PLANT-based eating has powered a small Northwich food business into national supermarkets and onto the plates of thousands of vegan households, earning its founders a regional award.

Plant Power founder Lawrence Hill, from Hartford, has been named Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year for the north west at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Launched in January 2019, Lawrence’s company specialises in making tempeh, a natural plant protein, packed with fibre and nutrients.

While travelling in Indonesia Lawrence, who studied for a BTech in business at the former Mid Cheshire College, came across tempeh and was blown away by its taste and versatility.

Having worked in the food industry – ironically, for a company which sold meat packs to customers interested in sport and nutrition – when he returned home the 27-year-old set himself the mission of making tempeh mainstream in the UK.

Lawrence, 27, explained: “I was just so impressed by it and couldn’t believe I hadn’t heard about it back home. Lots of people have heard of tofu, but tempeh was relatively unknown, yet it has so much potential and is so good for you.”

Unlike tofu, which is made using only soy milk, tempeh is made by fermenting the whole beans with a naturally occurring live culture and pressing them into blocks for a high protein content and a meaty texture.

Lawrence added: “We make ours using only GM-free beans and absolutely none of the nasties you usually expect in mock meats. It’s just pure pulses and probiotics.”

In less than two years, Power Plant’s tempeh has been launched nationally and can be spotted on the shelves at high street heavyweights Sainsbury’s and Boots, plus suppliers such as The Vegan Kind Supermarket, The Mindful Chef, Muscle Food, Pollen and Grace, SuperValu and Amazon UK.

Not bad for a business that was started from Lawrence’s mum’s home in Hartford.

Lawrence, who runs the business with his girlfriend Rachel Whitehead and friend Millie Ralston, said: “We basically started out a small, local business and we’ve been blown away by how well it’s been received – it’s certainly growing in the right direction.”

The team is now waiting to find out a date for the national final of the Great British Entrepreneur Awards.

Lawrence, who was a previous runner up in The Salters Den competition, said: “We were really surprised but delighted to win – it’s nice bit of street cred within the industry.”

The Great British Entrepreneur Awards in partnership with Starling Bank celebrate the hard work and inspiring stories of entrepreneurs in the UK.

Francesca James, awards founder, said: “Lawrence has a wonderful entrepreneurial story and I’m delighted for him to win this award. I’ll be keeping a very close eye on what he does in the years to come and look forward to welcoming Lawrence to the community.”