Vegan meat producer Beyond Meat, has just announced that it’s sold more than 11 million Beyond Burgers since launching in 2016. The Beyond Burger is the very first plant-based burger that looks, cooks, “bleeds,” and tastes like a beef burger.
The meatless patty is made from a combination of pea protein, coconut oil, and potato starch, which give it a “realistic” meaty texture and results in 20 grams of protein per patty compared to 19 grams of protein in a beef patty. The “bleeding” texture comes from the inclusion of beet powder and annatto, a food coloring derived from the seeds of the achiote tree.
Not only have individual Beyond Burgers achieved a landmark in sales, the company also revealed that the burger has expanded to even more grocery stores, following its recent debut at Target. Northeast grocery chains Stop & Shop and Market Basket and organic Midwest grocery chain Fresh Thyme now offer the Beyond Burger in their meat cases. The Beyond Burger is now in nearly 6,000 grocery stores nationwide. In a statement, the company noted that the retail expansion “is a big representation of how consumers are continuing to rally behind the brand and plant-based alternative foods as the future of protein.”
Since its debut at Whole Foods Markets in May 2016, the Beyond Burger has gone on to become the very first plant-based burger to be sold alongside meat in the grocery store. In early 2018, organic burger chain Bareburger began offering the Beyond Burger at select locations in New York City and is now available at all locations. It can also be found on the menus of all Veggie Grill and TGI Friday’s locations nationwide, as well as a number of independent restaurants. The company recently revealed that it plans to expand into the U.K. market in the first quarter of 2018.
Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown believes that his product can make the world a better place “one delicious meal at a time.” Beyond Meat continues to expand its offerings with the recent launch of the Beyond Sausage, a plant-based sausage made from pea, rice, and fava protein that imitates the taste and texture of traditional pork sausages right down to the “snap” provided by the casing, which is derived from algae. Currently, the Beyond Sausage is available at Schaller’s Stube Sausage Bar in NYC, Veggie Grill and Wurstküche in Los Angeles, and Rosamunde Sausage Grill in San Francisco. Customers can choose from three flavors: Brat Original, Hot Italian, and Sweet Italian. The company plans to focus on having the new product added to the menu of meat-centric locations across the country.
Image credit: Beyond Meat
