Tofurky is a well-loved brand which has been a part of the plantbased market for almost four decades. The Oregon based company announced this April that it had secured a $7 million investment from an outside, undisclosed source, and that revenues at the company grew 20% in 2018 from 2017. Last September, Tofurky announced it would be updating its portfolio to keep up with the fast-moving plantbased market.
As part of this move to modernise the brand, it has launched a new burger made from soy protein, vegetable protein and wheat gluten, which Tofurky says is more sustainable than pea protein as is the current trend in PB meats. The vacuum-sealed packs are designed to minimise waste while maximizing shelf space and shelf life, with each 8-ounce package retailing for a suggested $5.99.
Speaking to New Hope Network, CEO Jamie Athos said of the new product, “On some level, this is the fulfillment of a long-held ambition. We had been working on this sort of raw burger recipe for many years, putting kind of a Tofurky spin on it. I wouldn’t say that our approach is high tech, it’s more based on a deeper understanding and a lot of experience working with ingredients that we specialize in.”
In terms of the alt meat market and how they will compare with peers, Athos commented, “We have to continue to be Tofurky because our consumers expect it. And one of the things they expect is that we’re not wearing lab coats when we design products. We’re sitting around in a kitchen and we’re tasting it like food, not like a product, not like a science experiment.”
