Spanish plant-based startups Väcka and Libre Foods have joined forces to launch The Veggie Burger Warriors, a campaign offering 100% vegan burgers in restaurants across Spain from the 6th to the 12th of November.
The campaign will showcase Väcka’s 100% plant-based cheddar and Libre Foods’ mushroom bacon as the top choices for burger toppings, providing “equal sensory experiences” to animal products.
In this first edition, 23 cities across Spain with over 60 restaurants and nearly 100 points of sale will offer unique takes on vegan burgers, with some including limited editions. Additionally, the public will have the opportunity to choose “the best plant-based burger in Spain” by voting on-site or via a QR code for delivery orders.
This initiative follows a successful campaign, The Veggie Pizza Warriors, led by Väcka in 2021 and 2022 to promote vegan cheese. According to the companies, this new campaign will encourage consumers to try a delectable, healthy, and ethical plant-based alternative to one of the world’s favorite foods.
“Part of our mission is to be custodians and advocates for the creation of high-quality plant-based gastronomy with a variety of options and flavors, which is not restrictive but quite the opposite,” commented Ana Luz Sanz, CEO of Väcka.
Empowering consumers
Väcka is a food tech company producing fermented plant-based cheese using upcycled melon seeds and traditional fermentation processes. It was founded in 2021 by Ana Luz Sanz and Maxime Boniface to offer cheese “without consequences.”
Väcka’s product range includes aged, spreads, pizzas, and meltable, which are available in restaurants and supermarkets, including Carrefour and Ametller, and also in specialized vegan and organic stores such as Veritas, Molsa and Herbolario Navarro. In June, the company announced a collaboration with Heura to create a vegan burger specially for delivery called Vungr.
Libre Foods is a biotech startup that has developed a fungi-based platform to develop meat alternatives. The company launched its first product, Libre Bacon, in the Spanish market in 2022 after raising €2,2 million. The bacon is said to be made entirely from natural ingredients, with 70% less fat, 52% fewer calories, and 18% less salt than pork bacon. Currently, the biotech is developing a range of mycelium-based products, starting with a whole-muscle chicken breast.
“Campaigns like this help empower consumers to make choices that are good for them and good for the planet. Thanks to the combination of Libre Bacon and Quëso from Väcka, we are demonstrating that plant-based burger ingredients go beyond just lettuce or tomato, as is often thought,” adds Alan Iván Ramos, CEO of Libre Foods.
For more information on participant cities and restaurants, please visit Veggie Burger Warriors.
