Upton's Naturals

Daniel Staackmann and Nicole Sopko, founders of Upton's Naturals

Daniel Staackmann and Nicole Sopko, © Upton's Naturals
Interviews

Upton’s Naturals: “Building a Brand That is On Pace With Transformation Means We Are Still Here and Still Viable”

Upton’s Naturals is an independently owned company and a trailblazer in the plant-based food industry, established in Chicago back in 2006. Initially launching onto the market with an Italian-flavored seitan, the company has since expanded its offering to include a range of flavors and products, such as the Updog, a plant-based hot dog alternative, and various jackfruit innovations. Founders Daniel Staackmann and Nicole Sopko, also known for her work with the PBFA, focus on simplicity, vegan values, and the use of real, recognizable ingredients. Due to this, and despite the fluctuating dynamics of the plant-based market, the company has continued to thrive, recently reporting a consistent upward trajectory in sales, growing 600% from 2013 to 2022. Uptons states that its slow and steady approach has …

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Upton's Naturals vegan hot dog

© Upton's Naturals
Products & Launches

Upton’s Naturals Announces Massive Retail Expansion, Cites Slow-Growth Strategy as Key to Trajectory of Success

Upton’s Naturals, a Chicago-based trailblazer in the plant-based meat industry, reveals it has secured a significant retail listing at Publix stores across the US, with founder Daniel Staackman citing the company’s slow growth strategy as the secret to the brand’s continued success. The self-funded company announces today that five of its SKUs are set to roll out onto shelves of over 1,300 Publix locations across the USA starting January 2024. The new listings entail Chorizo Seitan, Traditional Seitan, Updog Vegan Hot Dogs, Bar-B-Que Jackfruit, and Chili Lime Jackfruit. Upton’s Naturals has been operational for over 17 years, and despite the fluctuating dynamics of the plant-based market, the company has continued to thrive. The company reports that it has experienced a consistent upward trajectory in sales, …

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Joe Buonavolanto

Joe Buonavolanto III/ Image supplied by Buona
Interviews

Buona and Upton’s Naturals: “The Beefless Sandwich Has Created Its Own Category for Us, Resonating with Both Vegans and Non-Vegans Alike”

As far as institutions go, few are as revered and beloved as Chicago’s Buona Italian Beef. Since its founding in 1981, the family-owned and operated restaurant chain has established itself as a top destination for indulging in one of the city’s most popular street foods, Italian beef sandwiches. Having become famous for serving extremely meaty sandwiches, Buona shocked fans everywhere when it released a fully vegan version of its iconic Original Italian Beef, made with Upton’s Naturals seitan, in the spring of 2021. It wasn’t prepared for the response – in less than 24 hours, the Plant-Based Italian Beefless Sandwich sold out 1,800 pounds of seitan at multiple locations due to “overwhelming” customer demand, with fans enthusing the plant-based beef was indistinguishable from the original. …

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Gyro seitan Uptons Naturals

© Upton's Naturals
Company News

Upton’s Naturals is Best Selling Seitan Brand Across All Channels in USA

Chicago-based Upton’s Naturals announces that it is now the top-selling seitan brand across all channels (SPINS 52 weeks ending 12/4/22) and the only nationally distributed, independently owned company in its category. As the pioneer in seitan-based meat alternatives for retail as well as food service, Upton’s Naturals reports it has seen a continued boost in sales, growing approximately 600% from 2013 to 2022. Sell-out product When Upton’s Naturals’ seitan-based beef was added to the menu at all 24 Buona locations in Chicago and Indiana for the Plant-Based Italian Beefless Sandwich in 2021, the option sold out in the first day of launch across multiple locations due to “extremely high demand”, using 1,800lbs of seitan in the process. Following this success, Buona decided to make the sandwich …

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Buona Plant-Based Italian Sliced Beef

