Plant-based sushi by Konscious Foods

© Konscious Foods

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Konscious Foods: Frozen Plant-Based Sushi by Gardein Founder Enters Whole Foods Stores Across North America

Canadian alt seafood brand Konscious Foods has expanded its plant-based frozen sushi range to all Whole Foods Market locations across North America. The range consists of: Sushi rolls — available in the varieties California Roll, Spicy California Roll, Rainbow Roll, and Tuna Avocado Roll. Onigiri stuffed rice snacks — rice wrapped around plant-based fillings. The snacks are available in four varieties — Kale Gomae, Japanese Vegetable Curry, Roasted Corn + Poblano, and Korean BBQ Mushroom. Poke Bowls — rice topped with plant-based fish, edamame, corn, mango, and sauce. Two varieties — tuna and salmon — are available. The products are said to be made with clean ingredients such as konjac, pea fiber, Jasberry rice, and organic red quinoa. Using patent-pending technology, they can be cooked …

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Spicy-Gochujang-Style-Chickn-Wings-by-Gardein

© Gardein

Products & Launches

Gardein Launches Pea & Wheat Chick*n Line in Canada

Gardein, a brand of Conagra Brands, announces the Canadian launch of its Pea & Wheat Plant-Based Chick’n line encompassing Nashville-Style Hot Chick’n Tenders, Spicy Gochujang Style Chick’n Wings and Golden Chick’n Nuggets. Conagra acquired Gardein back in 2019, with Chief Executive Sean Connolly stating at the time that the company was looking towards plant-based alternatives to meat and acknowledging that there is big business in this category. “That means the opportunity here could be in the range of $30 billion just in the U.S.,” he said. “And you know, there’s even more opportunity internationally.” “As a leader in the plant-based category in Canada, it’s more important than ever that Gardein® responds to this growing demand and expands its portfolio with deliciously convenient additions to any meal …

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Gardein Ultimate Chicken Wings

©Gardein

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Gardein’s Ultimate Plant-Based Line Adding BBQ Wings, Spicy Chicken and More

Plant-based foods brand Gardein, a Conagra-owned company, announces it is expanding its Ultimate Plant-Based line with seven new food products, including bratwurst, buffalo wings and spicy chick’n fillets. Launching in June, the collection will be available in grocery stores, mass retailers and through e-commerce. The upcoming lineup provides a wide variety of flavors and can be enjoyed at breakfast, lunch or dinner, Gardein says. The new arrivals include:  Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Wings – Buffalo and BBQ style Ultimate Plant-Based Chick’n Spicy Fillets Ultimate Plant-Based Saus’ge Links – Bratwurst and Spicy Italian Ultimate Plant-Based Breakfast Saus’ge – Original and Spicy patties “Committed to delicious food” The Ultimate Plant-Based line first debuted in 2020 with the Ultimate Plant-Based Burger, followed by the release of Ultimate chicken tenders, …

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Gardein Supreme Plant-Based Burg

Gardein® Suprême™ Plant-Based Burger (CNW Group/Conagra Brands, Inc.)

Products & Launches

Gardein Launches Suprême Burger in Canada

Gardein, a brand of Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG) and Canada’s #1 frozen meat alternative brand, yesterday announced the launch of the new Suprême™ Plant-Based Burger across Canada. In 2019, Chief Executive Sean Connolly said that Conagra acknowledged that there is big business in the plant-based category. “That means the opportunity here could be in the range of $30 billion just in the US  […] And you know, there’s even more opportunity internationally.”

Gardein Ultimate Burger

©Gardein

Food & Beverage

USA: Gardein Presents the Ultimate Burger

Gardein, a trademark of Conagra Brands, Inc. (NYSE: CAG), is entering the meatlike vegan burger category with the Ultimate Beefless Burger. According to the manufacturer, Gardein’s new veggie product promises a burger experience comparable to meat without compromises.

Gardein BeeflessStrips

©Gardein

General

Sainsbury’s Brings US Brand Gardein into the UK

US food manufacturer, Conagra Brands, has announced it will distribute the popular plant-based brand Gardein, throughout the UK in Sainsbury’s stores from next year. Gardein (garden protein) is a product line of meat-free frozen foods such as plant-based fish fillets, and chicken strips, which are produced in British Columbia, Canada.

Plantbased Business Hour

How to Get Your Food Business Acquired with Yves Potvin

Three-time founder, Yves Potvin, discusses the current state of the plant-based innovation sector and how to grow a food business to be acquired. Having sold Gardein to Conagra and Yves Veggie Cuisine to Hain Celestial, Yves is now championing Konscious Foods with a plan to be acquired. Learn from this ultra-successful pioneer on The Plant-based Business Hour with Elysabeth Alfano. Specifically, they discuss How to have a successful exit/acquisition for your company. The most important steps in building a robust company. Why, after starting and successfully selling Yves Veggie Cuisine and Gardein, he decided to start Konscious Foods. The common mistakes founders make that can implode their companies. The current state of the industry. Below is a highlight clip and transcription from our long-form conversation. …

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Tacotarian

© Tacotarian

Food Service

Tacotarian: Winning Over Omnivores with Innovative Plant-Based Mexican Cuisine

Tacotarian is carving out a distinct niche within the Mexican food segment in the United States: 100% plant-based Mexican dishes, using house-made alternative proteins for a one-of-a-kind dining experience. Launched in Las Vegas in 2018, Tacotarian’s mission is to redefine and modernize traditional Mexican-American dining, using authentic flavors, seasonings, and cooking methods coupled with plant-based proteins to provide an innovative option that appeals to a broad audience. In fact, the majority of Tacotarian customers aren’t even vegan or vegetarian, with 75% of patrons identifying as omnivores/flexitarians. Modern approach to Mexican cuisine Kristen Corral, cofounder of Tacotarian, told Nation’s Restaurant News, “Our concept is really good Mexican food that just happens to be vegan. When you think of a Mexican-American restaurant, you think of yellow and …

