A plant based burger patty created in the kitchen of a Kuluin café now tempting the tastebuds of a growing number of customers across the country is the latest small business success story to come out of the Sunshine Coast, according to Ninderry MP Dan Purdie.
Mr Purdie said Veef by Fenn Foods, created by former star chef Alejandra Cancino had defied the odds with its successful business model to become one of the country’s most sought-after plant-based alternatives.
Walking away from his former role as the Executive Chef of Urbane in Brisbane, this acclaimed chef and his young family put everything on the line when they opened vegan cafe Lola’s Pantry in Kuluin in 2018.
“Fast forward to today, thanks to the overwhelming demand for their plant-based burger patties, Veef by Fenn Foods are now operating out of a 1000 square metre factory in Kunda Park and distributing their patties to select retailers and exclusive restaurants across the country,” Mr Purdie said.
“Their success is testament to their hard work, courage and determination, and despite the bad timing, with the closure of the majority of their wholesale clients as a result of the coronavirus, they have created an initiative to support and connect with locals through a giveaway promotion.”
Mr Purdie visited the Kunda Park factory today as part of their new buy-local campaign, which will see Fenn Foods give away packs of their patties to locals every fortnight.
Mr Cancino said they weren’t expecting the huge growth they have experienced over the past 18 months.
“When we first opened the café, we were serving meals to locals and making burger patties on the side,” Mr Cancino said.
“Now we have a full range of meat alternatives distributed throughout the country to cafes, restaurant and for packaged meals, and we’re stocked by Woolworths.
“We are now also capable of producing 20 times the volume in our new space compared to Kuluin.
“It’s very exciting and we can’t wait for the current global situation to improve so that we can get back to supplying great food to our customers at our usual pace.
“In the meantime, we love being able to use this down time to give back to the community.”