©Buona
Products & Launches

Buona and Upton’s Naturals Launching Plant-Based Italian Beef at Whole Foods

American restaurant group The Buona Companies announces it is partnering with plant-based foods brand Upton’s Naturals to debut meat-free Chicago Italian Beef & Gravy at Midwest region Whole Foods, Fresh Thyme, and Jewel-Osco stores.  Created with Buona’s signature family recipe, the vegan Italian Beef features Upton’s thinly sliced and seasoned seitan soaked in a savory, vegetable-broth based gravy. The heat-and-eat product offers 36 grams of protein per serving with the familiar flavors of oregano, garlic and pepper customers enjoy in Buona’s traditional Italian beef.  “Overwhelming demand”  As Chicago-based companies, Buona and Upton’s first collaborated in April 2021, when the chain originally launched the Beefless Italian Sandwich as a limited-time item. The new sandwich was met with “overwhelming demand” and sold out at most locations in …

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Vegan/ Plant-Based Tacos

Photo by Jarett Lopez on Unsplash
Products & Launches

Upton’s Naturals Debuts First Fava Bean Taco Crumbles

Plant-based food company Upton’s Naturals has launched Fava Taco Style Crumbles, one of the first plant-based meat fillings made from fava beans.  Coming to Sprouts Farmers Markets this spring, the fava crumbles are made to recreate the mouthfeel and texture of slow-cooked ground beef, the company says. The product is seasoned with a custom taco seasoning blend, and each serving offers 9 grams of protein with minimal fat and calories. The fava crumbles are also Kosher Pareve and free from soy, gluten, oil,  added sugars and cholesterol.  As a heat-and-eat product, the fava crumbles cook within minutes and can be enjoyed as a stuffing for tacos or burritos, served with nachos or any Mexican-style dish. Upton’s crumbles will be available in chilled 8 oz packages at …

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Upton's BLT

©Upton's Naturals

Products & Launches

Upton’s Naturals Arrives in South Africa With Plant-Based Bacon And Chorizo

US-based plant-based meat pioneer Upton’s Naturals, best-known for introducing the first seasoned seitan and kick-starting the jackfruit food trend, just announced a cooperation with Africa’s premier go-to-market platform Infinite Foods to join its plant-based foods offering with three of its products. Infinite Foods is the to-go partner for the South African market with over 1,300 retail and foodservice outlets across South Africa, Mauritius, Botswana and Kenya. Founded in 2018, Infinite Foods is committed to “creating more opportunities for the plant-based industry to grow in Sub Saharan Africa.” Among Infinite Foods portfolio are key players of the plant-based industry, including Beyond Meat, Oatly, and GOOD CATCH.  Most recently, the South African company teamed up with Eat Just, Inc, maker of the best-selling plant-based egg substitute JUST …

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Daniel-Staackmann Upton's Naturals

Daniel Staackmann ©Upton's Naturals
Company News

Upton’s Naturals: Successful Meat Alternatives Made Simple

In an industry where bloody burgers dominate grocery shelves with big marketing dollars, independently owned Upton’s Naturals has been creating plant-based meat alternatives from easy-to-understand ingredients for over 15 years. Run by Founder Dan Staackmann and VP Nicole Sopko, this ethical vegan, 100% self-funded food company is the underdog in a modern-day David & Goliath story, bootstrapping its way to success by prioritizing passion, creativity, and hard work. Its products, which are now sold in over 5,000 retail stores in the United States, plus available to foodservice customers nationwide, are a far cry from the lab-created, highly processed products currently crowding the category. Said Staackmann, “We use ingredients that have been around for thousands of years and update them to produce meat alternatives for today’s …

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The Upton's Naturals Founders

© Uptons Naturals
Food & Beverage

Upton’s Naturals Partners With Dot Foods to Distribute Meat Alternatives Across the US

