Vegan chef Nutter will work with the company as a consultant chef to support its plans to launch the range into grocery and foodservice in summer 2018.
TAFC is a family-owned frozen food manufacturer that supplies major supermarkets and thousands of restaurants across the UK and Europe. The company is currently on track to break £100m in sales this year.
Key trends
Nik Basran, managing director of The Authentic Food Co, said: “We’ve been in the food manufacturing industry for over 30 years, creating bespoke ranges that tap into key trends to help our customers reach a wider audience, and we’re confident that vegan is the right next step for us.
“A lot of our customers come to us with requests for free-from or vegan solutions, as health is high on the agenda and there is a growing demand to meet a variety of consumer dietary requirements. We’ve got big plans for our vegan range and this partnership marks the first step on our vegan journey, which we anticipate will continue to grow for years to come.”
Vegan dishes
Nutter, who has more than 20 years’ experience working as a chef, owns and operates award-winning restaurant Allotment Vegan, where he creates vegan dishes that will be translated into the new range.
Nutter said: “The vegan trend has exploded over the past few years, with supermarkets and restaurants now offering vegan options, but these dishes can often be uninspiring.
“Through the partnership with The Authentic Food Co, I want to take mainstream vegan food to the next level and create a flavoursome and inspiring range that is more accessible and will entice non-vegans as well as those who live a plant-based life.”