Deliciously Ella owners Ella Mills and Matthew Mills have stepped in to rescue Allplants out of administration, acquiring and adding the plant-based brand to their Plants business.

The move would see the pair retain Allplants alongside their existing Plants business, which was not included in Deliciously Ella’s acquisition by Hero Group last year, reported The Grocer,

It follows in the wake of the brand falling into administration last November, when it appointed administrators Interpath and made 65 members of staff redundant.

It is understood there are no plans to launch products under the Allplants name, but it will be led by Plants’ current managing director Kerry Atack, who has worked at Deliciously Ella for the past five years.

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CEO Matthew Mills said the acquisition would look to leverage the brand’s large social media following, which had amounted to more than 115,000 followers on Instagram and equally high follower counts on Facebook and TikTok.

Mill told the publication: “We will bring together Plants and Allplants to create something truly special – a new, natural, plant-based powerhouse.

“We have long admired the Allplants brand, and the brand name has remarkable consumer awareness across the UK.”

He added: “Kerry has a deep passion and understanding of the plant-based space, and we can’t wait to support her as we drive this new chapter forward together with the wider Plants team.”

It follows Matthew Mills last year warning that mimic meat brands will continue to struggle, but adding that there are still plenty of growth opportunities in the natural plant-based industry.