Ever walk into a convenience store and leave disenchanted and hungry? Ever have those grocery trips where you spend half your day hopping from shop to shop in a vain attempt to find all your favorite vegan products? Allison Shead, Asia Phoenix, and Matt Fontana all had the same problems so, they decided to do something about it. BESTIES Vegan Paradise opened in January of 2019 to a hungry audience.
Located in East Hollywood, California, BESTIES Vegan Paradise aims to become a vegan 7-Eleven: a place where anyone can stroll in and pick up a snack, some coffee, or a meal to take home. The long-term plan is to open more locations, first in more Los Angeles neighborhoods! Their offering includes the staples, like chips, dips, candy bars, veggie jerkies, frozen meals, cookies, and ice creams, all vegan. But Besties sets itself apart by including kombuchas, juices, gourmet vegan cheeses, sandwich fixin’s (including Rising Hearts Bakery Gluten-Free Bread), ready-to-eat meals from Clean South, a robot that will blend you fresh juices, and more! You can expect to find Vegenaise, Dressings, Yogurts, and Cheeses from Follow Your Heart readily available. As members of our new Local Love program, you can count on Besties to be some of the first stores in the country to carry our new products, like our Dairy-Free Sour Cream, Dairy-Free Cream Cheese, and Dairy-Free Yogurts.
BESTIES is more than a convenience store. Their clientele consists of members of the East Hollywood community, most of which are not vegan. Despite not committing to the plant-based lifestyle, the locals have embraced besties and they have established regulars who visit frequently. Their approach is to create a positive atmosphere where all walks of life are welcome. Vegan, Vegetarian, whatever your diet is, BESTIES is there to feed you.
Alison, Asia, and Matt focus primarily on smaller food companies to stock their shelves. About 30% of their products come from local producers. They are strict about only purchasing from all-vegan companies with increased emphasis on people of color and women-owned businesses. You can shop at besties and leave feeling like you’ve done something good for the planet and for a growing community.
To top it all off, BESTIES hosts pop-up events featuring local vendors from Thursdays through Saturdays. You can find tacos, Burgers, even fried chicken, all vegan, just outside their shop on Fountain Blvd. Be sure to follow them on Instagram to stay in the know, @bestiesveganparadise. Don’t be surprised if you find Follow Your Heart products on those pop-up menus, either!
BESTIES Vegan Paradise is located at
4882 Fountain Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90029
Instagram: @BESTIESveganparadise
