Latin America

Ignacia Uribe of Vegetarianos Hoy

Ignacia Uribe, Vegetarianos Hoy, image supplied
Interviews

Vegetarianos Hoy: “The Vegan Movement in Latin America is Getting Stronger”

Santiago, Chile-based Fundación Vegetarianos Hoy (translating as Vegetarians Today) is an international organization working in Latin America to promote plant-based diets and to reduce the suffering of animals considered to be production animals. Vegetarianos Hoy has worked to certify products with its Sello Vegano (“vegan seal”) since 2013 and with V-Label since 2018, in Chile and other Latin American countries. We were pleased to speak with founder and CEO Ignacia Uribe about all of the great work that her organization is carrying out in LATAM and in particular Chile, where their recent survey with Ipsos found that an impressive 73% of Chileans are interested in plant-based products. Please introduce Fundación Vegetarianos Hoy, what does the organization stand for? We are an international non-profit working in …

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A Little More Confusing BK print campaign

A Little More Confusing campaign © DAVID Madrid
Marketing & Media

Burger King Embraces Humor and Irony to Promote Plant-Based Menu in “Confusing Times” Campaign

A new Burger King campaign promoting its plant-based menu launched in Spain and the United States in May 2023. Created by the DAVID Agency in Madrid, “Confusing Times” utilizes humor and irony in a series of TV, radio, and print ads. The campaign addresses the concept of confusion to promote the BK menu, with mentions of the chain’s Plant-Based Nuggets and Long Chicken, and the Plant-Based Whopper Jr. The ad shows an array of circumstances when people appear confused about the facts: is an eco-friendly Black Friday purchase good for the planet or not good at all? Should you delete a message or send the wrong message by deleting it? Is Max a dog’s name or a boy’s name?  A kid’s POV Recently, Burger King …

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Burger King Colombia launches NotCo-powered Veggie Whopper, King Veggie, and Nuggets Veggie

© Burger King Colombia
Fast Food

Burger King Colombia Launches NotCo-Powered Veggie Menu

Chilean plant-based company NotCo announces a partnership with Burger King Colombia to offer flexitarians a veggie menu and continue the expansion of the plant-based movement across LATAM. Using the slogan “We declare ourselves Flexitarians!”, the fast food chain has added three new items made with NotCo’s plant-based meat and chicken: Veggie Whopper (previously served with The Vegetarian Butcher’s burger patty), King Veggie, and Nuggets Veggie. The new options are promoted as 100% plant-based, but it’s yet to be specified if the bread and sauces are vegan.  “Hey, burger lovers from Colombia! We’re feeling like royalty with the new veggie line from Burger King that joins the plant-based movement. More and more people believe that removing animals from the equation is the answer for a more sustainable yet equally delicious …

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Future Farm Plant-Based Burger

©Future Farm

Products & Launches

Future Farm to Launch Oat Milk in Brazil, Reveals Plans for Plant-Based Cheese and Honey

Brazil’s Future Farm, also known as Fazendo Futuro, says it will launch its first-ever plant-based milk, Future Oat, to Brazilian consumers starting in May. The company also revealed it plans to enter several new CPG categories, including plant-based honey, cheese and Brazilian-style meat snacks, reports Food Dive.   According to CEO Alexandre Ruberti, Future Oat will be available in chocolate, vanilla, barista, oat and cooking varieties. He states the company will use lower prices and its familiar branding to help the product stand out against competition.  In addition to Brazil, Ruberti reports the company is currently focused on marketing the product in the US, UK, and Germany. Noting Future Farm as a “huge innovation pipeline” and strong manufacturing capabilities, Ruberti states the company is now looking …

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Fernando Machado/ Matias Muchnick

©NotCo
Company News

NotCo Hires Veteran Global Marketer Fernando Machado as New Chief Marketing Officer

Food tech unicorn NotCo announces it has hired Fernando Machado, a celebrated leader in global marketing, as its new Chief Marketing Officer, effective in April.  Known for “brilliant” marketing campaigns that pushed creative boundaries to drive business growth, Machado most recently served as CMO of Activision Blizzard, one of the world’s most successful entertainment and gaming companies. Prior to Activision, he also served as CMO for Restaurants Brands International, where he created award-winning advertising for brands like Burger King and Popeyes. Machado’s career began as an intern at Unilever, where he last worked as Global Brand Development VP for Dove.  $1.5Bn brand Machado’s hire follows NotCo’s $70M series D1 funding round in December, which valued the company at $1.5Bn. According to Machado, he has long …

