The Tofoo Co., a leading player in the UK’s plant-based market, has launched two new products just in time for the summer: the Thai Burger and Southern Fried Pieces. These new offerings mark the brand’s continued expansion into the plant-based convenience sector, responding to shifting consumer preferences and growing demand for accessible, ready-to-eat products.
“We continue to defy the slump seen elsewhere in the category”
The Thai Burger, now available in Waitrose stores, blends spiced tofu with vegetables, creating a plant-based alternative to traditional meat burgers. It joins Tofoo’s Tex Mex burger in the brand’s summer range, catering to the growing number of people seeking plant-based barbecue options.
Meanwhile, the Southern Fried Pieces, available in Tesco, offer two tofu pieces coated in a southern-fried crispy crumb. These join Tofoo’s expanding range of crispy tofu products, which includes the Tofoo Katsu fillets launched in 2024. The Southern Fried Pieces are designed to be versatile, suitable for wraps, burgers, or as a side dish with traditional accompaniments like chips and slaw.
The launch of these new products comes at a time when consumer interest in plant-based proteins, such as tofu and tempeh, continues to rise, driven by a preference for natural ingredients over processed meat alternatives.
Defying the plant-based ‘slump’
According to Managing Director David Knibbs, the brand outperformed the broader market, becoming the only top 5 brand in the category to show growth in January. “The Tofoo Co is the only top 5 brand to grow in January (+9.9% value and 8.8% kg volume YoY), and we continue to defy the slump seen elsewhere in the category by extending our range of Tofoo products, enticing new users to try tofu for the first time,” Knibbs said.
The Tofoo Co.’s growth has been further fueled by its acquisition in late 2024 by Comitis Capital, a German investment management firm. This acquisition has provided the resources to drive expansion, enabling the company to move beyond its traditional tofu blocks and seitan into more convenient, ready-to-eat plant-based options. The introduction of products like the Katsu fillets in 2024, and now the Thai Burger and Southern Fried Pieces, signals a clear shift toward meeting consumer demand for easy-to-prepare plant-based foods.
Both the Thai Burger and Southern Fried Pieces are now available in UK retail, with the Thai Burger listed at Waitrose for £3 and the Southern Fried Pieces at Tesco for the same price.
