VBites

VBites is a United Kingdom plant-based food manufacturer and brand best known for meat alternatives and vegan cheese substitutes. The business was founded in 1993 and initially operated mainly under the name Redwood Wholefood Company. Its products were developed for vegetarian and vegan consumers as well as for customers seeking alternatives to conventional animal-derived foods. The company’s manufacturing operation is associated with a factory in Corby, England, where its foods have been produced for domestic and international distribution. Reference material describes the business as developing approximately 140 products and retailing in 24 countries, although the precise product count and market footprint may change over time. Its range has included meat-free foods and cheese-equivalent products, with Cheezly among its most recognizable brands. Heather Mills acquired the company in 2009. In 2013, the manufacturing business changed its name to VBites, aligning it with the VBites vegetarian restaurant brand associated with Mills. The renaming consolidated the public identity of the manufacturing operation around the VBites name while retaining product-level brands such as Cheezly. A notable commercial development followed in 2017, when Domino’s Pizza began using Cheezly for vegan pizza offerings. This placed a VBites product in a major food-service channel and connected the brand with the expansion of vegan menu options in the United Kingdom. The company entered administration in December 2023. In January 2024, Heather Mills purchased the business from the administrators. This transaction returned the company to its previous owner, but the available reference material does not establish the detailed legal structure, financing, workforce position, or full operating status following the sale. VBites is therefore treated here as an active brand with a significant recent restructuring event, while some corporate details remain unverified.

VBites traces its origins to a plant-based food manufacturing business founded in 1993. For much of its early history, the company traded principally as the Redwood Wholefood Company. Its activities centered on developing and manufacturing vegetarian and vegan foods, particularly alternatives to meat and dairy products. The business later became associated with Heather Mills, who acquired it in 2009. Under her ownership, the company continued to operate as a plant-based food manufacturer, building a portfolio that included meat-free foods and vegan cheese substitutes. The business’s manufacturing base was in Corby, England, and its products were distributed through retail and food-service channels. Reference material describes the company as having developed around 140 products and selling in 24 countries, although these figures are not independently expanded in the available source material. A significant branding change took place in 2013, when the company changed its name from Redwood Wholefood Company to VBites. The new name matched a vegetarian restaurant owned by Mills and gave the manufacturing business a more unified consumer-facing identity. Product brands continued to have their own identities, with Cheezly serving as a prominent example of the company’s dairy-free cheese-equivalent range. VBites gained a notable food-service connection in 2017 when Domino’s Pizza began using Cheezly for vegan pizza products. The arrangement reflected the increasing availability of vegan options from mainstream restaurant chains and provided VBites with visibility beyond specialist vegetarian and vegan retail. The company’s corporate history took a difficult turn in December 2023, when it entered administration. Administration placed the business under the control of appointed administrators while a sale or other restructuring outcome was considered. The available reference does not provide detailed information about the causes of the administration, the administrators, employee numbers, creditors, or the exact treatment of individual product lines. In January 2024, Heather Mills purchased VBites from the administrators. The transaction brought the business back under the ownership of the person who had acquired it in 2009. The available material does not establish the full post-acquisition operating model, any new corporate parent, or whether all historic products and distribution markets continued unchanged. VBites is consequently best understood as a long-running British plant-based food brand whose history includes a 2013 identity change, a major food-service placement through Cheezly, and a 2023–2024 administration and ownership transition.

• 2024

  Business sold to Heather Mills

  [1]VBitesen.wikipedia.org

  Heather Mills purchased VBites from the administrators in January 2024.

• 2023

  Administration

  [1]VBitesen.wikipedia.org

  VBites entered administration in December 2023.

• 2017

  Cheezly enters Domino’s vegan pizza range

  [1]VBitesen.wikipedia.org

  Domino’s Pizza began using Cheezly in its vegan options.

• 2013

  Company renamed VBites

  [1]VBitesen.wikipedia.org

  The Redwood Wholefood Company name was replaced by VBites to align the manufacturer with Mills’s vegetarian restaurant brand.

