Swiss startup Planted has officially ventured into the UAE and Middle East foodservice market, with its products now featured on the menus of select restaurants in the UAE and upcoming plans to expand into hotel chains.
Planted is strategically expanding its footprint with key players in the UAE’s foodservice and HORECA sectors, aiming to establish additional partnerships by the end of 2024. The goal is to collaborate with various foodservice operators in the UAE, including hotels, restaurants, cafes, quick-service restaurants, as well as entertainment and independent hospitality operators, to creatively incorporate Planted’s plant-based meat into their culinary offerings.
Currently, Planted’s partners in the UAE include all locations of local restaurant brands such as Nabati and Pizza Di Rocco, as well as supermarket chains like Grandiose Supermarket.
The vegan multi-cuisine restaurant Nabati will integrate Planted’s products into its Chicken Caesar Salad and Chicken Alfredo. The Italian pizzeria Pizza Di Rocco will offer the plant-based meat as Vegan Tikka Pizza. In addition, premium grocer Grandiose Supermarket will offer various Planted dishes later this month, such as Chicken Shawarma Wrap, BBQ Chicken Ciabatta, BBQ Chicken Pizza, Kung Pau, and Mexican Chicken.
Future scaling
“Our exclusive distribution partnership gives us access to key foodservice markets in the UAE and the Middle East and allows us to effectively plan for future scaling. We are very positive about the growth potential for plant-based proteins in the Middle East and want to radically change the way meat is perceived, produced and consumed in the region. At the same time, we want to inspire meat eaters to gradually switch to plant-based proteins without compromising on flavour or convenience,” says Pascal Bieri, co-founder and board member of Planted.
Planted’s growth plans include increasing product testing in key market segments, increasing brand awareness, capturing a significant market share in the plant-based meat sector in the UAE and expanding to more foodservice and HORECA partners in the GCC by the end of 2024. Previously, the company’s products were integrated into menus by working with plant-based, vegan restaurants at COP28 in 2023.
Further information: ch.eatplanted.com
