Huel has agreed to join Danone. Here is everything you need to know

[Mark_Huel]

Hi everyone here,

We wanted to come here and share some big news with you.

Huel has agreed to join Danone, subject to regulatory approvals. We wanted to tell you directly before you saw it elsewhere.

We know this is a big update for this amazing community, so we want to walk you through it properly and answer as many questions as we can.

Danone is one of the largest B Corps in the world, operating in over 120 markets. It has a 100-year history in nutrition and health, with a focus on science and a commitment to improving how food is produced and delivered. Danone works within dairy and plant-based yogurts, Specialised Nutrition and Waters categories, and has a strong focus on science-based research and development. They have a global presence that will provide a strong platform for us to grow further and do more of what Huel does best: fast, nutritious, complete food. That has always been the mission. This is how we do more of it.

We know that the main question you will want answered is what changes for you and your Huel when the deal completes:

1. What changes for Huel: the ability to reach more people in more markets with the nutrition they actually need. Huel continues to operate under its existing name and leadership.

2. What changes for you: no changes to products or prices are planned. Your subscription, your orders and your account continue exactly as they are. Huel remains Huel. And Huel has a lot more to do.

Ten years. 600 million meals. 100+ countries. Around 50% less CO2 than the average meal.

When we look at that, we are proud of the impact - but we also see the people who’ve shaped it. All of you.

You are the early adopters and long-term customers who’ve stuck with us through everything. You are the die-hard Hueligans who’ve shouted about Huel to your friends and family. You are the people who, when Huel was still seen as some weird powder, said otherwise.

Without your feedback and your support, we would not be where we are now.

We are proud of what Huel has become. We are genuinely excited about what comes next.

We know you will have a lot of questions. We will be here in the comments to answer as much as we can. Please keep comments in this thread so I can respond as quickly as possible.

A full statement and a list of FAQs will be shared to our site shortly and I will update here then.

[Raymondcal]

Biggest news of the week.

[Peas]

Congratulations to Julian & James and the rest of the team. Huel have come a long way in a very short time.

Photo taken at the Huel open day in 2017

[tallchap]

As a vegan I was hugely excited when Huel arrived. My first order was back in 2017 and my payment went to Bodyhack Ltd as it was known back then. It promoted a healthy lifestyle and promoted veganism. To learn that Huel has sold out to Danone is really disappointing. I choose to boycott products owned by large dairy conglomerates. Ultimately, buying Huel from now on, supports pain and cruelty. It’s a sad day. No more Huel for me.

[alexday]

I don’t mind as long as they don’t put yoghurt in it.

[rikefrejut]

Let the enshittification of huel core products begin (or continue).

My bet is that Huel U/U will be the first product to be cut, because it sells less than the corporate overlords would wish.

Edit: To any companies in the same business as huel that are watching this thread, PM me your product if you have a powdered complete food without any added flavors and without any added sweeteners (irrelevant of whether it is natural or artificial).

[hunzas]

B Corp actually means very little, and nothing I’d say woop de do about; heck even Nestle has B-Corp status across its business. It’s similar to RSPO. Means nothing.

Check out Ethical consumer for Danone’s ethical credibility. [Lack of.]

Bring on World ~War Three I say. That’d be a better announcement.

[airiartev]

Wow! Congrats! Big news!

[HuelZero]

That’s disappointing, although the writing has been on the wall for a while. But congratulations on the exit, I hope it will be everything you hoped it to be, and that Danone won’t destroy what you worked hard to achieve.

For nostalgias sake: I had my first order in march, 2016. I bought 2 bags of powder vanilla (2x 28 meals) for £45.00 GBP total.

[Domas]

Congratulations!

Though I am very afraid that things will start enshitificating….

[akolsek]

My thoughts exactly. My subscription has been cancelled and I will move it to a different company.

[Mark_Huel]

This is crazy, love this!!!

Thank you so much for the love

[Mark_Huel]

Understood, and thank you for being with us for so long.

So I want to start by saying, Huel isn’t changing. We will keep pushing our mission, which is to improve the health of people and the planet through complete and convenient nutrition. With Danone, we can begin to scale its mission further and faster. That is the strategic rationale for this deal.

@tallchap

I choose to boycott products owned by large dairy conglomerates. Ultimately, buying Huel from now on, supports pain and cruelty.

Of course, this is a big concern and something that I want to address with you. While Danone does have a wider portfolio that includes dairy, the fact that someone as big as them is backing plant-based is a great sign. It will ultimately get more people eating plant-based, nutritious food - without changing what we stand for.

So we see it as encouraging to see a global company backing a brand that has always championed plant-based nutrition. The key thing is that our commitment to plant-based has not changed. We will still be committed to staying vegan and animal-product–free, as certified by The Vegan Society. This commitment aligns with our mission to improve the health of people and the planet through convenient and complete nutrition.

[Mark_Huel]

No plans for that!

[Mark_Huel]

@rikefrejut

Let the enshittification of huel core products begin (or continue).

Not at all. Just because Danone has come in, doesn’t mean we’re changing. We believe that they’ll be able to help us improve on what we already do well.

Danone has a long-standing focus on nutrition and how food is made. They’re a B Corp with a clear dual purpose: deliver health through food while improving the way it’s produced. For us, that means we can grow faster, reach more people, and keep improving our products without drifting from what Huel stands for. That’s always been the mission; this just helps us do more of it.

As for your U/U, there are no plans to shelve this product or any others! And actually You’ll find it’s more popular than you think

[Mark_Huel]

Thank you.

@HuelZero

Danone won’t destroy what you worked hard to achieve.

Nothing will change, we’ll still be Huel, and we’ll keep working with you guys to make sure we’re showing up and delivering the best products and service to you all.

@HuelZero

For nostalgias sake: I had my first order in march, 2016. I bought 2 bags of powder vanilla (2x 28 meals) for £45.00 GBP total.

10 years, thanks for being with us so long

[Mark_Huel]

Sorry you’re disappointed about this.

Look we can’t speak for every decision made by a global company like Danone. What we can speak to is Huel: our mission, our products, and the values we have built the business around. Those are not changing.

We very much still remain Huel. The same mission, the same focus on complete nutrition. If anything this allows us the infrastructure and expertise to improve our products and reach more of what we already do so well.

@8o8ert

Are you reading the same posts as the rest of us. I can’t see many if any customers that are happy about it.

Saw this comment, wanted to get back to your earlier one first.

[Justin-McNeil]

This is the first steps to enshitification. Congratulations on your company being exactly the same as everything else out there now. Corners will begin to be cut to focus on profit and the product will soon be the equivalent of a pot noodle but 5x the price. I’ve been a customer since 2016, but that’s obviously coming to a close. A sad day for a product that really stood out from the rest. But I guess these days it’s inevitable that once successful enough, it will join the conglomerate

[tallchap]

@Mark_Huel

While Danone does have a wider portfolio that includes dairy

I think your description underplays the size of the dairy behemoth Danone is. I believe 52% of their 2025 revenue was dairy. They are one of the world’s largest dairy companies.

Ethical Consumer rates the company with a 13/100 score. Additionally it scored 0/100 for its soya sourcing policy. It has also been blamed for drying up water tables in Volvic, France. Danone is not an organisation that wants the best for the world. It is a business like many others that wants market share. Huel into the mouths of more customers - maybe, but at what cost?

[volker]

Wow. What a sad day. An independent company with core values and vegan products “joins” (or gets swallowed, sells itself) to one of the biggest dairy producers. Money rules the world; values get thrown in the dumpster. A sad sad day.