VP #66: Rey Ortega, The Mad Cookie Man! From Fat, Sick, and Fooled to Mad, Glad, and Building a Vegan Cookie Empire

Rey Ortega is bulidng a vegan cookie empire! With over 30 years' of baking experience, Rey is a pioneer in the plant-based sector. In 1994, he founded the Alternative Baking Company, one of the first vegan cookie brands on the market, which generated $1 million in sales in 1995. In 1997, he founded Sun Flour Baking Co. to create new flavors, tastes, textures, and nutrition products with a longer shelf life and higher profit margins. Sun Flour Baking produces raw and baked gluten-free cookies free of animal products. It also provides co-packing, product development, consulting, testing, nutrition facts, graphic design, and wrapping in small batches. Clients include Sodexo Marriott Food Service and Whole Foods. The company supports Farm Sanctuary, the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), and In Defense of Animals (IDA). Rey owned Garden to Grill, a vegan restaurant, for five years. With extensive knowledge across the entire product life cycle, he is an experienced formulator within the industry, has designed three facilities, and has sold millions of vegan cookies, keeping eggs and dairy out of the mouths of many. Besides owning ‌five plant-based brands, he has also published two children’s books and is an expert at cannabis infusion for topical and edible products. Resources: Website: https://www.startaveganbusiness.com/media.html