Wamame Foods announces its Waygu™ teriyaki beef strips are launching at Panago Pizza locations in Ottawa, Ontario. Wamame’s plant-based “Sukiyaki Style” strips are now available on two innovative pizzas — the Kansas BBQ and Korean-Style BBQ — and mark the brand’s first major market test with a pizza chain.
“We are thrilled to have our products associated with one of the most respected pizza brands in Canada”
Panago, one of the largest pizza chains in Canada, has long supported sustainable ingredients, introducing plant-based options in 2008 and dairy-free cheese in 2014. Panago also offers a large plant-based menu of specialty pizzas and appetizers.
The new Waygu pizzas can be made fully vegan by substituting mozzarella and cheddar with Daiya cheese. They include:
- Kansas BBQ – Plant-based Waygu® beef alternative, Kansas BBQ sauce, jalapeños, caramelized onions, fire-roasted corn, mozzarella + cheddar.
- Korean-Style BBQ – Plant-based Waygu® beef-alternative, Sriracha Ranch sauce, cabbage, jalapeños, caramelized onions, green onions, and mozzarella.
Premium plant-based beef
Also based in Canada, Wamame Foods is best known for its signature Waygu – a plant-based recreation of Japan’s famed wagyu beef. Waygu first debuted in 2018 and has since been featured at global sushi franchises and in steak wraps at 7-Eleven Canada.
In 2022, Wamame Foods partnered with multiple food industry partners, including Teja Foods, Sierra Meat and Seafood, Crush Dynamics, and Wismettac Asian Foods, to expand distribution of Waygu across Canada and the US.
The company also announced research and development partnerships with the University of British Columbia and the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre. These collaborations, Wamame stated, would help it to create a full “suite of products” that could compete against the best beef products in the world.
Achieving milestones
According to Wamame, its new partnership with Panago Pizza represents another important milestone.
“We are thrilled to have our products associated with one of the most respected pizza brands in Canada,” commented Mr. Jarrett Malnarich, CEO of Wamame Foods. “Being able to help develop, launch and support Panago’s continual drive to innovate as well as support their values on sustainability enables Wamame to showcase how Waygu can service creative chefs wanting a high-quality, versatile product while always delivering great taste.”
