Squeaky Bean

Squeaky Bean is a British vegan food brand that began trading in January 2019 and is based in Redhill, Surrey. It is wholly owned by Winterbotham Darby, a chilled-food manufacturer that, together with Addo Food Group, forms part of The Compleat Food Group under the ownership of PAI Partners. The brand was created to make more indulgent and familiar vegan foods available through mainstream supermarkets, rather than limiting plant-based eating to products marketed primarily around health or naturalness. The brand initially launched with three products: satay kievs, fishless fingers and nuggets. Its early proposition focused on recreating the taste, appearance and convenience of familiar meat-based foods. Squeaky Bean’s promotional positioning argued that vegans and vegetarians could still want products resembling meat, and that supermarket vegan ranges were often less varied or enjoyable than the plant-based dishes available in restaurants. The brand therefore emphasized childhood favourites, comfort food and snackable formats. Squeaky Bean’s product range subsequently broadened into vegan deli slices, chicken-style pieces, sausages, ready-to-eat foods, dipping sauces, Scotch egg-style products, sandwich fillings and plant-based cheese combinations. Although the name suggests a legume-based product, beans are not a principal ingredient across the brand’s range. Products were originally manufactured at a facility in the Netherlands for sale in the United Kingdom, before the business added British production capacity. The brand underwent a visual and strategic refresh during its second year of trading. Its logo and packaging were changed, the earlier “100% dirty vegan” slogan was discontinued, and ready-to-eat products were added. In 2020, Winterbotham Darby provided or supported a reported £6 million investment, enabling the opening of Squeaky Bean’s first British manufacturing site in Bicester. Distribution expanded substantially during that period, while the range grew by six products in November 2020. Demand accelerated during the early 2020s as interest in vegan and flexitarian food increased. During COVID-19 restrictions, Squeaky Bean introduced a home-delivery Plant-Based Box. The business also moved into products such as potato tortilla and dipping sauces, and it collaborated with other plant-based brands, including Crackd, whose vegan egg alternative was used in a Scotch egg-style product. Retail partnerships included arrangements with The Co-operative Group and Sainsbury’s. In 2021, the brand’s expansion included additional deli-style slices, lunchbox-oriented products and a New Yorker-style sandwich filling combining a meat substitute with vegan cheese. The company promoted the idea of a “plant hour,” encouraging consumers to choose plant-based food during lunch breaks. Winterbotham Darby also announced a £5 million investment in a second manufacturing site in Milton Keynes to increase production capacity. By 2022, the parent company described Squeaky Bean as having approximately twenty stock-keeping units available through more than four major British supermarkets. Squeaky Bean remains positioned as a mainstream, convenience-oriented vegan brand. Its core distinction is the combination of recognizable meat-alternative formats, chilled-food manufacturing, supermarket distribution and a deliberately indulgent tone. Publicly available reference material does not establish a separate corporate leadership team for the brand or a standalone website, and its financial figures are reported through trade coverage rather than public-company filings.

