A pouch of Huel Powder, Black Edition, and a Huel Shaker
Huel Ltd. is a British company that makes plant-based meals, snacks, drinks, and food supplements.[1][2][3] The head office is in Tring, Hertfordshire.[4]
In 2014, Huel was founded by Julian Hearn in Aylesbury, England. The original recipe was formulated by registered nutritionist James Collier, founder and former owner of MuscleTalk, a bodybuilding website,[6] with the intention of providing the recommended daily amounts (RDAs) of nutrients as stipulated by the European Food Safety Authority, in a vegan and environmentally friendly product.
Huel powder, the first product, was released in 2015 and is sold in 1.7 kg white bags. Its ingredients contain oats, rice, pea protein, and micronutrients. Huel Powder is made up of 37% carbohydrates, 30% fat, 30% protein, and 3% fibre. Black Edition was released in December 2019, it contains 50% fewer carbohydrates, 33% more protein compared to the original Huel powder and is sweetened with stevia and organic coconut sugar, instead of artificial sweetener.[7]
A version for gluten-free diets was launched in 2016, and Huel began delivering to the rest of Europe.[8] In June 2017, it became available in the United States.[9]
In November 2017, former Life Health Foods UK chief executive James McMaster was appointed as chief executive officer of the company to oversee its international expansion.[10]
In 2023, Huel reported a 28% increase in revenue year-on-year, reaching £184.5 million for the 12 months to 31 July 2023.[11]
Huel was B Corp certified in 2023, meaning it met tight social sustainability and environmental performance standards, and became a partner of Tony’s Open Chain, an open supply chain for companies committed to ethical sourcing of cocoa.[12]
In November 2023, Huel's CEO James McMaster said the company was open to a sale, and played down talk of floating the company on the stock market, citing poor market conditions in the UK.[13]
Huel opened a factory in Milton Keynes in January 2024.[14]
In February 2023, the British Advertising Standards Authority banned two Huel advertisements after ruling that claims that Huel could help people save money were misleading, and that one of the advertisements violated the rules on making health claims about products.[15][16]
