Corby staff at Heather Mills' former firm VBites let go just two weeks before Christmas as company faces closure

VBites in Corby has gone into administration according to staff members. Image: Google.

A Corby-based vegan food firm formerly owned by campaigner Heather Mills has gone into administration.

Vbites was a leading vegan snacks and meal company that had been based in Corby for 23 years, and for many years before that as Redwood Wholefoods.

But today (Monday, December 11) all but a handful of staff at the plant-based company in Burkitt Road were told that they were being made redundant. Some were in tears when they were informed of the news.

In a further blow, they were told that they would not be immediately paid wages and their redundancy and instead would be forced to go through the government’s scheme to seek recompense.

It means they will not get their Christmas wage packet.

The firm filed for administration at the High Court on Thursday (December 7).

Redwood Wholefoods was bought out by Ms Mills in 2000. All the firm’s vegan products were made at its factory in Corby and Ms Mills said in 2021 that productivity had doubled following a surge in the popularity of plant-based diets.

She had announced two years ago that German food conglomerate Pfeifer & Langen Industrie and Handels KG would purchase a minority 25.1 per cent stake in VBites to help the firm mass-scale its food production.

The firm opened more factories in Peterlee five years ago and subsequently moved its headquarters to the north east.

But in summer this year Ms Mills quietly resigned her directorship of the firm after it had struggled for several months. A new team of directors were appointed to try to turn around its fortunes. Her boyfriend Michael Dickman was also appointed as a director in April.

Ms Mills said this afternoon on social media: “It’s with great regret that I announce that after 30 years of pioneering plant-based production and innovation, VBites Foods Ltd, a company very dear to my heart, is entering into administration this week.

"Although I offered every solution I feasibly could to keep it going, sadly, VBites ultimately fell victim to the galvanised misinformation currently being undertaken by the meat and dairy industries as well as the corporate greed in our market.”

It is not yet known how many staff are affected in Corby. VBites have been contacted for comment.