UK plant-based meat brand THIS has partnered with premium fresh pasta company Dell’Ugo to launch two new plant-based ravioli products.
The first variety, Dell’Ugo THIS™ Isn’t Bacon & Cheese Ravioli, contains THIS’s plant-based bacon lardons with dairy-free gouda. The second, Dell’Ugo THIS Isn’t Chicken & Pesto Ravioli, is made with THIS’s chicken-style pieces and PDO Genovese basil pesto.
Dell’Ugo already offers several Italian products that are suitable for vegans, including pasta, gnocchi, bread, and sauces. However, the new launches mark the first time the brand has offered a range containing plant-based meat.
CEO of Dell’Ugo Sophia Cooke, comments, “We have been active in the vegan world for a number of years and were the first to launch fresh filled plant based vegan pasta. Over the years we have been actively looking for a viable meat alternative that delivers. THIS! came onto our radar and we have been blown away, not just by their products, but also their can-do attitude. They have been an exciting and super positive team to work with, so we look forward to more launches in this innovative category”
“No compromise on flavour”
The news comes after THIS secured £20 million in a Series C equity funding round earlier this year. The brand said it would use the funding to launch “new product ranges to cater to evolving consumer health preferences”.
In May, THIS introduced what it claimed were the first plant-based chicken thighs to be available in supermarkets across the UK. The product was described as “hyper-realistic”, with an innovative “skin” made from seaweed. The previous month, the company partnered with Pieminister to launch another new product, the Banger & Bean Handy Pie.
“We’re ecstatic about this partnership with leading pasta brand Dell’Ugo, not least because they’ve been absolutely incredible to work with and are true masters of their craft, but also because the final products taste sublime and prove that you can easily switch out meat and not compromise on flavour,” said Xander Fletcher, Out of Home Controller at THIS. “These are going to fly off the shelves so fingers crossed we can work on more exciting products with the Ugo family.”
The ravioli is now available from Morrisons stores and the Dell’Ugo website.