Meredith Marin: “We need more people making money from helping the world rather than hurting it”
Plant-based options are still gaining traction in the hospitality sector, making the work of people like Meredith Marin more essential than ever.
Meredith began her journey by consulting with restaurants and hotels to make plant-based options accessible and appealing in the hospitality industry. What started as a personal initiative, fueled by passion and curiosity, has grown into a thriving business where she trains others to bring vegan transformations to their own communities.
Meredith’s story speaks to those who dare to blend business with social impact, balancing a unique niche with broader goals. Discover her insights on entrepreneurship, the challenges of balancing work and family, and why she believes there’s never been a better time to launch a vegan business.
Meredith Marin, founder of Vegan Hospitality.
Why did you start your business, and when?
I started Vegan Hospitality after several years of consulting for restaurants and hotels making them vegan friendly. I was documenting my work on instagram and started receiving questions from people about how I was able to get so many restaurants to change their menus and train their staff.
I decided to start a business training vegans to do this work in their communities, with the goal that together we could make an even bigger impact making vegan options more accessible and acceptable in the hospitality and tourism industries.
Now my business has grown toward even bigger goals, to be a thought leader in the hospitality space and drive change at a larger corporate scale.
What do you wish you had known when you first started?
I get this question a lot, and I’m never sure how to answer it, because I’m happy with the way my journey has unfolded. I think part of success in entrepreneurship is accepting the road we are walking on, wherever we are in our journey, and knowing that it will be uniquely our path to create.
The biggest struggles I have had in my business journey have been in balancing work and family life, because I work from home and have two kids, and I am very passionate about my work but I often have to prioritize taking the slow route toward my goals to make sure I still have time to be present for my family.
If I knew how hard this part would be when I first started, I’m not sure I would have known to do anything differently…I am working to simply stay present to see how it all unfolds, and to have patience with myself and everyone else involved.
What advice would you give to someone just starting a vegan business
I would say the good news is that you are doing something unique and niche, which makes you stand out, and the bad news is that you are doing something unique and niche, which makes you stand out.
In most ways though, I don’t think starting a vegan business is a whole lot different than any other business. Businesses take time to build, and your greatest assets during this time will be perseverance, clear goals, mindful self awareness, patience, mentorship and building a support network.
When you think it’s time to give up, consider whether you still feel just as passionate about your mission, and if the answer is yes, then it’s not time to give up, it’s just time to pivot, get support, or try a different strategy.
Most likely you are doing something the world isn’t completely ready for yet, but you’d be surprised, when you start to find ways to bring other people into your vision, progress can happen quickly.
Why would you recommend others to launch a vegan business?
We need more people making money from helping the world rather than hurting it. I don’t think it matters whether you start a vegan business, a vegan nonprofit, a vegan initiative, project, whatever your structure is…that will be unique to you.
The reason I have a business at the moment is because I wanted complete control over setting my own agenda and that was the easiest way to get started right away.
I worked for several years prior in the nonprofit sector and always felt held back by the bureaucratic processes that made change feel slow, and I remember feeling frustrated that my supervisors’ opinions mattered more than anyone else’s when it came to what the community’s needs were, especially when I was on the front lines speaking to community members.
When I built my own businesses and subsequently a membership network, my natural style was to empower others to do things their way, to become experts on their own communities, to teach me as much as I can teach them, and to co-create and collaborate as much as possible.
In our own businesses we can set our own goals and work toward them, and then come together to support each other in collective action.
What has been your proudest achievement in running your vegan business?
One of my most recent and proud achievements in running my vegan business has been making a dent in bringing the vegan conversation into the sustainable hospitality space.
Up until now, sustainable hotels have ignored the role that transitioning to plant forward menus will have on their carbon emissions, and have instead focused on sustainability in areas outside of their culinary programming.
Within the F&B space, if they have focused on emissions at all, they have started with food waste management and sourcing their food locally, but it’s rare to see a hotel acknowledge the impact of plant based foods on emissions. That is changing, and I’m excited to be able to take a small bit of credit for this breakthrough we are finally having in the industry.
After cultivating a relationship with a sustainable hotel certification program called Green Globe, I was invited to give a presentation for over 100 hotels on the why and the how of switching to plant forward menus. I also received an exclusive invitation to join the prestigious World Sustainable Hospitality Alliance at their annual summit, where I will be part of conversations that will shape the future of sustainable hospitality.
I feel that we are finally at the beginning of a turning point for the industry, and through my collaborations with sustainability focused hotels, we will pave the way for the vegan conversation to finally enter a space within which it has often been ignored.
Meredith Marin has transformed her passion into a successful vegan business.
Contact Meredith if you are looking to learn about how to make your community more vegan friendly, or if you would like an inspiring speaker or presenter for your group or event.
Socials and website:
meredith@veganhospitality.com
https://www.veganhospitality.com/become-a-vegan-consultant