Juicy Marbles produces luxury plant-based whole cuts, including the “world’s first marbled plant-based steak” and, most recently, its bone-in baby ribs. These were officially made available to consumers today after limited releases in the UK, EU, and US markets last year.
Founded by a team of food scientists and culinary experts, the company utilizes proprietary technology to replicate the texture, taste, and appearance of premium cuts of meat. It uses high-moisture extrusion and plant protein structuring to create realistic marbling and juicy texture.
Vladimir Mićković, co-founder and chief brand officer at Juicy Marbles, spoke to vegconomist about the brand’s recent advancements, market reach, and future outlook for the plant-based meat industry.
What has Juicy Marbles been busy with over the last year or so, what have been the brand’s key milestones since we last spoke?
Our endeavors over the last year have three main focal points: improving the product, reducing cost, and increasing throughput. On the product side, our biggest project/milestone was “Marble 3.0,” which is the recipe platform we use for our products. It will have the cleanest label in the plant-based space and more micro-nutrients, which we commonly obtain from animal meat. The first product to be introduced with the new label are “Baby Ribs” – an improved and retail-ready version of Bone-In Ribs, which we have been selling in limited batches online.
What was the reception for your Bone-In Ribs product?
Fantastic! The ribs are our most popular product to date. As one of our customers put it, “I had an out-of-body experience.” We’ve gotten a clear signal from customers that we need to make ribs a staple in our portfolio, hence the “Baby Ribs” launch.
With the new retail partnerships expanding your market reach and increasing product demand, have you encountered any challenges in scaling up production?
Is there such a thing as unchallenging production scaling? The challenge of scaling is balancing the pressure to reduce the price of the product and ensuring we don’t drop the ball on quality. When tempted to press on the gas for scale, we tend to keep products impeccable. It’s painful in the short term, but quality is the only way to long-term success.
Where are your products currently available in terms of both foodservice and retail, which are your key markets and why?
We’re available in retail in the UK, Switzerland, and Austria. We sell wholesale in Sweden, Denmark, and Germany. In the US, we’re currently only selling online but are looking to launch in retail in 2025. Based on sheer volume, our key markets are the US and UK. But I would say that all the mentioned markets are “key.” These are the markets where plant-based meat is integrated into the food system and culture the most.
Are there any plans for expanding Juicy Marbles into new global markets?
No plans further than EU, UK & US at this tender stage.
How do you foresee the plant-based meat industry evolving over the next five years, and what role do you envision for Juicy Marbles in this landscape?
I think it will enter a “second coming” phase within the next five years. We’ll see a purge of companies that made plant-based meats just to get a stake in the market. Their (poor) products contributed largely to the recent growth stagnation of our category and a less-than-ideal perception. We’ll also see a couple of macro events converge, which, I believe, will benefit plant-based meat greatly.
The price of animal meat will continue to rise sharply, as it has been doing, so people will opt for more plant-based protein. At the same time, plant-based companies will decrease costs significantly enough to further increase demand. Slowly we’ll also see the negative perceptions fade away, and Gen Z will become financially more affluent. These are just my assumptions, but I think these things will converge and benefit plant-based meats favorably.
Our role in this landscape will be to solidify plant-based meat as a kitchen staple for vegans and omnivores alike.
