-free.

We also want to change the role farmers play moving forward. In our current system, we provide little incentives for farmers to transition away from dairy farming. Farmers also take all the risk when it comes to yield which incentivises them to use fertilizers and pesticides to control the yields. We need to look at transition and yield across a minimum of 5 years which is a big move away from current policy and mindsets.

What unique challenges have you faced while establishing a vegan business, and how have you overcome them?

As a starting point, it’s worth noting how powerful the dairy industry is and how dependent the price of meat and dairy is upon subsidies. 33.1% of the EU’s total budget goes towards the common agricultural policy, most of which is given to the dairy and meat industries. The reality is that we do not pay what we should for the food we eat. The focus should be placed on the true implications of producing the food we eat with higher costs for ingredients that emit more, are unnutritious, and are responsible for soil erosion and depletion. We are trying to implement change through our products and supply chain but there is no financial incentive to do which means the onus is placed on us or the consumer to take on board that cost.

A recent UN report highlighted that 90% of the world’s subsidies given to farmers incentivize high-emitting industries or practices. We need to start incentivizing those who are trying to lower emissions and create food systems that sustain us within planetary boundaries. Getting the buyer and consumer to care about this remains one of our most fundamental challenges. Consumers and buyers care about the environment however it is rarely the decisive purchasing decision and remains behind taste, health, and price.

Given its heritage, the dairy industry has also sought to limit language and has even gone as far as trying to prevent the plant-based industry from using the same packaging formats all in the name of protecting the consumer. The consumer is educated enough now to tell between plant-based and dairy products and these actions merely produce the position of dairy and meat producers.

With your experience, how have you seen the plant-based food market evolve, and where do you see it heading in the next few years?

Looking back 5 years ago when we started I remain amazed at how quickly the space has evolved. There is now a legitimate alternative to the majority of meat and dairy products and the consumer awareness of plant-based products is incredible.

Many will be aware of the current plateauing of the space however this is the natural evolution of any new industry. We’re incredibly bullish about the sector's prospects over the coming decades.

Our bullishness is partially built around necessity coupled with the innovation taking place across the sector. Investing in the plant-based industry remains the most effective means of lowering emissions compared to any other investment.

We simply cannot consume meat and dairy at present levels to have any hopes of staying within manageable global warming rates. I do believe that the flexitarian consumer is no longer willing to compromise however we will rise to meet that challenge as I think it’s a fair and just one. Alternatives have to taste and function like the dairy product they’re replacing, dramatically lowering emissions and offering improved nutrition. Our new fermented butter encapsulates exactly where the space needs to evolve - it’s like butter but better. Like butter in taste and functionality but better in emissions (7 times lower than dairy) and with 10-15g less saturated fat.

Looking at the near future, what are the short to medium-term milestones Willicroft aims to hit?

We want to successfully launch our new fermented plant-based butter at both retail and food service in the first half of 2024 and we’re targeting 2.2m EUR in revenue next year. We’re well on track with 1.83m EUR confirmed for 2024 already.

In more medium term we’re aiming to source all of the white beans from Dutch farmers using regenerative practices. We’ve conducted 2 years of trials to date and in 2024 we’re scaling this up further. This lowers our emissions, allows us to pay our farmers a better price (whilst also sourcing the beans at a lower price ourselves), and helps us create a transition path for farmers. Once we’ve successfully scaled up this part of our supply chain we do the same with our other protein bases and will also look to source some of our fats locally.

On the product side, we’re looking to incorporate our precise fermentation process into our plant-based cheese range.

What has been the most significant milestone or piece of feedback Willicroft has received so far?

The biggest stamp of approval we’ve had so far has certainly been getting our new fermented plant-based butter into 4 Michelin-star restaurants particularly given that only one of these restaurants is plant-based. The most common feedback we get from chefs, buyers, and consumers is that the Original Bettr is like butter but better.

Tom Bosch one of the partners of the Green Guide perhaps summed it up best - “All the chefs, including myself, thought it was real butter and therefore not a fit to have on the table at our Pure Plant event! Only after reassurance from the kitchen, we were convinced.”

In a competitive market, retaining talent can be as challenging as attracting it. How do you ensure your team remains engaged and motivated?

Being mission-led is very empowering for everyone working at Willicroft. Our food system is broken and needs fixing. It’s an uphill battle at times but it’s incredibly motivating and empowering.

The company that most inspired me during Willicroft's formation is Patagonia. Their ethos of using business to do good and empowering their team is one that we’ve carried into our culture. Structure and cohesion are important but so is giving people responsibility and empowering the individual.

Becoming a B Corp also helped us create frameworks and policies that we might otherwise have overlooked for our team.

With impressive estimated revenue growth, can you delve into the strategies that are driving these financial projections?

We initially started with a heavy focus on branded retail. Within this segment, we’re focussed on building depth in the Netherlands and Germany first before looking at new branded retail markets. In 2023 we started in food service which is where we see the biggest long-term growth potential. The core segments we focus on within food service are meal boxes, caterers, wholesalers, and producers. Our branded retail presence helped us secure several food service contracts activating as a stamp of approval.

We’re beginning 3 private label opportunities in 2024. These customers can help us drive extra volume in our facilities and secure a higher net margin thereby fast-tracking the time in which we break even point.

Willicroft is already present in over 600 stores and fine dining locations. How do you plan to expand your market presence, particularly in the upcoming European countries?"

We have 1200 new stores launching in the next 6 months in our 2 branded retail markets (NL & DE) and through the new private label customers.

We are also expanding heavily into food service. We’re working with 2 sales leads with a combined experience of almost 20 years in the plant-based sector. They have tremendous networks within food service in the UK, Scandinavia, and Southern Europe.

Being Europe’s first plant-based cheese and still the highest-scoring certified by B Corporation is a remarkable feat. How does this certification align with Willicroft's values and goals?

The certification process was a very rewarding one and a great exercise for a young company to take as it helped shape a lot of the policies we have today. We consider ourselves to be holistic thinkers and very a mission however the certification did flag areas we could improve which we carried forward into new policies that shape our governance and actions.

B Corp is trying to ensure business is a force for good, a virtue that runs through our veins. Since being accredited it’s allowed us to tackle some issues as a collective such as committing to Net Zero by 2030 and introducing a corporate social responsibility directive at the EU level through the B Corp interdependence movement.

In 2020 we made Mother Nature our CEO creating a movement of companies who joined us in making the appointment 1 year later. We’re now looking to place the oversight of the movement under B Corp so that it’s run by a 3rd party and can be joined by B Corp members across the world in time. We’re also creating a more complete framework for companies to go on a journey before they can truly state that Mother Nature is their CEO.

For potential investors on SeedBlink, what makes Willicroft a compelling opportunity?

• We’ve created some really strong foundations these past few years to run a leading challenger brand - legitimately delicious alternatives to the dairy products we’re replacing underpinned by a unique fermentation process, large production capacity through our co-packers, and a comprehensive plan to lead within our sector on impact. An experienced and passionate team, investor group, and supervisory board.
• In 2024 we’re set to break even through this financing round. We have 1.83m EUR of revenue locked in for next year.
• We’re the 1st company in Europe, and potentially globally, to use precise fermentation, a process that has allowed us to create what we think is Europe’s best plant-based butter. We will look to incorporate the same process into our cheeses in the years ahead
• Our products deliver a lot of impact and are up to 25 times lower in emissions than the comparable dairy alternative.

Explore the opportunity on SeedBlink.