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© Komo Plant Based Foods

Market & Trends

Why it’s Imperative for Meat-Free Products in Canada to Target Meat-Eaters

A recent survey conducted by food services management company Sodexo Canada finds that while a huge proportion (74%) of Canadians are unwilling to completely give up meat — significantly higher than the global average of 42% — followed by 67% for fish and 54% for dairy, almost half (46%) are interested in reducing animal proteins for plant proteins and 46% are willing to reduce their intake of dairy products. Ultimately, this data as well as the further data below evidences that Canadian consumers refuse to quit animal products but do have a desire to replace some meat and dairy with animal-free alternatives. Producers and marketers should therefore strive to make this easy for the consumer and target the flexitarian group with inclusive language and marketing. …

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Plant-Based Chicken/ Meat Alternative

Hot and Spicy Crispy Chik'n ©MorningStar Farms

Market & Trends

US Plant-Based Meat Market: Established Food Giants Projected to Dominate Amid Continued Shakeout

Larger market players such as Kellogg Co. (owner of MorningStar Farms), Maple Leaf Foods, (owner of Field Roast and Lightlife), Kraft Heinz, and Conagra (owner of Gardein) benefit from robust sales channels, extensive distribution networks, and brand recognition. As the market continues to grow, companies that are able to leverage their scale to produce high volumes of plant-based meat products at lower prices will likely make up the bulk of future revenue, according to a study by Grand View Research. The report claims that the US plant-based meat market, recently valued at $1.15 billion, is poised for significant growth, indicating a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.9% from 2023 to 2030. However, this expanding market is witnessing a notable shift in its competitive landscape, …

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Yves Potvin of Konscious Foods

Yves Potvin. © Konscious Foods.

Opinion

Op Ed: Yves Potvin, Founder and President of Konscious Foods, on How the Industry Can Recover

Yves Potvin, the visionary behind Konscious Foods, has made a significant impact in the plant-based food industry. A classically trained French chef from Quebec, Potvin’s culinary journey unexpectedly led him to the world of plant-based foods. He is credited with creating the first fresh veggie hot dog and has established three successful plant-based food companies across three decades: Yves Veggie Cuisine, Gardein, and most recently, Konscious Foods, which continues to thrive in turbulent times. In this piece, Yves clearly identifies two key points on which plant-based brands must focus in order to succeed, and in doing so, he says, “I’m confident next year will put the meatless industry’s business back on track”. The Plant-Based Bubble Has Burst: What the Industry Needs to  Succeed the Next …

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WunderEggs Crafty Counter

© Webstaurantstore

Food Service

Crafty Counter’s Vegan WunderEggs Now Available for Foodservice via WebstaurantStore

In a significant expansion of its market presence, Crafty Counter has announced that its WunderEggs vegan hard-boiled egg halves are now available to restaurants through WebstaurantStore, a leading online foodservice supplier. The news, shared by founder and CEO Hema Reddy, marks a milestone for the Austin-based, women and BIPOC-owned company, as WunderEggs can now be added to restaurant menus nationwide. Reddy comments, “We have been fortunate to see so many operators buying them either online on our website or in stores and adding them to their menus already. As an emerging brand, it’s surreal to see all the tags and mentions from restaurants & operators with their menu additions.” Crafty Counter’s WunderEggs originally launched in 2021 as the “first-ever” ready-to-eat vegan boiled eggs. These plant-based …

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Konscious Foods

© Konscious Foods

Business Wire

Konscious Foods Expands World’s First Frozen Plant-Based Sushi and More into Foodservice Across North America

As Demand for Plant-Based Options on Menus Increases, Konscious Foods Focuses on Innovative Offerings for All Segments of The Foodservice Industry VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Konscious Foods™, a plant-based seafood brand, today announced its plan to expand its foodservice offerings across North America in 2024. The brand is now officially entering the U.S. foodservice market, while appointing Affinity Group Canada as broker for the Canadian market. Konscious Foods™ offers restaurant, foodservice, deli and quick service operators a wide array of chef-crafted products all made from plants. Each item is designed with operational efficiency, sustainability, taste and quality in mind, including: Four varieties of plant-based sushi (California, Salmon Avocado, Tuna Avocado and Rainbow Roll) Salmon block or poke cubes Tuna block or poke cubes Sno’ crab pack …

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Upton's Naturals vegan hot dog

© Upton's Naturals

Products & Launches

Upton’s Naturals Announces Massive Retail Expansion, Cites Slow-Growth Strategy as Key to Trajectory of Success

Upton’s Naturals, a Chicago-based trailblazer in the plant-based meat industry, reveals it has secured a significant retail listing at Publix stores across the US, with founder Daniel Staackman citing the company’s slow growth strategy as the secret to the brand’s continued success. The self-funded company announces today that five of its SKUs are set to roll out onto shelves of over 1,300 Publix locations across the USA starting January 2024. The new listings entail Chorizo Seitan, Traditional Seitan, Updog Vegan Hot Dogs, Bar-B-Que Jackfruit, and Chili Lime Jackfruit. Upton’s Naturals has been operational for over 17 years, and despite the fluctuating dynamics of the plant-based market, the company has continued to thrive. The company reports that it has experienced a consistent upward trajectory in sales, …

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