This January, Bedminster has led the way when it comes to vegan alternatives, with an ever-growing number of budding plant-based businesses in BS3.
With over 250,000 registrations for veganuary this year, participant numbers have reached a record high and Bedminster continues to stand strong as the place to be when looking for those vegan alternatives.
In 2015, Bedminster became home to the first vegan cafe in Bristol; VX Junk Food and from there, things have only gotten bigger and better.
BS3 now boasts an enviable array of plant-based businesses, ranging from cafes, food and homewares and even hair salons. As it stands there are seven fully vegan businesses South of the river to help you continue on this year:
Millers Hair - Having been situated in Bedminster for over 10 years now, Millers Hair is situated in East Street and specialises in vegan and organic hair products, meaning there are no ppd’s or anomina’s in any of the products that they use. They strongly believe in recycling, therefore, all packaging is made from recycled materials and the interior is fitted completely with recycled wood. The team are currently looking into ways they can harvest the rainwater to use in the basins and toilets! You can visit them at 91 East St.
FLIP - It’s ok to FLIP! All food is freshly prepared on-site using quality, sustainably sourced ingredients. The cafe is committed to supporting the sustainability agenda and actively seeks solutions to reducing waste and minimising the impact on the environment. The main focus at Flip is on the deli counter which includes a vegan cheese counter as well as a range of dishes, sauces and salads that can be eaten in the cafe or taken home. Alongside the deli, there is a daily chef menu offering a main meal, brunches, toasties and sandwiches. You can visit them at 81 North St.
Earthcake - Earthcake is a 100% vegan independent cafe/cake shop offering a big range of plant-based cakes with gluten-free options and also some savouries such as vegan sausage rolls and pasties. Their main speciality is the completely vegan afternoon tea, which includes scones, cakes, finger sandwiches and unlimited hot drinks. You can visit them at 71 North St.
VX Junk Food - Vx Bristol is a vegan junk food coffee shop and vegan grocery shop based in East Street. They opened our doors in December 2015, 4 years ago and were the very first vegan cafe in Bristol! Specializing in comfort food, they strive to give customers a veganised version of the type of food we all grew up loving like Mac and cheese, burgers, steak fries, wagon wheel, peanut butter cups etc. They also offer a large range of vegan patisserie including cakes, doughnuts, cookies, eclairs and brownies, as well as a grocery section where they offer a big selection of vegan meat, cheese, chocolatey treats selected from vegan independent artisan businesses. You can visit them at 123 East St.
Essential Maintenance - Essential Maintenance opened in Bedminster 5 years ago, and is the only unisex, beauty & grooming studio in Bristol that offers treatments using only quality vegan and sustainable products. They focus on treatments that give the lowest waste footprint, including their fair-trade, 100% biodegradable Sugaring Hair Removal, to the paper stemmed cotton buds. They want to take care of you, and the environment! You can visit them at 13 East Street.
Zero Green - Zero Green is a zero-waste shop specialising in everything from food to toiletries, promoting the different ways individuals can strive for a zero-waste lifestyle. You can take along your container and fill up on cereals, pasta, nuts, herbs, snacks and more without adding to the plastic problem. You can visit them at 80 North St.
James B Hair - James B Hair is a cruelty-free, vegan hair salon, that is constantly striving to improve their sustainability. Being a gender-neutral, judgement-free salon, James and team provide a safe, sustainable place for all. You can read all about their sustainability here: https://jamesbhair.com/blog/the-sustainable-hair-salon. You can visit them at 167-169 East St.