Chicago alt-meat brand Upton’s Naturals has entered into a partnership with the US’s largest food industry redistributor Dot Foods to make its products available across the country. Through the partnership, Dot Foods will provide a range of Upton’s products, including chickenless patties and strips, seitan, jackfruit, and a banana-blossom-based fish substitute, to distributors, restaurants, and foodservice customers. Dot Foods has previously partnered with Lightlife and Field Roast, as well as collaborating with The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) to increase consumer access to plant-based foods. Upton’s Naturals products are already available at over 5000 retail stores and several restaurants across the US. Last month, the company collaborated with beef restaurant chain Buona to launch a Plant-Based Italian Beefless Sandwich, which was so popular that it …

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Buona Italian beefless

@Buona
Food & Beverage

Beef Restaurant Chain Buona’s ‘Beefless’ Italian Sandwich Sells Out in 24 Hours

Yesterday, Chicago beef chain Buona announced the launch of the Plant-Based Italian Beefless Sandwich, made in collaboration with Upton’s Naturals, at all 24 Buona locations in Chicago and Indiana. The business now reveals that it sold out of the vegan option in one day across multiple locations due to “extremely high demand”, using 1,800lbs of seitan in the process. Buono is reassuring customers that it is working hard to restock its restaurants as soon as possible.  Its social media post today reads: “Wow. We can’t believe the amount of support and kind words we’ve received over the last couple of days about our new sandwich. Due to extremely high demand for our Plant-Based Italian Beefless Sandwich, we have SOLD OUT of the sandwiches at multiple …

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Nicole Sopko PBFA

Nicole Sopko ©PBFA
Interviews

Nicole Sopko: “We Continue to Fight for a Fair and Competitive Regulatory Environment That Allows the Plant-Based Foods Industry to Thrive”

Nicole Sopko, Vice President of Upton’s Naturals was last month elected president of the board of directors at the Plant-Based Foods Association (PBFA). As a founding board member of the organization, she is committed to fostering growth and collaboration within the industry and working to further establish PBFA as a leading voice of the plant-based food industry.

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Nicole Sopko PBFA

Nicole Sopko ©PBFA
Company News

Nicole Sopko of Upton’s Naturals Elected President of PBFA Board of Directors

Nicole Sopko, Vice President of Upton’s Naturals and an ethical vegan for 20+ years, has been elected president of the board of directors at the Plant-Based Foods Association (PBFA). Proud to be a founding board member of the organization, she is committed to fostering growth and collaboration within the industry and working to further establish PBFA as a leading voice of the plant-based food industry.

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The Upton's Naturals Founders

© Uptons Naturals
Society

The Oklahoma Meat Consumer Protection Act is “Meat Lobby’s Response to the Increased Consumer Demand for Plant-Based Options”

The Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and one of its members Upton’s Naturals, an independent maker of plant-based foods based in Chicago, has joined forces with The Institute for Justice to file a federal lawsuit challenging a new Oklahoma food labeling law as a violation of the First Amendment.

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Nicole Sopko Vice President of Upton’s Naturals

Image courtesy of Upton’s Naturals
Fairs & Events

Upton’s Naturals to Speak at Future of Protein Conference

Nicole Sopko Vice President of Upton’s Naturals
Image courtesy of Upton’s Naturals

The Future of Plant-Based Proteins Conference, hosted by GlobalMeatNews, takes place on 26 June at the Amsterdam Marriott Hotel. The one-day conference will bring together industry leaders from across the globe to present a range of topics on the growing trend, as well as how it will influence the future opportunities of the international meat sector.

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The Upton's Naturals Founders

© Uptons Naturals
Interviews

Upton’s Naturals: “Introducing Innovative New Lines”

Upton’s Naturals, an independently owned natural foods company based in Chicago, have focused on creating meat alternatives with vegan values since 2006. They offer a range of plant-based protein goods including various flavours of jackfruit and seitan, as well as ready-made dishes such as Thai curry, macaroni cheese, noodle dishes, vegan bacon and a classic burger – all created with real, recognisable ingredients.

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