The Vegain Bros make deliciously high protein Vegan baking mixes for pancakes, waffles & brownies.
These gluten-free goodies have 'no *ahem* crepe ingredients... No waffle'! - Just the food you love made flipping healthy - just add vegan milk!
The Vegain Bros protein mixes are made using low GI flours such as Oat, Tapioca, Rice, Potato and Buckwheat to keep you FUELED for longer.
They pack between 34g (pancake mix) or 45g (brownie mix) of complete protein per bottle which comes from a blend of Soya Protein Isolate, Sunflower Protein, White Hemp Protein, Pea Protein Isolate, Brown Rice Protein to help those muscles recover and make them Vegains!
Behind The Biz - Interview with Ash & Suds, The Vegain Bros
What is 'wellness' to you?
We think it is 50% Physical 50% Mental and 10% Laughter. All are needed to help you maintain that happy balance in your life.
Tell us about your wellness journey
(Suds) Ever since I was young, I loved every sport there was to play, which was the very cause of tearing my ACL within my right knee as a teenager and then again 2 years later, meaning three surgeries.
I then bought some £20 dumbbells and like all teenagers did a gazillion push ups, endless sit ups and watched youtube videos to educate myself. As my journey went on I started bodybuilding/powerlifting more seriously, more intelligently and more intensely. My injuries gave me gave me the time to learn and mindset to adapt when needed.
Weightlifting has always been a priority of mine during long hours of study and de-stressing after work and I really believe it improved my mental state and allowed me to work harder.
(Ash) From a young age I have always been active and interested in sports. I attended Judo and Karate as a child/teen and won numerous medals/trophies and now the moves come in handy as party tricks....
On a serious note, I strongly believe this has helped me build confidence and a level of discipline I wouldn't get from anywhere else in order to improve my mindset later on in my working life.
It's important I always find time to keep active due to the nature of my job, I notice a significant difference in my alertness if I am active on a regular basis.
What is your inspiration behind your brand & protein mix range?
We were frustrated by the lack of vegan options which catered for health conscious and fitness fanatics like us who also enjoy baking and eating desserts. They all had a high sugar and fat content and some stated it had high protein, when in fact this was not true at all.
Vegan baking can be complicated, especially when all the recipes require fancy ingredients. We didn't have the time as we worked long hours and still had to make it to the gym.
Fuelled by this, we were on a mission to make some vegan treats that could be made easily using simple nutritious ingredients, were tasty and fitted in with our healthy lifestyle.
So that is why after much testing and eating enough pancakes and brownies to last a lifetime, we managed to create some high protein vegan baking mixes which fuel your body and require you to do as little as possible but gain so much
What are your favourite recipes that you make with your mixes?
Espresso or Tiramisu pancakes (add a spoon of instant coffee to our vanilla pancake mix) for that morning kick and top with some vegan yogurt.
Chocolate orange brownies (add orange essence to our brownie mix).
There combinations are endless!
What is a typical day in the life of the Vegain Bros?
We both currently work full time where Ash is a Creative Retoucher (photo editor) and works with the biggest brands to create images for advertising for both online and print, whilst Suds is a Risk Consultant for a Top 4 Financial firm where he helps his banking clients adhere to regulation.
We also manage The Vegain Bros in between. At 7am we talk on the phone to assign tasks and plan for the/day/week ahead. By 3pm we have received a bunch of emails which means adapting our to do list. At 7pm we leave work and go to the gym and by 9pm we are packing the mixes into bottles, shipping orders, plotting more ideas and/or managing the social media.
What workouts do you love doing?
Our weightlifting routine goes like this:
Monday (Legs)
- Squats, Romanian Deadlifts, Leg press supersetted (ss) with Calf raises, Glute raise, leg extensions ss with hamstring curls.
Tuesday (Chest/Triceps)
- Incline Dumbbell (DB) press, Flat bench press, Decline press ss with DB flys, Cable flys ss, Dips, Skull crushers ss, Tricep pushdown.
Wednesday
- Cardio 40mins, 20mins stretch and foam roll
Thursday - (Back/Biceps)
- Pull ups, Deadlifts, Barbell Rows, Reverse grip row, One arm or close grip row, Shrugs ss, Lat pull down, Barbell curls ss, Hammer curls.
Friday - (Shoulders/abs)
- DB Shoulder press, Behind neck press, Lateral raises, Rear delt raise ss, Front Raise, Abs - Planks, Hanging leg raises etc.
Saturday - (Arms)
- Close grip press ss, Preacher curls, Tricep extension ss, Incline bench DB curls, Tricep kickbacks ss with reverse grip curls.
Sunday (Rest/ Long Walk or Cardio).
All compound exercises are completed for 5 Reps and 5 sets, with the latter exercises completed for 8 reps or more.
We also love trekking and go on regular hikes and actually have some marathons planned.
What tunes do you love playing when you are working out?
We love anything that gets us hyped! Our go to genres for the gym are Hip Hop, Grime and RnB. We love a bit of Netflix during a long cardio session. Guilty!
Where are your fave places to workout?
Our workouts are our ‘Me time’ and we workout wherever our schedules let us which can be in a busy city gym or somewhere quiet with amazing views.
What tips do you have for a successful mindset when it comes to health?
- Set mini realistic goals and actually write them down
- Learn from mistakes and keep going
- Be flexible and adapt (not everything has to go to plan)
- Plan your day/week, log your workouts and your meals to ensure your constantly improving
- Be accountable to someone e.g. your partner, PT etc
- Take a short break each day to learn something new, watch videos on people that inspire you for motivation etc
- Don't be afraid to take risks and don't wait for doors to open, kick those doors down!
Who are your inspirations or ambassadors you would love to work with?
Arnold Schwarzenegger (All round badass)
Dorian Yates (Amazing work ethic)
Nimai Delgado (One of the best Vegan ambassadors and physiques)
Simeon Panda (His story and beast physique)
Naturally Stefanie (Inspirational content and great recipes)
Serena Williams (The GOAT)
What are you most proud about in terms of your brand?
We didn't expect much considering we could only work on this during the evenings/weekends and we're not chefs by career. But our growth and following within a short space of time and the quality/taste of the mixes are what we most proud of.
