Juicy Marbles, creator of luxury plant-based whole cuts including the “world’s first marbled plant-based steak” which caused a stir upon its announcement in 2021, announces the rollout of the famous steak into 350+ Tesco stores. This marks Juicy Marbles’ third major UK supermarket distribution deal following its initial distributor Waitrose and most recent listing at Whole Foods.
“Juicy Marbles offers market-leading quality in the whole cuts space […] we are really excited about adding this really credible new addition to our plant based range.”
Juicy Marbles reports that “Tesco has seen a big increase in demand for versatile, high-quality plant-based meat products in recent months, as shoppers look to reduce their meat consumption” and that Tesco’s buyers were “drawn to the versatility and quality” of the product, as well as strong sales to date.
Cheaper than the “real” thing
The product lands on Tesco shelves at £9 rrp and at a £6.75 introductory offer for Tesco Clubcard holders. On investigation, this does represent a price point far lower than the average 2 pack of animal-based fillet quality beef steaks, with the closest comparison being Sainsbury’s Beef Fillet Steak currently retailing at £10.32.
The company, based in Slovenia, offers the marbled whole cut in thick-cut steaks as well as a larger cut of loin which was described as the biggest piece of plant meat ever conceived on its release in late 2022. Both products are available in mainland Europe as well as the USA DTC via the brand’s online store. In the UK, the steak was first made available DTC as a limited release in Feb 2022 and arrived in retail through Waitrose 12 months later. In the initial Waitrose trial which was meant to last 2 weeks, 86% of Waitrose’s stock of Juicy Marbles sold out in under 4 days, exceeding all expectations.
Multiple awards for luxury animal-free meats
Unsurprisingly, the filet steak was well received by consumers as well as those in the industry, and has received a plethora of praise and awards. The products were named one of the Top 100 Products of 2022 by Gear Patrol, the #1 pick of 2022 by VegNews’ Finer Things Club, named a Champion of plant-based meat In The Grocer’s 2023 Food and Packaging Awards, and selected as ‘Most Innovative Vegan Product’ in PETA’s 2023 Vegan Food Awards, for the new plant-based ‘bone-in’ ribs. The ribs (which vegconomist has sampled and can confirm are delicious) as revealed last August, are described as the world’s first plant-based ribs with edible bones, and are poised to launch for regular purchase on the company’s webshop in early 2024.
Part of the secret, according to the company, is that Juicy Marbles’ meats are made with a purely physical process, rather than 3D-printing or cell-cultivation. Notably, their products earned a perfect Nutriscore of ‘A’, due to their richness in micronutrients, complete protein, and fibre, as well as their low saturated fat content. The individual steaks are raw and unseasoned, with a versatile ‘whole-muscle’ texture, and the loin in particular can be adapted to a range of recipes such as a vegan beef wellington as offered by Bristol vegan hotspot Koocha Mezze.
“Tender morsels of plant flesh”
Luka Sinček, co-founder of Juicy Marbles, said: “It warms my Slovenian heart seeing Old Britannia take to our steaks with such fervour. Indeed, our mascot (and company monarch) Mr. Marbles would be proud. We’re thrilled to partner with Tesco, who by releasing our product so widely, has furthered our secret plot to bring more love and tenderness to every home, through tender morsels of plant-flesh. The only downside is they made us remove all the swear words from our packaging, but we can live with that.”
Cate May, Buyer at Tesco, commented: “We know that vegans, vegetarians and flexitarians are all looking for new ways to help reduce their meat intake, be it just once a week or more regularly, and that quality and texture are key drivers of choice when looking at meat alternatives. Juicy Marbles offers market-leading quality in the whole cuts space, closely replicating the taste and texture of beef steaks, so we are really excited about adding this really credible new addition to our plant based range.”
More information at https://juicymarbles.com/
