India’s Oldest Vegan Restaurant Celebrates Its Silver Jubilee

Bean Me Up, India’s oldest vegan cafe based in Goa recently celebrated its silver jubilee. The cafe has been a respite for travelling vegans (or anyone who likes delicious food) for over ten years. Huddled together with old trees, it includes a health store, a bed & breakfast as well as a yoga studio to complete the soulful experience. You can also partake in activities like bicycle tours through the hinterlands of Goa. It’s easy to locate - just follow the soothing music and the inviting aroma of hearty food!

We caught up with the founder Shawn Rodrigues to discuss this endeavor and the rise of veganism in India.

Bean Me Up's founder, Shawn Rodrigeus

What is the story behind Bean Me Up?

Bean Me Up was started in 1996. It didn’t start as a vegan restaurant, but a health food restaurant. It was one of the first health food restaurants in Goa. Bean Me Up as a brand was started by Lisa who I met in 2009. At that time I had been vegan for a long time and wanted to start a vegan business in India, so I asked Lisa if I could come aboard. 

We changed the entire menu, the whole set up, the ambiance. Bean Me Up has been vegan since 2009. We have won several Times Food awards and have taken the brand to the next level. We opened another vegan restaurant called Gratitude in 2019 and we have some big plans for it.

We are the oldest vegan restaurants in Goa, probably in India. And we are celebrating 25 years now!

You converted the restaurant into a vegan restaurant ten years ago. That wasn’t a popular time for veganism in India. What made you decide to go through with it?

The whole idea was passive activism where we would serve healthy, delicious food which would be vegan and we will sweep people off their feet. 

We sourced organic soy beans and were one of the first restaurants to serve and make tempeh in India. We still make fresh tofu and tempeh everyday and supply it to the restaurants around us. Since then we have been training chefs to make yummy food from our tofu and tempeh so that they can also offer vegan options in Indian restaurants.

Overall, it’s been quite an interesting journey. Veganism was not very popular so we still promoted ourselves as a health food restaurant. Now it has caught up in India as well. Upto about two years ago, about 97% of our business was from the Westerners who were travelling to Goa, but that has changed over the last few years and we have also been getting a lot of Goans who turned vegan.

A lot of vegan restaurant businesses start but it’s been tough to stay afloat if you’re a niche..Especially post the pandemic. What were the things that you kept in mind when setting up Bean Me Up?

It has definitely been a bumpy ride for us. There were ups and downs, but statistically, about 60-70% of the restaurant shut down within the first three to five years. So it is a full-time task to run a restaurant. You have to make sure your quality is consistent and that you are continuously targeting a newer audience. It has been quite a challenge but we are past the worst. 

There was a lot of strategy that went into setting it up and getting it going. A lot of Westerners who were already living in Goa were quite familiar with the Bean Me Up brand. My idea was to take over this brand and build an amazing vegan restaurant rather than start a new one which would have struggled for the first few years. 

How often do you get non-vegans in the café and how do they respond to vegan food?

We are a very popular restaurant. Obviously, there aren’t as many vegans, so a bulk of the people visiting are non-vegans, which is the beauty of it. People come because they want to have healthy, delicious food. We also have good ratings on Zomato. A lot of people are surprised that we are vegan. And most people, after we talk to them, say, “Well, if we can eat things like this, then we wouldn’t mind going vegan!”

Do you think more people are switching to veganism post the pandemic?

Yes, so people are trying to change, especially people who have watched The Game Changers want to explore vegan food options. A lot of people are doing it for health, the environment and of course, because of the cruelty aspect. So we get a lot of curious people who are willing to give it a try. 

What was the inspiration behind your menu?

The menu was inspired from my travels. I was travelling around Central and South America and Europe. During my travels I had jotted down many recipes. I used to be a travel photographer but I was very passionate about good food and cooking. Our menu is also very diverse, there are a lot of Mexican, Asian and Middle Eastern flavours.

We make a thin crust gluten-free pizza which is very popular. We have vegan burritos and corn chips with Mexican dips, and all our tofu and tempeh dishes are popular because they are all fresh, organic and made in-house.

We just came up with a new menu for 2021 because we are celebrating 25 years, so that’s already up and running. We have a hemp falafel which is a new introduction. We are sourcing the hemp flour and hemp hearts from Uttaranchal from an organic space. It is already a hit!

You attended the Vegan India Conference last year, how was your experience?

It was very informative. As an entrepreneur, it was great to connect to other entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs and also meet people from the industry. It was really motivational and much needed for the Indian scene.

Tell us something about your Vegan Journey!

I’ve been vegan for 14 years. It was an ethical choice. I was in America at that time and decided to make some lifestyle changes. At that time, I was also volunteering at some animal organizations. I just connected the dots and I looked into the food that we eat and traced it back to where it comes from. It was a very obvious choice to make once I looked into it. I quit everything that I was doing and came back to India. I was convinced that I wanted to start an ethical vegan business and that’s how the idea was born.

Vegans, if you are in Goa looking for a stay, look no further. Check out Bean Me Up and their B&B to have a complete vegan experience!

Where is it?

Bean Me Up: 1639/2 Devulvaddo, Ozran Beach Rd, Vagator, Goa 403509

Timing: 9am - 11pm

Check out the entire list of vegan restaurants in India Here