Japan: Alternative Meat Startup Next Meats Holdings Gets Listed on the American OTC Market - vegconomist

Japanese alternative meat company Next Meats Holdings, became listed on the American OTC Market on January 26th as NEXT MEATS HOLDINGS, INC (NXMH) after acquiring an American SPAC, paving its path into the American stock market. The rapidly growing company thus enters the US stock market with plans for worldwide expansion and NASDAQ listing in the future.

Next Meats Holdings aims to be listed on NASDAQ in the future and plans to invest its resources into their product development, distribution, and relevant corporations. As people all over the world are shifting their lifestyles and countries becoming more concerned with realizing the Sustainable Development Goals, alternative meat companies like Next Meats can be expected to grow even more.

About Next Meats

A Tokyo-based food-tech venture company specializing in the R&D of Japanese-style alternative meat products, Next Meats began its product development in 2017 and was officially established in 2020, when they simultaneously began their international expansion.

Next Meats hamburger-steak — © Next Meats Co.

Their plant-based products Next Burgers, Next Gyudon (beef bowl), and the Next Yakiniku series have been released at a notable pace, and they are rapidly developing new products as well.

Even in the growing market with many emerging competitors, the company’s strong presence has been proven by its robust collaboration with Yakinku Like, a leading Japanese barbecue chain restaurant with stores all across Japan. This collaboration enabled the world’s first plant-based Yakiniku meats “Next Kalbi” and “Next Harami” (short-rib steak and skirt steak style, respectively) to be enjoyed right alongside regular animal meat menu items throughout Japan and in the chain’s other stores in Asia. The collaboration was so popular that although it was started as a limited-time collaboration, it has been extended with no set date of ending.

Future Plans

Next Meats has also established a new production site in Vietnam and has signed a joint product development agreement with Hoya, one of the world’s largest alternative meat companies in Taiwan, in January 2021.

The products are set to launch from Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Vietnam in March.

In December 2020, the company also announced its partnership agreement with Toyota Tsusho, a multi-market trading enterprise, and the Toyota Group Companies’ affiliate.

Next Meats plans to continue working with universities and other venture corporations to conduct further research on plant-based proteins as well as microalgae and cultured meats. They earnestly aim to replace all animal-based products by 2050, aligned with their mission “Not Letting the Earth End”.