James McMaster: Huel

James McMaster, 35
Company: Huel
Web: huel.com

It’s a question that’s boggling the minds of scientists from Moscow to Melbourne. How does our society feed itself without ruining the environment around us?

Huel is aiming to find a solution to this existential issue. The company, run by 35-year-old CEO James McMaster, offers nutritionally complete and affordable liquid meals which protect animals and the environment.

Huel was founded by serial entrepreneur Julian Hearn in 2015 and its flagship product is a powder comprised of oats, pea protein, flaxseed, brown rice protein and coconut, specifically designed to provide a nutritionally complete meal which is 100% vegan – and costs just £1.63 at the checkout.

The product ensures zero food waste and uses far less packaging than alternative products, a particular benefit in a country which throws around a third of all its food away.

Huel’s powder, which takes just minutes to prepare, has particular benefits for busy, time-poor professionals, but the City certainly isn’t the limit: in fact its ultra-healthy blend of ingredients appeals to consumers far beyond the corporate space.

Huel has only just turned three years old but already it’s sold 25 million meals. Even more impressively, it has managed to crack the daunting US food market, and turned over $10m in its first year of business on the other side of the Atlantic.

Now, it is targeting annual revenues of over £40m in 2018 and a future valuation of £1bn, propelled by expansion into new markets, nutrient bars and cereal products.

Yet the operation will retain its start-up vigour; Huel’s staff are more like a tribe, a bunch of ambitious professionals known as ‘Hueligans’ who happily don the company’s clothing to work every day. It’s an invigorating atmosphere, one which is perfectly attuned to Huel’s vibrant, health-conscious vision.