German market leader Rügenwalder Mühle announces the launch of a new vegan variety of its Mühlen Salami. At the same time, the existing varieties have been revised so that all vegan salami varieties are now methylcellulose-free.
Both Vegan Salami Classic and Colourful Pepper are now free from methylcellulose. This means that all vegan salami varieties are now free from the additive.
“Even though methylcellulose is not a questionable ingredient, many of our consumers wanted a salami without it,” says Steffen Zeller, CMO at Rügenwalder Mühle.
“We have managed to fulfill this consumer wish and have also improved the taste of our Vegan Salami Classic to such an extent that it scored best in all the tests we carried out. This is an absolute win-win situation for us.”
More vegan, less meat
At the end of last year, it was announced that the company had sold a majority stake to the holding company Pfeifer & Langen IHKG, in a deal that was finalised this March when the takeover was authorised by The European Commission.
Christian Rauffus, Deputy Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Rügenwalder Mühle Carl Müller GmbH & Co. KG, stated at the time, “Our company has developed from what was once a regional sausage factory into one of a leading company for plant-based foods in Germany. In less than ten years, we have brought vegetarian and vegan meat alternatives out of their niche and into the centre of society. With this investment, we want to take the opportunity to further develop this portfolio, especially beyond the German market.”
As part of this furthering of its plant-based offerings, Rügenwalder revealed it was to discontinue production of its classic animal-based “Schinken Spicker” ham to create more capacity in production facilities for more vegan products. The first products to be released as part of this plant-based expansion include the vegan Schinken Spicker range introduced in April and the upcoming salami as revealed this week.
“Fuelling the market once again”
Both the new Vegane Mühlen Salami Peperoni and the modified Mühlen Salami Klassisch and Bunter Pfeffer will be launched at the beginning of July. The Salami Pepperoni comes in smaller slices with extra spice and is described as “reminiscent of a salami freshly sliced from the piece”.
“Our Vegan Mühlen Salami Peperoni is the perfect treat for anyone who likes it a little spicier,” says Steffen Zeller.
“Whether on bread, as a snack between meals or as a pizza topping. In this way, we are bringing spicy variety to consumers’ plates and literally fuelling the market once again. Because it can be eaten both hot and cold, it is not only an alternative for those who want to give up meat or reduce their consumption, but also within the category thanks to the various possible uses. Once again, we are demonstrating this: It tastes best when it tastes good for everyone.”
