Plant-based whole-cut pioneer Juicy Marbles has announced it is bringing meat alternatives into a “new, more mature chapter” with the launch of its plant-based Baby Ribs with bones.
The product is an improved and retail-ready version of the brand’s Bone-In Ribs, which have previously been sold in limited batches online. In response to customer feedback, the ribs are made using a new recipe platform called Marble 3.0, which promises “one of the cleanest labels in the plant-based space”.
“People want products with ingredients they understand”
This includes a complete amino acid profile with 32g of protein per serving, no thickeners or binders such as methylcellulose, a Nutriscore of A, and no GMO ingredients. The recipe also contains essential micronutrients such as iron, zinc, selenium, and vitamin B12, and is free of additives and preservatives. Juicy Marbles’ other products will be updated to use the Marble 3.0 recipe by the end of the year.
“People want products with ingredients they understand,” said Vladimir Mićković, co-founder and Chief Brand Officer at Juicy Marbles. “A lot of people are adding plant-based meats to their ‘protein portfolio’, and we want them to rest assured that they’re not eating something that’s just mimicking the sensory aspects of meat, but also provides the essential micronutrients our bodies need to function. The food equivalent of ‘style and substance’.”
“Primal eating experience”
The plant-based ribs can be prepared in just 15-20 minutes, compared to five or more hours for gourmet pork-style ribs. To replicate the “primal eating experience” of traditional ribs, they contain “bones” made from pure plant protein. The bones are compostable and even edible; they can be baked, fried, or air-fried to form snacks with as much protein as beef jerky, or cooked to make a stock. They also prevent waste, since they are made using protein sidestreams from the production of the plant-based rib meat.
Juicy Marbles first unveiled plant-based ribs with bones in August of 2023, before announcing last month that it had secured a major wholesale listing for a revamped version of the product in Germany. The brand is also well-known for developing what is claimed to be the world’s first marbled plant-based steak, which has launched at major European retailers such as BILLA, Tesco, and Waitrose. Larger cuts of loin, described as the “biggest piece of plant meat ever conceived” when launched in 2022, are also available.
“For years, we’ve gathered feedback from thousands of curious eaters,” said Mićković. “Since more than half of our customers aren’t vegan, the research showed us a stupidly simple truth about food: we all want our food to be tasty, but we want it to be nutritionally sensible as well. We want to eat foods that do our bodies good, and that’s what food companies should provide.”
In the US, Juicy Marbles’ Baby Ribs will be available from the company’s webshop from July 24. They will then roll out for retail in the UK and the EU by the end of the year.
