Interviews

No Evil: “Our Goal is to Dominate One Country at a Time!”

Driven by a vision for sustainable living and distrust in the food industry, No Evil Foods production started in the founders’ own kitchens to make innovative plant protein foods with a view to disrupting the food system. The company has enjoyed a successful recent expansion across Kroger and Whole Foods stores in the US and continues to grow exponentially.

We spoke with Co-founder Sadrah Schadel about No Evil’s artisan products and continually increasing success story.

Can you introduce your brand to our readers?
No Evil Foods, makers of artisan plant meat, is hell-bent on disrupting the food system. Our small-batch plant-based meats challenge the status quo by using simple, sustainable ingredients to recreate a traditional protein experience that will blow your mind. We’re a purpose-powered company focused on impacting environmental sustainability, public health, and animal welfare through better food choices. Every bite you take of No Evil Foods helps build the resistance and supports our cause: to use food as a force for good because real change starts at the center of your plate.

What is your current vegan product portfolio?
​Our core set includes 4 awesome plant meats: Comrade Cluck ‘No Chicken’, The Stallion ‘Italian Sausage’, El Zapatista ‘Chorizo’, and Pit Boss ‘Pulled Pork BBQ’. We also offer a showstopper of a holiday centerpiece called The Pardon which comes out seasonally around Thanksgiving in the US. We’ve just announced plans to release our first shelf stable meats with our plant-based jerky to be released in the next few months.

What makes your products outstanding – how do you stand out against the competition?
No Evil Foods originated in small batches by a passionate home cook in a home kitchen. It today’s landscape of food tech and lab cultured proteins, our origins are unique. Today, we continue on the same path of simplicity by creating meats made from simple, recognizable ingredients that people understand, like chickpeas, tomatoes, kidney beans, and wheat proteins. We offer a clean label without the use of any protein isolates and our core set is oil-free. Despite the clean label, simple protein content, and oil-free ingredient panel, our Plant Meats deliver incredible texture and bold flavors for a compromise-free protein choice.

Which products, if any, will be launched by you the coming months?
In March at Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, CA we announced our new jerky line. We’ll be rolling it out slowly beginning with our online shop over the next several months. To start we will offer two flavors – Cherry Teriyaki and Pastrami. Our plan is to be the first brand in the category to use 100% home compostable plastic-free packaging for this line.

Where can people find your products (region/countries)?
We are carried nationally in grocery stores throughout the United States and ship door-to-door in the US as well. Our products can be found in US retailers like Whole Foods, Wegmans, Walmart, Kroger, and more.

In which regions / countries do you plan to expand?
We doing our best to keep us with existing demands here in the states, so for now, our goal is to dominate one country at a time! However, with the introduction of our shelf-stable line, we may consider making our jerky available in other regions.

How did your most recent expansion on the US market go?
The response to our products continues to astound me. Consumers are really clamoring for more plant-based proteins and clean label products. Our plant meats fulfilled both of their needs.

Which product is your bestseller and why?
Our Comrade Cluck ‘No Chicken’ and The Stallion ‘Italian Sausage’ continue to lead sales for us. Comrade Cluck is a favorite because its very neutral, yet pleasing flavor profile lends itself to a variety of dishes from classic comfort food to Asian curries. Kids love Comrade Cluck, so it’s a great options for busy families. Our Italian Sausage is a hit because at 25g/serving it’s packed with protein and has a bold and somewhat spicy kick – and American’s love pasta, so it’s a great addition to a weeknight pasta fix.

After the nationwide expansion, what will come next for your brand?
More growth! Our brand is still new and relatively small. We just began production in our new 16,000 sq foot manufacturing facility called The Axis. This new space with allow us to continue to innovate new products as well as grow and better meet existing demand. We’ve got a few more big retailer announcements coming throughout the year.

Where do you get the inspiration for developing new products?
I make products that I want to eat. That means that I’m either improving upon what’s out there to make something that meets my plant-based meat needs and wants better or that I’m looking for gaps of what’s out there and striving to make a killer no-kill version of that. All of these recipes start in my kitchen and need to meet the needs of other home chefs. If there’s a better way to make a product or a new flavor to help execute great dishes at home, that’s what I’m looking to create.

What are your plans for the near future?
Our plan has always been for simple, sustainable growth, so we’re going to continue to make strategic partnerships that support that goal. We’re creating Plant Meats which of course inherently helps further our mission, but we’re also focused on building a thriving company culture and being a leader in responsible business. So, for us that means going beyond making and selling products – we building deep community partnerships and speaking out on subjects that we believe in. We hope to be able to be even more vocal and impactful as our company grows.

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