Sun Flour Baking Company Celebrates Over 25 Years of Animal-Free Products
Founder Rey Ortega Shares Wisdom From 30-Year Vegan Journey
Sacramento, California, USA – Sun Flour Baking Co., founded in 1997 by Rey Ortega, celebrates over 25 years in business. The company produces baked, raw, and 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.
“After all this time, I still love my business because it helps both animals and humans from harm. My favorite success is being in thousands of stores nationwide, and growing,” says Rey Ortega, owner. Once a chronically sick kid and overweight as a young adult, Ortega researched the effects of food on nutrition, and began consuming a vegan diet in 1993. 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 one year. He subsequently launched Sun Flour Baking Co. to create new flavors, tastes, textures, and nutrition products with a longer shelf life and higher profit margins.
Aside from a few media mentions, over the decades, the 56-year-old had never publicly shared about his entrepreneurial or vegan journey. Now a 30-year vegan, he’s out and proud as a vegan business owner.
Ortega continues: “I love that veganism is becoming more mainstream every day, and am excited to have played a part in that.”
About the Founder
Rey Ortega is a pioneer in the plant-based sector with over 30 years of business experience. After founding the Alternative Baking Company, one of the first vegan cookie brands on the market in 1994, he founded Sun Flour Baking Co. Clients include Continental Airlines, 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 previously 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 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.
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The author
This post was written by Amy Pardoe
Amy is Vegan Recipe Club's social media and media coordinator. Her vegan journey began in January 2019, during university, when she was encouraged to take part in Veganuary thanks to documentaries such as The Game Changers and What the Health. She has a passion for veganism, creating compelling content and cooking up a storm!
