B Corp certified food company Wessanen UK – owner of Clipper Teas, Whole Earth, Kallo and Mrs Crimble’s –has changed its name to Ecotone UK and focus its new mission on ‘food for biodiversity’.
The planned change comes after its Dutch-based parent company Wessanen rebranded to Ecotone this month, relocated its headquarters to Lyon, France, and became a mission-driven company under French law (‘entreprise a mission’).
Across Europe, Wessanen has been a pioneer in vegetarian and organic food for 30 years. Today, as Ecotone, its family of companies employs 1500 people across seven countries, including 200 in the UK. In 2019, Ecotone’s turnover was €625m.
Wessanen UK will introduce the new Ecotone name and branding gradually over coming months. But its focus on ‘food for biodiversity’ is already well underway, as it inspires shoppers to make healthier choices for both themselves and the planet.
Emma Vass, CEO of Wessanen UK comments: “As a business, we’ve long been focused on the all-round goodness our brands can do – for people and for our world. As we evolve into Ecotone UK, we will do more to help promote and restore biodiversity in all areas of our business, preserving our precious natural world.”
One way in which Wessanen UK is already promoting biodiversity is through a partnership between its Whole Earth brand and the Sumatran Orangutan Society to plant a new Forever Forest of 20,000 trees in Sumatra.
Meanwhile, the business also plans to accelerate the growth of its portfolio of organic and vegetarian products, which are essential in preserving biodiversity. Kallo has recently expanded its plant-based organic stock range and earlier this year launched Veggie Cakes – an innovative vegetarian twist on rice cakes, made with flavoured lentils and peas. All of Clipper Tea’s products are either organic or Fairtrade or both.
Christophe Barnouin, CEO of Ecotone commented: “For more than 30 years we have chosen organic and vegetarian food as our main pillars. Becoming Ecotone gives us the opportunity to further strengthen the focus on our mission Food for Biodiversity and make it a visible commitment every day.”
The rebrand to Ecotone was covered in Natural Products Online.
