Malik_Sadiq_Headshot

Malik Sadiq ©LIVEKINDLY

Company News

The LIVEKINDLY Co Appoints Tyson Foods’ Malik Sadiq as Co-CEO, Launches LikeMeat WOW Chicken Chunks

LIVEKINDLY Collective, a collective of brands including Fry’s, Oumph!, The Dutch Weed Co, and LikeMeat, announces that the latter brand is launching NPD ‘WOW Chicken Chunks’. The news closely follows the appointment of Malik Sadiq, a former Tyson Foods exec with 15 years of experience at the poultry giant, as joint CEO of the collective. Sadiq joined LIVEKINDLY as COO in June of 2021, due to his “affinity with sustainability”, according to a representative from the company. He was appointed to the role of Co-CEO in November along with David Knopf, formerly of Kraft Heinz, who also carries out the role of CFO at the collective. “You would have heard recently that the plant-based meats category is no longer growing. We can confirm otherwise,” comments …

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Like Bacon
Products & Launches

LikeMeat launches Like Bacon in Germany

LikeMeat presents its new product Like Bacon, a gluten-free and soy-based bacon variant, marking the German food brand’s first breakfast product. “The bacon segment is growing by +274% vs. previous year and according to recent studies, breakfast has gained in importance among Germans. Every 2nd German rates it as the most important meal of the day,” says Eva Kampendonk, Category Manager of LIVEKINDLY Germany. “Therefore, we use the potential to successfully exploit the segment together with the retailer.” Dr. Achim Knoch, Head of R&D at LIVEKINDLY Europe, adds: “We want to give conscious consumers the opportunity to have a meat-free alternative for breakfast, for example. That’s why we have orientated ourselves on the original bacon in terms of taste and texture. The new product Like …

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Mark Kulsdom The Dutch Weed Burger

© The Dutch Weed Burger

Interviews

The Dutch Weed Burger: “Seaweed is Considered the First Plant on The Planet and Has Been at the Foundation of Life as We Know It”

Amsterdam’s Dutch Weed Burger, which offers several alt seafood products enriched with seaweed and microalgae, says it is “Organizing a mutiny in the fast food industry, by showing politicians, big corporations, NGO’s, farmers and consumers that there are new opportunities on the horizon that are nourishing to nature, animals and mankind.” Originally founded by Mark Kulsom and Lisette Kreischer, co-author of Man Eat Plant and Dog Eat Plant, Dutch Weed Burger was acquired by the LIVEKINDLY Co in 2021. The brand’s product portfolio can be purchased online, in supermarkets such as Jumbo and Albert Heijn, at around 200 restaurants throughout the Netherlands, and widely at various festivals and other events. We talked everything seaweed with Mark Kulsom. First of all, congratulations on your tenth birthday! …

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Fry's and Oumph! launch vegan chicken at Iceland

© Fry's

Products & Launches

Plant-Based Chicken Products by Fry’s and Oumph! Launch at Iceland

UK supermarkets Iceland and The Food Warehouse will begin stocking vegan chicken products made by Fry’s and Oumph! from today. The Fry’s products are Stars & Moons — breaded plant-based chicken in star and moon shapes, aimed at children — and Chick’n Fillets. Fry’s plant-based Popcorn Chick’n also launched at Iceland and The Food Warehouse last year, and has proven to be immensely popular. “We are delighted to bring two new family-proof products to the UK. Inspired by our families and our kids, we are excited to deliver convenient and delicious plant-based options to UK families,” said Tammy Fry, Global Brand Lead at The Fry Family Food Co. Iceland and The Food Warehouse are also set to launch Oumph!’s Spicy Drums — plant-based chicken drumsticks …

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Like Meat BBQ Chicken Sandwich

© LikeMeat

Products & Launches

LikeMeat Will Feature Innovative Plant-Based Chicken at Expo West 2022

LikeMeat, a LIVEKINDLY Collective brand, announces the company will showcase its authentic plant-based chicken products at this year’s Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California. Throughout the event, LikeMeat will be sampling a full lineup of its popular products including Like BBQ Chik’n, Like Chik’n Pieces and LikeWings. The brand will be servings its vegan chicken in a variety of snacks and dishes such as Like Nuggets, Like Chik’n tacos with salsa and guacamole, Like Wings tossed in buffalo sauce and Like BBQ Chik’n Sandwiches topped with coleslaw. On Thursday, March 10, LikeMeat’s booth will also host a special LikeWings and Beer happy hour from 3:30 pm to 6 pm. According to the brand, its products are created to offer the same tastes and textures …

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LikeMeat Chick'n/ Chicken Wings