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latam vegan products

© Vegetarianos Hoy
Studies & Numbers

Ranking of Vegan Products in LATAM Supermarkets is Measured For First Time

The availability of vegan products in LATAM retail has been measured for the first time in a study carried out by the foundation Vegetarianos Hoy in collaboration with the Albert Schweitzer Foundation across five Latin American countries. Throughout 14 cities across Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru; 25 retailers were surveyed, which translates into almost 100 stores, to find out their availability of vegan products. According to Vegetarianos Hoy, Mexico stood out as the country with the most vegan products and Chile as the country with the most certified vegan products. Regarding the LATAM Ranking of certified vegan products, Chile took first place, Mexico second and Colombia third place. The ranking was based on three pillars: Availability of vegan products in the surveyed supermarkets. Number …

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notco new cheese wedges

© NotCo
Products & Launches

NotCo Expands in LATAM with New Cheese Wedges for Chile & Whopper in Peru

NotCo expands in LATAM with new NotCheese products for the Chilean market and a partnership with Burger King Peru for a plant-based version of the chain’s iconic Whopper. The Chilean food tech, which recently acquired B Corp certification, has announced two innovations for its plant-based cheese portfolio — NotCheese Merkén and NotCheese Ahumado that “melt stretch and gratin.” Merkén (dried chili) and Ahumado (smoked) debut a new wedge presentation in 200g format, both available at JUMBO, a famous Chilean hypermarket chain, not related to the Dutch supermarket JUMBO. Huge consumer demand for NotCheese Last November, the unicorn company launched its first-ever cheese offering in Chile with NotCheese slices buttery and cheddar, breaking into the vegan cheese category and expanding its plant-based portfolio.  “95% of consumers’ requests were related …

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NotCo B corp

Image courtesy of NotCo
Company News

NotCo Achieves the “Great Honour” of B Corp Certification

Chilean foodtech NotCo announces it has achieved B Corp certification, joining the global movement of companies seeking to meet high standards of social and environmental performance, as well as transparency and accountability. The fast-growing Unicorn company has been developing dairy and meat alternatives since 2016. NotCo says that the certification highlights its ongoing commitment to achieving meaningful and transparent environmental and social impact performance. In the words of NotCo CEO Matias Muchnick: “Transparency and accountability have always been a driving force behind NotCo, so having B Corp certification is a great honour and is something we have been pursuing since we started this journey.” NotCo launched NotMilk in the US in 2020, and its full portfolio, including NotBurger and NotChicken, enjoys a retail footprint of …

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The Live Green Co. percision fermentation plant, Chile

©The Live Green Co

Fermentation

Chile: The Live Green Co. Reveals New Precision Fermentation Division

Chilean food technology-focused The Live Green Co. has announced the launch of a new precision fermentation division to address food safety, health and climate change issues. Together with its proprietary artificial intelligence and machine learning platform Charaka™, which researches and develops products and food additive replacements using only plants, it will develop licensed product formulations and cutting-edge scientific solutions in a faster, more cost-effective, sustainable and effective way. Precision fermentation will also enable Charaka™ to address proteomics and incorporate both plants and proteins into its database. “We want to be the catalyst” Carolina Carriel, product R&D leader at The Live Green Co. says: “At Live Green we want to be the catalyst that promotes better agricultural production practices, and the integration of new technologies such …

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NotCo meats at starbucks mexico

© Starbucks Mexico
Food Service

Good News for LATAM as Starbucks Launches NotCo Products in Mexico & Argentina

This month, while food service chains around the world are expanding their offering for Veganuary and are committing to achieving sustainable goals, NotCo’s branded business NotCo Food, which offers products including NotMilk, NotBurger, and NotChicken, continues to be a leading supplier for retail and food service in Latin America. Starbucks Mexico Launches NotCo sandwiches Earlier this month, Starbucks Mexico announced the expansion of its food menu by introducing two new plant-based options made with NotCo products: NotChicken Baguette and NotBurger Baguette. Both sandwiches are 100% plant-based and are offered with NotMayo, NotCo’s 100% plant-based emulsion with a taste, aroma, and texture similar to mayonnaise. Starbucks Argentina Introduces NotMilk Buenos Aires Starbucks, operated in Argentina by licensee Alsea, recently announced a collaboration with NotCo to expand …

