Mills and her husband sold Deliciously Ella to the Swiss Hero Group in September of last year, but retained ownership of the Plants brand which they will now combine with Allplants to create “a new, natural, plant-based powerhouse”.
The deal includes the Allplants brand name and brand assets, which were put on sale by joint administrators Will Wright and Howard Smith from Interpath Advisory in November.
At the time, production at the Allplants manufacturing site in London was ceased and 65 members of staff were made redundant.
“Having spent the past 12 years building Deliciously Ella and Plants, we have long admired the Allplants brand, and the brand name has built remarkable consumer awareness across the UK,” the new Allplants ownership wrote on LinkedIn.
“Unfortunately, the business ran into significant financial difficulty, and we know that the resulting administration has been an incredibly difficult time for the community, customers, suppliers, team members and investors. As a result of the administration, the joint administrators have been seeking buyers for the Company’s various assets.”
They also launched a challenge to the domination of ultra-processed meat alternatives, a trend they said is now in “steep decline”.
“The plant-based category should be synonymous with real, nourishing food,” the post continued.
“We’re here to try and change that, and to reimagine the plant-based fixture with delicious, natural, quick wins for clever cooks.”
‘Can’t wait to see what they build’
Jonathan Petrides, who founded Allplants in 2016, welcomed the start of a new chapter for the firm.
“I’m excited to see where Ella, Matthew and team take things,” he said.
“They share our belief in real, nourishing food for all, and similarly want to inspire everyone to eat more plants - I can’t wait to see them build on what we started.”
Petrides also thanked everyone that worked for Allplants past and present: “Even through the recent tough times, the talent and resilience of our team shone through, and now I’m delighted to already see so many alumni jumping into new ventures, striving to keep making the world a better place.”
