ON A MISSION

At Follow Your Heart, our mission is to produce high-quality plant-based foods to enhance the lives of consumers and contribute to the betterment of the Earth and all its inhabitants. We strive to be innovative and create an enjoyable workplace where everyone can experience personal growth and emotional fulfillment.

We know the decisions we make in operating a business impact not only our taste buds, our health, and our wallets, but also our communities and the world. We want to demonstrate leadership as we continue to expand our range of products and look for new ways to innovate in quality and sustainability.

HOW WE STARTED

In 1970, our founders Michael, Bob, Paul, and Spencer opened a seven-seat soup, salad, and sandwich counter in the back of a natural food store in Southern California. A few years later, when a butcher shop down the street went out of business, they packed up and moved in—hand-carrying the original food counter those two blocks.

Today, you can grab a seat at that same counter and order the “Love Plate,” an item that’s been around since the beginning: an Avocado, Tomato, and Sprouts Sandwich with a cup of homemade soup and a tall glass of refreshing Wild Berry iced tea.

“Our mission is to spread the ‘Follow Your Heart’ message throughout the world. The more we put the message out there, the better the world 
will be.”
— Paul Lewin, Co-Founder of
Follow Your Heart

A CLASSIC
IS BORN

Way back when, our Avocado, Tomato & Sprouts sandwich was using a magical egg-free mayo that made it taste amazing. One day we learned that the supplier of this mayo was a cheat! They were peeling off labels and relabeling regular ol’ mayo as egg-free, sugar-free, preservative-free “vegetarian mayo.” We couldn’t believe it, and overnight our sandwiches were left high and dry.

We wanted that sandwich back, so one of our founders, Bob, set out to make a truly egg-free mayo. After unsuccessfully testing sample after sample, Bob almost gave up until he had an idea in a dream. The next day Vegenaise was born! It wasn’t yet perfect, but after many batches, we perfected our recipe. Once news spread that a real egg-free mayo existed, Follow Your Heart customers began to ask for some to take home. It wasn’t long before we outgrew our tiny café kitchen and had to find a place to make enough Vegenaise to meet the growing demand, and Earth Island was born.

CONTINUING OUR JOURNEY

From our early days as a soup and sandwich counter to our now internationally available brand of plant-based foods, Follow Your Heart has always led the way in innovating great-tasting and better-for-you foods while striving to make the world a more compassionate and delicious place.

We now make a full range of award-winning products like Vegenaise, the original and #1 vegan mayo, as well as a variety of dairy alternatives including Vegan Cheeses, fresh Salad Dressings, and breakfast staples like dairy-free Yogurts, VeganEgg, and our new Rocket Cakes.

With endless new products on the horizon and positive advances in food and sustainable technology, we are excited to venture into the delicious unknown.