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veganuary 2023

© Veganuary

Charity & Campaigns

Veganuary in Spain and LATAM: More Than 80 Promotions and Discounts Available

During the 2023 Veganuary campaign, more than 80 brands, restaurants and retailers from Spain, Mexico and South America are participating with discounts and a wide range of vegan offerings to motivate those who may be trying a vegan or plant-based lifestyle for the first time. In Spain: Subway, VeggiAnimals, Vegan Food Club and Revolu Green! are some of the brands with the biggest vegan offerings during January In Chile: NotCo, Jumbo, Papa Johns, Yoguen Fruz, Vilay and Vegusta, will be offering significant discounts In Mexico: Mr. Tofu will have discounts on its own brands as well as Daiya and Better Balance In Argentina: Hiper Changomas and Más Online Supermercado will offer more than 100 discounted products for Veganuary In Ecuador: Veggie Lover In Colombia: Cero …

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Notco Plant-Based Products

© NotCo
Market & Trends

Chilean Food Service Sees a 41% Surge in Plant-Based Product Sales, Driven by Growing Demand in Horeca Channel

Figures recorded by the leading Chilean food distribution company, ICB Food Service, establish that Chilean plant-based product sales spanning restaurants, cafeterias, and hotels (Horeca), grew by 41% in 2022. Vegetable-based creams (121%), vegetable drinks (73%), and butter and margarine (31%) were among the products with higher demand in the food service and hospitality sectors. According to ICB, plant-based product consumption increased by 47,000 kg last year. Among the leading brands providing meat and dairy alternatives for the Horeca channel are Ardo and NotCo, offering more than 40 items, says the Chilean distributor. High demand for plant-based products in Chile Demand for plant-based products among consumers has been rising worldwide. An Ipsos survey reported that in 2020, 36% of Chileans were seeking to reduce the consumption of …

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a range of vegan products at a supermarket

© Vegetarianos Hoy FB
Market & Trends

NGO Vegetarianos Hoy to Identify Plant-Based Consumption Habits in LATAM

The NGO Vegetarianos Hoy launched its Latin American Consumer Survey this week to obtain insights into consumer preferences for plant-based foods and products. The study targets five countries: Peru, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico. As veganism is rising in Latin America, the study will focus on consumption habits and identifying consumer motives for migrating to a plant-based diet. It will collect relevant data to develop future awareness campaigns on the benefits of changing to more sustainable eating habits, explains the NGO. Vegetarianos Hoy has been active in the region since 2017, promoting animal welfare and more ethical, healthy, and sustainable eating habits. Its work includes cage-free campaigns, Meatless Mondays, V-Label certifications, corporate and food service outreach, and ‘veggie challenges’. Vegetarianos Hoy represented Latin America at the …

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plant-based-egg-Nestlé

© Nestlé
Egg Alternatives

Nestlé Launches Plant-Based Egg Product in Latin America

Following last week’s news of the F&B conglomerate’s vegan foie gras product for Spanish and Swiss retail, Nestlé announces it has developed a plant-based powdered egg mix which is being tested under the Malher brand in Central America, with plans to expand to further markets within Latin America. The egg product is soy based, suitable for scrambled eggs and omelettes, and according to Nestle offers a reduced amount of saturated fat and cholesterol but with the same protein at an affordable price. Nestle launched a vegan egg alternative under the Garden Gourmet brand last summer, called vEGGie, along with a plant-based shrimp called Vrimp. It states that “R&D teams are also exploring novel solutions for affordable, time-stable protein blends that can be used as meat …

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Protera Team

Protera team, image supplied
Manufacturing & Technology

ICL and Protera Biosciences Partner for AI-Driven Precision Fermented Ingredients