©LIVEKINDLY.co

Products & Launches

LikeMeat’s Like Chick’n Wings Launch in Over 3,600 US Walmart Stores

Germany’s LikeMeat announces its plant-based Like Chick’n Wings are now available at US Walmart locations nationwide. Acquired by the LIVEKINDLY Collective, the brand debuts its wings at the world’s largest retailer just ahead of the Superbowl – the primetime football event where Americans traditionally consume massive quantities of party food and chicken wings.  LikeMeat’s vegan Chick’n Wings feature a crispy coating and boneless, meaty texture that offer the same satisfaction as conventional wings, the company says. Sold in one-pound Family Packs in Walmart’s freezer aisle, the gluten-free and non-GMO wings also include a pouch of vegan buffalo sauce for tossing and dipping.  The future of chicken wings Seeking to offer an alternative viewpoint on Superbowl chicken wings consumption, Compassion in World Farming reported last week …

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LikeMeat Chicken Wings

©LikeMeat

Products & Launches

LikeMeat Launches Chick’n Wings in Sprouts Locations Across the US

Plant-based brand LikeMeat, a LIVEKINDLY Collective brand, is launching Like Chick’n Wings in the US. Consumers can find the product in the freezer aisle at Sprouts locations across the US starting November 22nd.  The new alt chicken offering provides a tender and juicy vegan alternative according to the brand, which crackles when it cooks and arrives just in time for football season. Featuring 11 grams of plant protein per serving, the vegan wings are non-GMO and are packaged with Buffalo sauce for easy preparation. LIVEKINDLY Collective acquired the LikeMeat brand in September 2020, with LikeMeat products hitting shelves in US stores soon after. LIVEKINDLY Collective has acquired several plant-based brands into its portfolio and recently added The Dutch Weed Burger and two flagship brands in …

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Mick-van-Ettinger

©LIVEKINDLY Collective

Interviews

LIVEKINDLY Collective: “On Track to Become One of the World’s Largest Plant-Based Food Companies”

The LIVEKINDLY Collective was founded with the goal of changing people’s beliefs and habits: “Ultimately, we want to transform the broken food system into a sustainable, plant-based one.” To achieve this mission, the collective of food industry executives is building an assembly of ethically aligned brands whose footprint is gradually expanding across the globe. We caught up with Mick van Ettinger, Chief Marketing Officer Global of the LIVEKINDLY Collective, to find out more about the organisation and its goals moving forward. How long has LIVEKINDLY Collective been around and where does the company currently stand? LIVEKINDLY Collective was founded in 2020 on the belief that plant-based alternatives have the power to make the global food system sustainable. Its mission is to make plant-based living the …

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LIVEKINDLY Collective

©LIVEKINDLY Collective

Products & Launches

LIVEKINDLY Collective Pushes Plant-Based Shift with Launch of Virtual Vegan Cooking Platform

On a mission to make plant-based living the new norm, LIVEKINDLY Collective is opening the world’s largest virtual plant-based kitchen. Featuring 11 internationally recognized chefs and over 50 unique recipes, the virtual kitchen will help everyday cooks shift their diets to plant-based.  As plant-based diets gain popularity globally as one of the most accessible choices to create positive climate action, LIVEKINDLY Collective – which holds the claim of being the world’s fastest-growing plant-based company – has launched Collective Kitchen.  With fresh engaging content, the platform offers inspiration and allows people all over the globe to follow 11 experienced chefs creating plant-based dishes. As the leading digital lifestyle brand focused on sustainability and conscious living, LIVEKINDLY provides the creative force behind the new virtual cooking website. …

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©OUMPH!

Products & Launches

Oumph! Launches Award-Winning Pulled Oumph! in Australia After Huge Success Throughout Europe

LIVEKINDLY- owned plant meat brand Oumph!, originally from Sweden, today announced the launch of its Pulled Oumph! onto the Australian market following multiple successes throughout Europe. Oumph! is currently available in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Netherlands, South Africa and Australia, as well as the UK where it reported a 400% increase in UK sales and the most recent addition of Germany. The soy-based products are designed for use in cooking and recipes, which the company says sets it apart from the many ‘ready meal’ style plant-based products currently available in Australian retail. LIVEKINDLY Collective Australia’s General Manager Shaun Richardson said, “We’re excited about what Oumph! will bring to the Australian market. We want to kill boring and see a huge opportunity to satisfy consumers …

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LKC KindHeroes

©LIVEKINDLY Collective

Marketing & Media

LIVEKINDLY Collective Collaborates With Dutch Cartoonist Toon van Driel to Influence Children’s Perceptions of Food

The LIVEKINDLY Collective has collaborated with Dutch cartoonist Toon van Driel to raise awareness of animal welfare in a series of short animated films called Kind Heroes, with the idea of influencing younger generations and their perceptions of food. “Our hope is to open people’s eyes to the consequences of what they eat. How come the animals visited at petting zoos continue to end up on their family tables?” The cartoon series follows a group of ten animals including Ernie, a pig from New York who comes up with clever but desperate ways to avoid turning into pork, and Rock Chick, an adventurous baby chicken dreaming of escaping to becoming a rock star, who use their magic powers to save themselves and their animal friends …

