US halal food company Saffron Road, known for its Indian-style organic and gluten-free range of frozen entrees, chicken meals, sauces, and snacks, is continuing its expansion into the plant-based category with new vegan frozen dishes: Coconut Cauliflower Curry and Chickpea Masala. The new products available at the company’s online store will launch at Kroger in August.
“Growth in true plant-based items is real. This is absolutely a growth category“
Saffron Road, a recently Certified B Corp, aims to inspire people and connect cultures through a shared love and passion for world cuisines, including Indian, Mexican, Thai, and Moroccan.
The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the American Halal Company, founded by Adnan Durrani in 2009 with headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut. Its products are Halal-certified by IFANCA and are available in over 25,000 retail stores across the US.
The free space left in the market
Saffron Road, which already offers a range of vegetarian and vegan options, is looking to capture the free space left by the plant-based businesses that have left the market, Jack Acree, executive vice president at Saffron Road, told Just Food.
Earlier this year, Canada’s alt meat brand The Very Good Food Company, closed its operations after battling a financial crisis, and recently the plant-based foods company Tattooed Chef announced it was filing for bankruptcy.
But according to Acree, people’s interest in the category is focused on plant-based options more than on plant-based meat. As demand for these options grows, Saffron Road sees that there is a potential market in the United States and Canada to conquer. “Growth in true plant-based items is real. This is absolutely a growth category,” he said.
“At Saffron Road, our kitchens are held to the highest standards of culinary excellence, and our meals are prepared just like a restaurant with no shortcuts: we caramelize and deglaze the mirepoix and tomato paste, pan-roast the vegetables, and slow-simmer the sauces, all using authentic, wholesome ingredients native to the regions of each recipe,” commented on the new additions Chef John Umlauf, senior VP of Culinary Operations at Saffron Road.
