Yum China Holdings Inc, which owns exclusive rights in mainland China to KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell, is to introduce the Beyond Burger for a limited time at select locations of all three chains in mainland China starting June 3. This partnership marks the introduction of the Beyond Burger in mainland China.
Yum China also owns the Little Sheep, Huang Ji Huang, East Dawning and COFFii & JOY concepts outright. The Company had 9,295 restaurants in over 1,400 cities at the end of March 2020. Yum China ranked # 361 on the Fortune 500 list for 2020.
Prior to partnering with Beyond Meat, KFC and Taco Bell had previously trialled plant-based meat products in China. This April, KFC tested plant-based chicken nuggets at select stores in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, with supplies reportedly selling out within an hour. In December last year, Taco Bell tested a plant-based pork taco featuring Omnipork.
“We see great potential for the plant-based meat market in China,” said Joey Wat, CEO of Yum China. “This latest introduction across KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell brands is expected to capture valuable consumer feedback across different regions in China. It will enable us to optimize flavors and processes and help assess the potential for larger scale rollouts in the future. This exciting development is the latest iteration of our on-going commitment to introduce new and innovative products to Chinese consumers.”
“We are proud to further our partnership with the Yum family of brands by launching Beyond Meat offerings at select KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell locations in mainland China. I’m excited about what this launch means in terms of together being of service to the Chinese consumer as they seek out the nutritional and environmental benefits of our delicious plant-based meats. More generally, our partnership with Yum China and the iconic brands of KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell is an encouraging and important milestone toward increased accessibility to our plant-based meat globally,” said Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat Founder and CEO.