• 2009

  Heather Mills acquires the company

  [1]VBitesen.wikipedia.org

  Heather Mills bought the plant-based food manufacturer.

• 1993

  Plant-based food company founded

  [1]VBitesen.wikipedia.org

  The manufacturing business that later became VBites was founded in the United Kingdom and initially traded mainly as the Redwood Wholefood Company.

Plant-based and vegan food manufacturer offering meat-free products and dairy-free cheese alternatives for retail and food-service use.

• Vegan cheese substitute

  Cheezly

  Cheezly is a VBites range of dairy-free cheese-equivalent products. It is one of the company’s most visible product brands and has been used in both retail and food-service contexts. In 2017, Domino’s Pizza used Cheezly for vegan pizza offerings, giving the range a prominent mainstream restaurant application.

• Plant-based meat alternatives

  VBites meat alternatives

  VBites has developed and manufactured a broad range of meat-free foods intended to replace conventional meat products. The available reference identifies meat alternatives as a core part of the company’s business but does not provide a complete current catalogue or detailed product-by-product history.

• Plant-based convenience foods

  VBites vegan and vegetarian foods

  Beyond meat and cheese substitutes, the company has developed other vegetarian and vegan foods for retail distribution. Reference material describes approximately 140 products, but it does not specify the complete range, launch dates, or current availability of individual items.

• 2024

  Purchase from administratorsM&A

  Background

  Following the company’s administration, the business was offered for sale or otherwise transferred through an administration process.

  Action taken

  Heather Mills purchased VBites from the administrators in January 2024.

  Aftermath

  Ownership returned to Mills, although the available material does not specify the detailed post-sale corporate structure or the continuity of every product and market.

  Source

• 2023

  Entry into administrationOther

  Background

  VBites encountered financial or operational difficulties that led to its entry into administration in December 2023. The available reference does not explain the specific causes or financial details.

  Action taken

  The company entered administration and its business was placed under the control of administrators.

  Aftermath

  The business was subsequently sold to Heather Mills in January 2024.

  Source

• 2017

  Cheezly supplied for Domino’s vegan optionsProduct launch

  Background

  Mainstream restaurant chains were expanding their vegan offerings, creating new food-service opportunities for plant-based ingredient suppliers.

  Action taken

  Domino’s Pizza began using Cheezly in its vegan pizza products.

  Aftermath

  The arrangement gave Cheezly and VBites a prominent food-service application and broader consumer visibility.

  Source

• 2013

  Rebrand from Redwood Wholefood Company to VBitesStrategy

  Background

  The manufacturing business had mainly traded as the Redwood Wholefood Company and was associated with a separate VBites vegetarian restaurant brand owned by Heather Mills.

  Action taken

  The company changed its name to VBites, bringing the manufacturing operation under the restaurant brand’s identity.

  Aftermath

  VBites became the principal public-facing name for the plant-based food manufacturer, while product identities such as Cheezly remained in use.

  Source

• 2024

  Heather Mills purchases VBites from administrators[1]VBitesen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  In January 2024, Heather Mills bought the business from the administrators, returning the company to its previous owner.

• 2023

  VBites enters administration[1]VBitesen.wikipedia.org

  Bankruptcy

  The company collapsed into administration in December 2023, marking a major interruption to its operations and corporate structure.

• 2017

  Domino's begins using Cheezly in vegan pizza offerings[1]VBitesen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Domino’s Pizza began using VBites’ Cheezly cheese alternative for its vegan options.

• 2013

  Redwood Wholefood Company adopts the VBites name[1]VBitesen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  The manufacturing company changed its name to VBites, matching the name of a vegetarian restaurant owned by Heather Mills.

• 2009

  Heather Mills acquires the company[1]VBitesen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Heather Mills bought the plant-based food company, which at the time mainly traded as the Redwood Wholefood Company.

1. 1VBitesen.wikipedia.org