VGood is a family focused food brand owned and operated in Australia, launching its first line of independently produced spreads and snacks in 2020. The Founder, Sally Breden, wanted to simplify healthier options to make them accessible to more consumers, regardless of their dietary needs or choices. The focus for VGood is on great taste and a great eating experience, with affordability a critical feature.

Personal experience with school aged children gave Sally an insight into the high consumer demand for time saving, no fuss lunchbox solutions, and the lack of good tasting, healthy and affordable options within the Spreads category. She identified a shortage of options that are both delicious and healthy, and suitable for use in nut-free environments.

Sandwich spreads are commonly used as a time saving, no fuss lunchbox solutions that parents know will get eaten. The Spreads Category is made up of mostly Peanut & Nut Butters, Honey, Jam, Yeast (Vegemite), and Cheese. While Jam, Honey, and Vegemite are broadly enjoyed by kids, they do not satisfy the health credentials many parents are seeking to ensure their children get the fuel they need to get through a busy and active school day. Peanut & Nut Butters contribute approximately 50% of Spreads Category sales in the Grocery Market and represent healthy and tasty options for kids’ sandwiches. However due to the high prevalence of nut allergies among children, and high risk of allergic reaction, most Australian schools and day-care centres have nut-free policies leaving these spreads as unsuitable for the key ‘lunchbox’ occasion.

VGood PeaNOT Butter, available as either smooth or crunchy, looks, tastes and spreads just like peanut butter, but it is made from chickpeas. It is suitable for use as a spread on toast, in a sandwich or on crackers, as well as offering versatility in the kitchen for healthy, nut-free, and vegan friendly baking, smoothies, satay sauce and more.

Chickpea as an ingredient is versatile, nutritionally packed, allergen-friendly, and importantly, it is familiar to consumers. So even though a ‘chickpea peanut butter’ is something consumers have not seen before, persuading them to try it is easier. Using chickpeas as the main ingredient in PeaNOT Butter has resulted in an accessible product with compelling health credentials. It provides a source of plant-based protein, fibre, and iron, with a low glycaemic index and less fat than standard peanut butter. It is free from the 14 most common food allergens including peanuts, tree-nuts, dairy, gluten, and soy, and VGood has delivered the final product at a mainstream accessible price point.

There are two key consumer groups that have been identified for PeaNOT Butter. The first group is families with school aged children, existing users of peanut or nut-butters, who would like to take a peanut or nut-butter sandwich to school but can not due to their school nut-free policies. With such high household penetration of peanut and nut-butters in Australia, this group represents the largest opportunity for PeaNOT Butter.

The secondary group is allergy sufferers and their families, extended families, and close associates. With a lack of good tasting and affordable nut-free alternatives, this growing group are likely to be the early adopters and strong advocates for PeaNOT Butter, actively seeking out allergen free options.

VGood has partnered with a BRC AA rated manufacturer to ensure VGood quality and food safety is of the highest standard. Manufacturing has been established at the location of raw material supply in Turkey to allow for a cost-effective solution to delivering PeaNOT Butter at an accessible price point globally, ensuring accessibility to more families.

VGood launched PeaNOT Butters into Australia and New Zealand in January 2021, securing listings in approximately 500 independent grocery and health food stores in Australia including major IGA chains, Drakes Supermarkets (50 stores) and Go Vita Health Food stores (125 stores), and 200 supermarkets in New Zealand including Pak n Save and New World. VGood will be launching into the USA market in October 2020 after securing listings in 3 major health food and grocery distributors including national distributor UNFI, with discussions currently in place with major retail groups. They will be exhibiting at global food shows C&S Expo in February 2022 and Natural Products Expo West in March 2022.

VGood PeaNOT Butters are the only spreads on the Australian market that taste, look, and spread like peanut butter, that are completely nut free, made with chickpeas, and available at a mainstream accessible price point. The VGood recipe has resulted in a taste that is so close to peanut butter that many consumers can not differentiate it. While there are other ‘nut-butter’ alternatives available, none appeal to peanut butter loving consumers as closely as PeaNOT Butter.