Squeaky Bean entered the British food market in January 2019 as a vegan brand developed around familiar, indulgent food formats. Its initial range consisted of three products: satay kievs, fishless fingers and nuggets. The brand’s founding proposition was that supermarket vegan food could be more varied, convenient and enjoyable. Rather than presenting plant-based food solely as a healthy or environmentally oriented choice, Squeaky Bean sought to reproduce the taste, texture and visual familiarity of popular meat-based foods. The company’s early communications described the inspiration as vegan options encountered in restaurants, contrasted with what the brand viewed as less exciting supermarket choices. This led to an emphasis on “childhood favourites” and comfort food. The company also challenged the assumption that vegan and vegetarian consumers would not want products resembling meat. Its products were designed for both committed vegans and flexitarian consumers interested in reducing meat consumption without abandoning familiar meal formats. Squeaky Bean was originally supplied from a food-production facility in the Netherlands. It is wholly owned by Winterbotham Darby, a chilled-food manufacturer. Winterbotham Darby and Addo Food Group form The Compleat Food Group, which is associated with PAI Partners. The brand is based in Redhill, Surrey, while its manufacturing footprint expanded in the United Kingdom as sales grew. During its second year, Squeaky Bean changed its visual identity, including its logo and packaging, and stopped using the “100% dirty vegan” slogan. It also added ready-to-eat products. In 2020, reported investment of £6 million supported the opening of the brand’s first British manufacturing site in Bicester. Distribution increased substantially, and six new products were added in November of that year. The brand also responded to COVID-19 lockdown conditions with a Plant-Based Box delivered directly to consumers. Other 2020 additions included a potato tortilla. Growth accelerated in 2021. Trade reporting cited turnover of £7.5 million and a 222% year-on-year sales increase in January. The business nevertheless faced difficulty keeping pace with demand. Winterbotham Darby announced a further £5 million investment in a Milton Keynes manufacturing site to increase supply capacity. Squeaky Bean also expanded beyond its original core into dipping sauces, deli slices, lunchbox products, sandwich fillings and collaborative products. Partnership activity formed an important part of this expansion. In May 2021, Squeaky Bean introduced three dips through a partnership with The Co-operative Group. In June, it worked with Crackd, a vegan egg-alternative brand, on a Scotch egg-style product. In October, the brand announced a Sainsbury’s deal connected to continued growth in deli-style slices and a “plant hour” lunch initiative. In November, it announced a New Yorker-style sandwich filling combining a meat substitute and vegan cheese, a format described in the reference material as an early packaged combination of these two categories. Marketing became more experimental during the same period. The Squeaky House project placed seven influencers in a mansion for vegan-themed cooking challenges presented in the style of a reality television series. The initiative was intended as a social-media publicity stunt rather than a permanent entertainment property. Winterbotham Darby later described the brand as selling around twenty stock-keeping units through more than four major British supermarkets in 2022. Available reference material does not provide a separately reported founder, brand chief executive or standalone corporate website. Squeaky Bean’s history is therefore best understood as the growth of a Winterbotham Darby brand within the expanding British plant-based chilled-food sector.

1. 2022Range reaches approximately twenty SKUs

   Winterbotham Darby describes the brand as selling around twenty products through more than four major British supermarkets.

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2. 2021Manufacturing capacity expands

   Winterbotham Darby announces reported investment in a second site in Milton Keynes.

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3. 2021Expansion into sauces and collaborative products

   The brand launches dipping sauces and collaborates with Crackd on a vegan egg-based product.

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4. 2020First British manufacturing site opens

   Reported investment supports the opening of a production facility in Bicester and a major increase in distribution.

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5. 2020Brand identity and range refresh

   Squeaky Bean changes its packaging and logo, retires an earlier slogan and adds ready-to-eat products.

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6. 2019Squeaky Bean begins trading

   The brand launches in the United Kingdom with satay kievs, fishless fingers and nuggets.

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A mainstream British vegan and plant-based convenience-food brand focused on indulgent, familiar meat-alternative formats, supermarket availability and ready-to-eat occasions.

• Chicken Style PiecesPlant-based chicken alternative

  A chilled meat-alternative product designed to provide the appearance and use of chicken pieces in meals, wraps, salads and convenience dishes. It represents Squeaky Bean’s strategy of translating familiar meat formats into vegan products.

• Ham Style SlicesVegan deli slices

  Plant-based deli slices developed for sandwiches, lunchboxes and cold eating occasions. The product sits within the brand’s expansion into chilled sliced foods and its focus on convenient weekday meals.

• Satay KievsVegan convenience food2019

  One of the three products in Squeaky Bean’s original 2019 launch range, combining a kiev-style format with satay-inspired flavouring for a more indulgent plant-based meal occasion.

• Fishless FingersPlant-based fish alternative2019

  A vegan alternative to breaded fish fingers and one of the brand’s initial products. It exemplifies Squeaky Bean’s use of recognizable family-food formats to broaden supermarket vegan choices.

• NuggetsPlant-based poultry alternative2019

  A nugget-style plant-based product included in the original Squeaky Bean range and aimed at consumers seeking a familiar snack or meal component without animal ingredients.

• Dipping SaucesVegan sauces2021

  Three plant-based dips introduced in 2021 through a partnership with The Co-operative Group, extending Squeaky Bean beyond meat substitutes into complementary convenience foods.

• Scotch Egg Style ProductPlant-based prepared food2021

  A vegan Scotch egg-style product developed with Crackd, using Crackd’s plant-based egg alternative. The collaboration adapted a familiar British snack into a vegan chilled-food format.

