Launching Vurger Guyz (VG) in 2018, four friends and former NCAA athletes Na’eem Outler, Kendall Patterson, Phil Bennett, and Kori Vines, have been carving out their own niche in the vegan space by becoming one of the fastest-growing lifestyle brands to hit the industry.
Initially, all of the guys hoped to make it big in the NFL but fell just a bit shy of achieving that goal. They needed to figure out the next best step for them. Na’eem says, “A lot of times when guys fall short of their goals, you got to find out your next goals and your dreams.” Using his interest in clean eating, having been a vegan for 4 years prior, and having experience in entrepreneurship from the various brands that he and the other guys were part of, the guys would come together to create what would be the million-dollar selling brand.
Their bond was sparked by their interest in sports but grew when they agreed to partner on the common goal of creating a brand that would not only make money but create a healthy lifestyle and change lives in the process.
They started with a food truck and would eventually open a brick-and-mortar location in Los Angeles. The brand took on an identity of its own while creating a space in the vegan industry for minorities to be successful. When asked about the impact that they made on the industry, “We are all conscious eaters, conscious thinkers, and conscious livers and we haven’t realized the impact that we’ve made on the world today. When we come across people who let us know that we’ve impacted the personally, it’s overwhelming”, Outler shares. “We are customers of Vurger Guyz just as much as we are the owners of the brand so for us it’s just living out our day and lives. It just happens to be a gateway for other people to step into it and see life the way we see it,” he added.
They believe in their product so much that they call themselves The home of the one-bite warranty. If you try the product and don’t like it after one bite you get your money back. VG isn’t just a brand, it’s a lifestyle and people are catching on. “We’ve always tried to be that gateway for people to open their minds to vegan food,” says Kendall. Vurger Guyz prides itself on its ability to show people that eating vegan foods doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice taste.
If you don’t believe the words that come out of their mouth, maybe the many Vurgers that Tabitha Brown, Kevin Hart, Snoop Dogg, Alicia Keys, Pharrell, and more have enjoyed will speak loud enough.
The guys believe that there is room for them in other locations, so they plan on expanding to other major cities within the United States.
For more information, visit Vurger Guyz online.
Photo Credit: Vurger Guyz
