In 2017, Nestlé acquired the independently owned plant-based brand, Sweet Earth. But today, the brand is nowhere to be found. What happened?
Let’s rewind. Sweet Earth was founded in 2011 by Kelly and Brian Swette, and its products quickly attracted a loyal following. By the time Nestlé acquired the brand, the Swettes had built a portfolio of globally inspired, whole-food-based vegetarian products, including frozen burritos, seitan, tofu, and plant-based burgers. These products were sold in more than 10,000 stores across the US.
We were big fans, too. In 2018, we named Sweet Earth’s Veggie Lovers Pizza, complete with cauliflower sauce and Follow Your Heart vegan cheese, one of our favorite vegan products at Natural Products Expo West. In 2023, we also named its Benevolent Bacon the best vegan bacon on the market.
Speaking of Benevolent Bacon, it was one of the most popular vegan products on shelves for some time. It delivered just the right balance of smoky, chewy, and crispy. “I legit want to cry every time I think about it,” wrote one Reddit user in r/vegan after learning that the product had been discontinued in 2023.
Another added: “That was really the best tasting high-protein vegan bacon I could find in stores. Fried in vegan butter it was quite delicious in a breakfast burrito or on a burger.”
Nestlé’s deteriorating plant-based portfolio
Today, it isn’t just Benevolent Bacon that is missing. The entire Sweet Earth product line appears to have disappeared. Alarm bells began ringing in 2022 when Nestlé announced it was closing the California facility that manufactured the brand’s plant-based meals and moving production to Ohio.
But now, Sweet Earth appears to be inactive. Its Instagram account is empty, and its former website redirects to Nestlé’s homepage. Over the last few years, Nestlé seems to have significantly scaled back its plant-based portfolio, with Sweet Earth appearing to be a major casualty.
Sweet Earth isn’t alone. Several vegan products and brands have come and gone from Nestlé’s portfolio in recent years. In 2022, the company rolled out dairy-free versions of KitKat in 15 European countries. In 2025, however, it pulled the plug on the popular chocolate bar. According to a spokesperson, declining “global demand” and “complex” manufacturing were behind the decision.
That same year, Nestlé launched Cowabunga, an animal-free dairy brand. In 2021, it also unveiled a pea-based milk brand called Wunda. Both have since been discontinued.
What plant-based products are left at Nestlé?
While Nestlé’s plant-based portfolio is considerably smaller than it once was, the company still manufactures several vegan products. Here, we take a look at some of its most popular offerings, from Garden of Life to Garden Gourmet.
Garden of Life
Garden of Life makes it easy to find vegan, organic supplements
Organic supplement brand Garden of Life is known for making its formulas with real, whole-food ingredients rather than synthetic alternatives. While the Nestlé-owned brand isn’t entirely vegan, a significant number of its products are plant-based. In fact, more than 120 vegan products are available from the brand. Here are some of our top Garden of Life picks:
- Raw Organic Protein (packed with 22 grams of protein and flavored with vanilla)
- Vitamin Code Raw Vitamin C (packed with 500 milligrams of raw vitamin C and bioflavonoids)
- mykind Organics Women’s Once Daily (a whole-food multivitamin from Alicia Silverstone’s range—and the entire line is vegan)
- mykind Organics Organic Plant Collagen Builder (collagen supplements often come from animals, but this one utilizes 30 organic fruits, vegetables, and botanicals)
- Vitamin Code Raw B-Complex (a high-potency formula packed with those all-important B vitamins)
Coffee-Mate
Coffee-Mate makes oat and almond milk creamers
Most of Nestlé’s creamer brand Coffee-Mate’s range is lactose-free, but it isn’t vegan due to the presence of a small number of milk proteins. However, there are a handful of plant-based options available from the brand, including its Oat Milk Vanilla Coffee Creamer and Almond Milk Coffee Creamer (they’re also available in singles, too).
Nestlé
Many of Nestlé’s popular cereals are free of animal products
While many kinds of cereal contain animal-derived ingredients such as cow’s milk or non-vegan vitamin D, much of Nestlé’s range is totally vegan. Yep, you can safely munch away on options like Shredded Wheat, Coco Shreddies, Frosted Shreddies, Go Free Rice Pops, and Go Free Corn Flakes without worrying about sneaky animal ingredients.
The only catch? Most are only available outside the US. But if you’re keen to give them a try, you might be in luck—you can find some imported boxes at retailers like Amazon and Walmart.
Garden Gourmet
Garden Gourmet’s products are vegan, with a few exceptions
Garden Gourmet isn’t entirely vegan, but it does offer a wide range of totally plant-based products. As well as its popular vegan tuna alternative, Vuna, the vegetarian brand makes Crunchy Tofu, Vegan Nuggets, Vegan Schnitzel, various vegan chicken pieces, falafel, and burgers. In fact, only a handful of products in the Garden Gourmet range aren’t plant-based: the Cheesy Nuggets, Veggie Rondo, Veggie Balls, and Classic Balls all contain animal products.
There’s another catch, though. This vegan-friendly brand isn’t available on supermarket shelves in the US. However, it is still stocked in stores across Europe, and you can also find its products on select restaurant menus. In Spain, for example, Garden Gourmet supplies the vegan meat for the Vegan Cheeseburger empanada at the popular empanada chain Las Muns.
For more plant-based stories like this, read:
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Charlotte is a VegNews editor and writer based in sunny Southsea on England's southern coast.
Here at VegNews, we live and breathe the plant-based lifestyle, and only recommend products we feel make our lives amazing. Occasionally, articles may include links where we might earn a small commission, but in no way does this effect the editorial integrity of VegNews.
