Alpha Foods is using HME in a different way to make meatier plant-based chicken.

Image courtesy of Alpha Foods

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Alpha Foods Unleashes the Power of HME Technology to Make the “Most-Meat Like” Plant-Based Chicken Strips

California-based Alpha Foods, a popular plant-based brand known for its frozen burritos, wraps, tamales, and nuggets,  launched plant-based Homestyle Chik’n Strips last year to cater to consumers from vegans to flexitarians to meat lovers. The company, now part of the The LIVEKINDLY Collective, says that its plant-based chicken strips shred, taste, and cook just like chicken and describes them as the “most meat-like” plant-based chicken.  To satisfy consumer demands for a plant-based product that provides a meat-like eating experience, the company leverages High Moisture Extrusion (HME) technology but uses a unique processing approach.   Alpha Foods explains that its HME method mixes and cooks soy and wheat in an extruder at specific temperatures. Through this process, the plant proteins melt and fold into strands that resemble the fibers responsible …

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LIVEKINDLY Collective acquires Alpha Foods to expand its presence in the US.

Image courtesy of Alpha Foods

Company News

LIVEKINDLY Collective Significantly Expands US Presence with Alpha Foods Acquisition

The LIVEKINDLY Collective (LKC) has announced the acquisition of California-based Alpha Foods, a popular plant-based brand known for its frozen burritos, wraps, tamales, breakfast sandwiches, and meat alternatives.  Alpha Foods enjoys a strong brand presence in the US; its products are available at 11,000 retail locations, including Costco, Kroger, Whole Foods, Safeway, H-E-B, Albertson’s, Sprouts, Sam’s Club, and other stores nationwide. Additionally, Alpha Foods products are served through various food service channels, including the military, colleges, and universities. “In the US, Alpha is one of the fastest-growing brands in the plant-based frozen food category. The strategic acquisition of Alpha’s assets will allow us to significantly increase our US presence and bring innovative, delicious products to consumers in the US under the Alpha brand. We are …

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Girl Eating Alpha Foods Sandwich

©Alpha Foods

Company News

Alpha Foods Renovating Portfolio by Partnering with JUST Egg and Reformulating Core Products

US plant-based brand Alpha Foods announces it is renovating its portfolio through an upcoming partnership with JUST Egg and the integration of new HME (High-Moisture Extrusion) technology.  According to Alpha Foods, its renovation is inspired by retail and consumer insights showing the plant-based category is in need of more convenient, accessible products that offer improved nutrition.  As part of the revamp, the brand will collaborate with plant-based egg specialist JUST Egg to create a healthier and more sustainable breakfast landscape, Alpha Foods states. The companies will work together this fall. Better taste and texture Alpha is also introducing HME technology to process its plant-based Chik’n Strips, which are said to cook, shred, and taste just like traditional chicken. HME uses a specialized cooking and stirring …

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Cole Orobetz, CEO of Alpha Foods

Cole Orobetz © Alpha Foods

Interviews

Alpha Foods: “Our Goal is to Facilitate a Casual and Non-Threatening Transition to Plant-Based Eating”

California’s Alpha Foods creates plant-based foods that have been in the refrigerators of many of us for years, having been founded in 2015 and offering convenient animal-free foods like burritos, wraps, nuggets, and strips. Alpha Foods was “started with the vision of using the power of food to make impactful and positive changes to our health, animal welfare, and our planet’s food system,” and that’s a mission we can get behind for certain. Founder and CEO Cole Orobetz says, “I believe in the power of food to make change; food is an experience that has the power to connect us, nourish us, and all too often, also divide us.” Since we haven’t spoken with Cole since 2020, it was time to catch up; a lot …

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samsclub Alpha Foods

© Alpha Foods

Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Alpha Foods’ Crispy Chik’n Patties Roll Out at Sam’s Club Stores Across USA

Alpha Foods announces that its Crispy Chik’n Patties are now available at all 600 Sam’s Club locations throughout the US. In addition to its retail success, Alpha’s burgers are also available in US food service. This June, the California brand partnered with vegan chain Plant Power Fast Food to supply new lower-priced menu items including pea protein burgers and cheeseburgers priced at $4.95 and $5.95, in a bid for price parity with animal meat burgers. Alpha’s Crispy Chik’n Patties are Non-GMO project verified and made without palm oil, containing 10 grams of protein and 50% less fat than conventional chicken patties, according to the company. The Sam’s Club Family Pack comes in addition to Alpha’s existing line-up of frozen plant-based products – including All Day …

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Plant Power Cheeseburger

Classic Cheeseburger ©Plant Power Fast Food

Company News

Plant Power Fast Food Partners with Alpha Foods for More Affordable Vegan Burgers

Plant Power Fast Food, a leading vegan fast food chain, announces new lower-priced menu items as it works to achieve price parity with traditional fast food brands. To create the menu, the chain worked with plant-based brand Alpha Foods to make new pea protein burgers and cheeseburgers priced at $4.95 and $5.95, respectively.  Removing barriers “One of the core criticisms of plant-based food is that it is expensive, our goal is to remove that barrier and make plant-based fast food an easy choice,” states Plant Power co-founder and COO Zach Vouga. According to the brand,  the company’s new offerings are now priced within $1-2 of similar animal-based meat burgers at global brands like Burger King, Wendy’s and McDonald’s. In fact, Plant Power’s new pea protein-based …

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Alpha Foods Chickenflation

©Alpha Foods

Marketing & Media

The Alpha Foods ‘Chickenflation’ Campaign to Crash Poultry on the US Stock Market

In the same month that Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods went head to head with plant-based chicken launches, closely followed by Field Roast rolling out its vegan tenders en masse in CostCo; California’s Alpha Foods yesterday began a bold campaign to capitalise on the increase in poultry prices and bring attention to plant-based chicken. Alpha says it will closely monitor the “chickenflation crisis” at www.chickenflation.com and decrease the price of its Chik’n Nuggets by a cent for every cent that the price of chicken increases. During the campaign, consumers will be able to claim coupons for Alpha Chik’n Nuggets from street teams in Times Square. To bring further visibility to this important issue, Alpha will take over the digital billboard at NASDAQ in New York …

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Alpha Foods

© Alpha Foods

Marketing & Media

Alpha Foods Wants You to “Grow Your Own Meat” in Unique Campaign

Californian plant-based meat company Alpha Foods has launched an unusual marketing campaign in collaboration with advertising agency Mischief. As part of the campaign the seed kits allow customers to grow the ingredients used in Alpha’s meat alternatives, including its chik’n nuggets, burritos, and pot pies, all of which can be grown and harvested at home.

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Cole Orobetz, Co-Founder of Alpha Foods

Founder Cole Orobetz, ©Alpha Foods

Interviews

Alpha Foods: “There’s a Huge Demand for Delicious, Familiar Products in Innovative Formats”

Cole Orobetz, Co-Founder of Alpha Foods

Alpha Foods launched just five years ago and is already widely available across the US. With its approach of using familiar products in innovative formats, plant-based and suited for the grab-and-go/heat-and-eat lifestyle, the company plans to expand beyond the mass grocery channel into more natural channel stores in 2020.

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