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dumplingsCHINA LiveKindly

©LIVEKINDLY Co

Company News

LIVEKINDLY Collective Launches in China With Two New Domestic Plant-Based Brands

LIVEKINDLY Collective today announces its launch in China with two new flagship brands; Giggling Pig 咯咭藸 [Ge Ji Zhu] and Happy Chicken 哈皮鸡 [Ha Pi Ji] which have been developed and manufactured locally to cater to Chinese consumer tastes and are the first brands created in-house by LIVEKINDLY Collective. “China is one of the most exciting and strategic markets for the plant-based revolution, and a key pillar of our growth strategy” – Kees Kruythoff The new portfolio, encompassing seven products for the Chinese consumer, such as plant-based dumplings, several mushroom-based dishes and a seasoned minced dish, are available across China from today. According to the company they are targeted towards Gen Z, an integral part of China’s plant-based market, which was estimated at around $1 …

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LIVEKINDLY Iceland

Image: LIVEKINDLY/Iceland

General

UK Supermarket Iceland Doubles Plant-Based Offerings With Launch of LIVEKINDLY Brands in 1000 Stores

Following the LIVEKINDLY Co’s acquisition of No Meat, Iceland’s vegan meat alternative brand, the UK discount supermarket announces today it has doubled its meat-free offering in almost 1,000 stores, with the rollout of Fry’s, Oumph! and LikeMeat products. Andrew Staniland, Trading Director at Iceland Foods, stated: “We’ve seen substantial growth in meat free sales”. The products to be launched into Iceland and The Food Warehouse include: Fry’s – Chicken Burger, Chicken Nuggets, Big Fry Burger, Curry Pie and Fishless Fillet. Oumph! – Oumph! Kebab Spiced, Pulled Oumph!, Oumph! Balls, Oumph! Mince and Oumph! Smoky Bits. LikeMeat – Like Chicken Nuggets and Like Breaded Chicken. Domenico Speciale, General Manager, LIVEKINDLY Collective UK says: “Partnerships are crucial across the whole value chain to help deliver our mission …

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©LiveKindly Co

Investments & Finance

LIVEKINDLY Collective Raises $335M to Fuel Expansion Across US and China

LIVEKINDLY Collective today announces the closing of a growth funding round of $335 million, including $135 million converted from a prior round, bringing the total funds raised in its first year to $535 million. The company states that this makes it one of the top three highest-funded and fastest-growing plant-based food companies. The funding will be used to accelerate expansion throughout territories such as the US and China, and fuel its acquisitions, key partnerships and investments in plant-based innovation. The company recently appointed six new directors: Suzy Amis Cameron, Barbara Kux, Shujun Li, Paul Polman, Walter Robb and Gaby Sulzberger. “We are building a global pureplay in plant-based alternatives – which we believe is the future of food,” said Roger Lienhard, Founder and Executive Chairman …

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LIVEKINDLY Co / Puris

Agriculture / Agribusiness

PURIS to Work on Regenerative Farming in South Africa With LIVEKINDLY Co

Pure play plant-based ingredients company PURIS Holdings, the largest North American producer of pea protein and key supplier of plant protein to Beyond Meat, today announces the formation of two new joint ventures with the LIVEKINDLY Collective. They will begin in South Africa, where PURIS says its pea variety has excelled in early trials, on a “mission to introduce protein-rich, sustainable crops globally.” Puris, which received an injection of $75 million from Cargill in 2019, when the pea protein industry began to witness phenomenal growth following the initial success of the Beyond Burger, also developed a pea starch alternative to gelatine, which is usually fabricated using animal bones. The first new venture between LIVEKINDLY Co and Puris “will deliver innovation against plant protein industry waste …

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A vegan whole-cut

©Rival Foods

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Rival Foods and LIVEKINDLY Collective Partner to Develop Plant-Based Chicken

Rival Foods, a young startup based in Germany which produces whole-cuts of plant-based meat, announced yesterday a partnership with LIVEKINDLY Collective to develop plant-based chicken products. Rival Foods says it has developed and commercialised a production process to transform plant ingredients into high-quality textured proteins with authentic fibrous texture, using very few clean-label ingredients. “The key to convincing consumers to change their eating habits is to create delicious plant-based options that are compelling in taste and texture and can truly replace animal products,” said Birgit Dekkers, co-founder of Rival Foods. “One challenge is the fibrous texture of whole plant-based meats and we are able to optimise this requirement and ensure sensory superiority within the plant-based product category.” LIVEKINDLY Collective has over the past year made …

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