Vegan burger that ‘bleeds’ will help food firm break £100m sales barrier

Manchester-based The Authentic Food Co. (TAFC) has announced a partnership with American brand Beyond Meat®, securing an exclusive distribution deal to bring its juggernaut plant-protein product ‘The Beyond Burger’ to the UK for the first time.

This will set TAFC on track to break £100m sales in 2018.

As a leading innovator in meat-alternative products, with backing from Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Beyond Meat’s mission is to create mass market solutions that replace animal protein with plant-protein.

The brand’s team of researchers and food scientists has created a cutting-edge process that combines each of its plant-based ingredients to deliver against the unique texture of meat by braiding together proteins, fats and minerals.

Using this industry-leading method, the company has developed ‘The Beyond Burger’, the world’s only burger that looks, cooks, and tastes like ground beef from cows, but is made entirely from plants.

Crafted with simple plant-based ingredients, applied in fresh ways, The Beyond Burger has more protein than a beef burger, with less saturated and total fat.

And while the team didn’t design the burger to ‘bleed’, the beets used to give a red-meat appearance have led some to remark that the burger “bleeds” beet blood.

With UK consumers eating on average 6.55% less meat than a year ago, the launch taps into a growing trend for meat reduction following growing awareness of health and the environmental impact of consuming too much meat.

The trend is expected to explode over the coming years as more people look to reduce meat in their diet and seek out substitute products from brands like Beyond Meat.

The move follows TAFC’s recent venture into the plant-based market, having announced earlier this year its partnership with Stockport-based chef Matt Nutter, to develop a vegan range for TAFC’s customers.

Speaking about the partnership with TAFC, Ethan Brown, founder and chief executive at Beyond Meat, said: “At Beyond Meat we’re dedicated to perfectly building meat from plants.

“By creating great tasting products that are better for people and the planet, we are enabling consumers to eat more of the things they love, not less.

“The partnership with The Authentic Food Co is an exciting opportunity for us to bring our flagship product to consumers across the pond.”

Nik Basran, TAFC chief executive, said: “Our focus for 2018 is to bring more quality, flavour and choice for consumers looking for plant-based products.

“Matt (Nutter) has brought in lots of new ideas and thinking around plant-based food and the possibilities it can give consumers, with the obvious health and environmental benefits, while not compromising on great taste.

“Beyond Meat is a fantastic addition to our range as they are leading the plant-based burger revolution started in the US, so they already have a great product and brand we can now offer to our customers in the UK.”

He added: “They have doubled sales in the US in 2017 and are increasing distribution to more than 25,000 grocery stores and restaurants, highlighting the opportunity it presents to our UK customers.

“As a meat lover I can confirm The Beyond Burger tastes fantastic and we’ve got some very exciting plans in the pipeline that we’ll be announcing in summer,” he said.