• New Yorker Style Sandwich FillingVegan sandwich filling2021

  A packaged sandwich filling combining a meat substitute with vegan cheese in a New Yorker-inspired format. It marked an expansion into assembled meal solutions rather than single-component alternatives.

• 2021Plant Hour

  United Kingdom

  A lunch-focused initiative encouraged consumers to choose plant-based food during a daily lunch occasion, supporting the brand’s deli-slice and lunchbox expansion.

  Outcome. The initiative was associated with Squeaky Bean’s Sainsbury’s deli-slice expansion.

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• 2021Squeaky House

  United Kingdom

  Squeaky Bean placed seven social media influencers in a mansion and presented their vegan cooking challenges in the style of an online reality television series.

  Outcome. The project functioned as a social-media publicity stunt and generated branded entertainment around vegan food.

  Source
• 2020Squeaky Bean Plant-Based Box

  United Kingdom

  A home-delivery box offered consumers a selection of plant-based products during COVID-19 lockdown conditions, when supermarket access and eating habits were disrupted.

  Outcome. The initiative extended the brand into direct-to-consumer delivery during the pandemic.

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• 2021Second manufacturing site investmentStrategy

  Strong demand and reported difficulty keeping up with sales required additional supply capacity.

  What changed. Winterbotham Darby invested in a second manufacturing site in Milton Keynes.

  Aftermath. The investment was intended to increase production power as the brand expanded its supermarket range.

  Reported investment. £5 million (2021)

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• 2021Expansion into dipping saucesProduct launch

  Squeaky Bean was broadening beyond core meat-alternative products and seeking additional convenience-food occasions.

  What changed. The brand launched three dips in partnership with The Co-operative Group.

  Aftermath. The launch extended the brand into complementary vegan accompaniments.

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• 2021Launch of vegan cheese sandwich fillingProduct launch

  The brand was expanding its deli and lunch-oriented proposition.

  What changed. Squeaky Bean introduced a New Yorker-style filling combining a meat substitute and vegan cheese.

  Aftermath. The product broadened Squeaky Bean’s range into more complete sandwich solutions.

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• 2020Establishment of British production capacityStrategy

  The brand experienced rapid growth and needed greater manufacturing and distribution capacity after initially relying on production in the Netherlands.

  What changed. Investment supported the opening of Squeaky Bean’s first British manufacturing site in Bicester.

  Aftermath. Distribution expanded substantially and the brand continued adding products.

  Reported investment. £6 million (2020)

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• 2021Squeaky Bean reports rapid sales growth and manufacturing expansion

  Trade reporting cited annual turnover of £7.5 million and a 222% year-on-year sales increase for January 2021. Winterbotham Darby also announced investment in a second manufacturing site in Milton Keynes.

  Other
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• 2021Squeaky Bean launches dips with The Co-operative Group

  The brand entered dipping sauces in May 2021 through a partnership with The Co-operative Group, introducing three new dips.

  Product launch
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• 2021Squeaky Bean collaborates with Crackd on a Scotch egg-style product

  A June 2021 collaboration used Crackd’s vegan egg alternative in a Squeaky Bean Scotch egg-style product.

  Product launch
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• 2021Squeaky Bean expands deli slices through a Sainsbury’s deal

  The brand announced further growth in deli-style slices through a deal with Sainsbury’s and linked the range to its lunch-focused “plant hour” initiative.

  Product launchCampaign
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• 2021Squeaky Bean introduces a vegan cheese sandwich filling

  The brand announced a New Yorker-style sandwich filling combining a meat substitute with vegan cheese.

  Product launch
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• 2021Squeaky Bean creates the Squeaky House influencer project

  The brand staged an online reality-show-style publicity project in which seven social media influencers lived in a mansion and competed in vegan cooking challenges.

  Campaign
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• 2020Squeaky Bean receives reported investment and opens British production site

  The brand received reported investment of £6 million and opened its first British manufacturing site in Bicester, supporting increased production and distribution.

  Other
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• 2020Squeaky Bean expands its range and launches a Plant-Based Box

  During the COVID-19 period, the brand introduced a home-delivery Plant-Based Box and added products including a potato tortilla. Six additional products were reported in November.

  Product launchProduct generation
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• 2019Squeaky Bean begins trading with an initial three-product range

  The brand began selling products in January 2019, initially offering satay kievs, fishless fingers and nuggets.

  Product launch
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1. Squeaky Bean