‘It’s not all doom and gloom’: For plant-based BOL, the world now has the chance to change

Never one to shy away from a challenge, chief executive Paul Brown has taken on the task of turning a vegan shelf favourite into a delivery service. Zlata Rodionova reports

The company has been supporting NHS staff through the crisis (BOL Foods)

As the coronavirus outbreak continues to disrupt industries, its effects could spark a rethink of how the world does business.

Or at least that’s what Paul Brown – the founder and chief executive of start-up BOL, which produces nutritious veg pots, salad jars and super soups – is hoping for.

“A month ago I thought that my business would be 50 per cent bigger than it is now. But I do passionately believe in a growth mindset and I do believe that tough times don’t last but tough people do. We are going to get through this together,” Brown tells The Independent.

“I really hope we can come out on the other side of this, in a better place. Perhaps, we’ll be a bit more creative and we’ll work collaboratively, instead of being consumed by how much money we can make,” he adds.

The brand has built partnerships with major retailers (BOL Foods)

Subscription-based food boxes and the takeaway industry have been experiencing a boom in sales as we avoid supermarket shopping – but the situation is different for ready-meals firms like BOL, which did not have a pre-existing delivery channel.

“We have not seen the benefits that lots of other retail brands have seen because we have a large portfolio and it includes a lot of out-of-home business. These are the salads and pots sold in the likes of Costa Coffee or WHSmith Travel, which have either completely shut their stores or paused our product.

“That means our sales lines, over the last few weeks, are half of what we were forecasting, which is obviously a pretty big pill to swallow. But I am all about perspective and context, I’m aware we are 50 per cent down but some businesses have gone to zero. Quite quickly we have put in place a number of different measures to adapt and be as pragmatic as possible.”

Considering the UK’s lockdown is not going to be lifted for at least another few weeks, his optimism might seem misguided – but Brown has never been one to shy away from a challenge, especially when it comes to building a purpose-driven, ethical brand.

He founded BOL in 2015 following a 14-year stint at smoothie giant Innocent, where he poured his passion for wellness and healthy food into running the company’s veg pot range. His idea for BOL was simple – “making it easy for busy people to eat well”.

“Working at Innocent was the best business school I could have ever dropped off. That’s where I learnt about how to create a truly purpose-driven business with strong beliefs and values. But when Coca-Cola took over the firm, they were mainly interested in drinks and not the side of the business I was responsible for. I felt like there was so much more that I could do with it, so I knew it was time to go and do,” Brown says.

‘I believe that a business can be a force for good,’ says Brown (BOL Foods)

Despite BOL’s early success, a number of awards and partnerships with major retailers, Brown took the decision to make the brand completely plant-based in 2018 by dropping dairy, having axed meat and fish from BOL’s recipes 12 months earlier – a risky move considering the company’s retail sales at the end of 2016 were £6.2m, half of which were from these products.

“I told everyone to brush up their CV because there’s a good chance we were going to go out of business but it’s the best decision I ever made. I think it’s helped us now because we’re now seen as a leading player within this.”

But the risky bet paid off. The brand focused on developing new vegan and veggie products, introducing its super soups in November 2017.

The firm launched its super soups in 2017 (BOL Foods)

Since launching almost five years ago, BOL has now sold more than 30 million portions of veg, including 10 million just in the past 12 months. The financial year of 2019 had seen revenues rise 63 per cent on the year before.

In January this year, BOL also moved beyond its plastic pot format for the first time, launching a range of plant-based dinners in a sustainable box made from bio-plastic.

Although its mission remains to get as many portions of vegetables into people’s diets as possible, Covid-19 has forced the brand to focus on short-term goals.

“The final six months of our financial year are just not really getting much attention because I think if you base your strategy now on pre-Covid-19 times, then it’s like basing it on what’s going on in a foreign country. We just got to concentrate on what we do. The silver lining is that the business is in a financially stable position.

“I say that almost with a heavy heart because I know there’s a lot of other very, very good businesses that couldn’t look you in the eye and say that. And depending on how long this lockdown goes on for, some are at risk of bankruptcy and that’s through no fault of their own.”

True to the brand values, the company is one among those that have rallied together to support our all-important NHS staff and other charities. So far, BOL has donated more than 7,000 of their products to charities including Age UK and FareShare as well as two London hospitals.

“I do just think humanity can really show a good side in tough times. It’s not all doom and gloom, but also a time for partnerships. We are actively looking at partnering with delivery businesses as our online ordering has gone through the roof over the last few weeks and we want to be able to deliver to our customers,” Brown says.

This month, the firm launched DeliveraBOL, which allows customers in London to get BOL products delivered straight to their doors.

The company is now in the final stages of applying to become a B Corp ​– companies that value purpose as much as profit and Brown firmly believes that businesses of the future should follow suit.

“I believe that a business can be a force for good. And I hope Covid-19 gives people the time of reflection to find the businesses that are the real deal and maybe change some of their consumption habits to be more purpose driven. A mindset shift for us all, that hopefully is going to lead to a better planet for future generations.”