ICL Food Specialties of Israel has joined forces with Chile’s Protera Biosciences, an AI-driven food tech startup and designer of novel proteins used to develop precision fermented ingredients for food manufacturers. Protera closed a $10M Series A round last year, while ICL employs more than 12,500 people worldwide, and reported revenues in 2021 of around $7 billion.  Through the newly announced partnership, ICL and Protera will develop and commercialize sustainable protein-based ingredients using precision fermentation. These ingredients, according to the company, will “improve the sensory properties in plant-based food applications, while positively impacting the world’s food security challenges.” Deep-learning platform Protera’s AI tech, called madiTM, a deep-learning platform, can predict and match the structure and functionality of vegetable proteins. It designs proteins from a database …

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AVA Summit

© AVA Summit
Fairs & Events

NGO Vegetarianos Hoy Brings Latin Presence to Animal & Vegan Advocacy International Summit in Washington DC

The Animal & Vegan Advocacy Summit (AVA Summit) began yesterday October 20th in Washington DC and is taking place until Sunday 23rd. Speakers from all over the world are speaking as to their progress, achievements and proposals for work in animal protection and plant-based food, and Vegetarianos Hoy is there representing Latin America. The Animal & Vegan Advocacy Summit or AVA Summit is featuring over 80 speakers, speaking from a climate change, poverty and gender perspective to a live audience of around 1,200 to 1,500 people. On this occasion, the work for animals from Latin America will be represented by the Vegetarianos Hoy Foundation – an NGO that promotes plant-based diets to reduce the suffering of so-called “production” animals – which will be present to …

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vegan butcher section at Carrefour

© Verdali
Company News

Brazilian Verdali and Carrefour Open New Vegan Butcher Section

Brazilian plant-based meat specialist, Verdali has partnered with hypermarket giant Carrefour to offer its products at a designated vegan butcher section next to the fresh meat counters at one of the supermarket’s locations in São Paolo. The company claims to be the first company with plant-based certification in Brazil. In the last two years, it has launched a range of plant-based meat alternatives made with peas, soy, and chickpeas. The company describes its products as the new natural flavour of vegetal meat, nutritious and healthy. It is worth mentioning that the company says its packaging uses bio-based recyclable plastic. Verdali commented on the new vegan butcher section: “This innovative proposal aims to serve consumers who prefer plant-based proteins focusing on democratization by having the products exposed …

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A plant-based taco

© Propel Foods
Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Propel Foods is Developing AI-Powered Plant Proteins Backed by Mexican Government

After winning the Hult Prize 2021, with a proposal to help local communities and the environment with alternative foods, Joel González, Sofía Hillman, and Jayat González received a US $150K prize which they used to fund their startup Propel Foods. Based in Mexico City, Propel Foods is an AI-powered startup that creates plant-based and hybrid-protein foods. The company says it combines the best of the vegetable and animal worlds in foods that are good for your health, delicious to eat, and good for the planet’s health.  Propel Foods commented in an interview: “Since we won the prize, we have continued turning our idea into a viable business. We were recognized in Mexico as a National Interest, were featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, and have entered into talks …

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Matias Muchnick CEO - Notco

© NotCo
People

Matías Muchnick of NotCo Named Latin America’s 2nd Most Disruptive CEO

Argentinean strategy consultancy HORSE recently presented the results of its CEO Change Makers 100 Latin America. Among the three best CEOs in Latin America, ranking second is Matías Muchnick, CEO and founder of Chile’s NotCo. In a recent interview with vegconomist, Muchnick spoke of the famous Unicorn company’s Latin heritage: “The NotCo Latin identity will never disappear, it is what makes us who we are.” The company also contacts us this week to say that it will showcase its newest development NotChicken™ Patties at booth #2735 at Natural Products Expo East 2022 which takes place Sept 28 – Oct 1. The ranking process According to HORSE, 65 million news articles from the top 90 news portals in Argentina, Brazil, Central America and the Caribbean, Chile, …

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Kraft Heinz Not Co Joint Venture

©The Kraft Heinz Not Company
Company News

Kraft Heinz’s New Chief Growth Officer Reveals First NotCo Products Will Launch in Late 2022

Kraft Heinz’s newly appointed chief growth officer, Diana Frost, reveals the global food conglomerate aims to “democratize” plant-based foods through its partnership with food tech startup NotCo. In addition, Kraft Heinz plans to roll out NotCo’s first co-developed plant-based products by the end of 2022, reports Ad Age.  Frost, who previously served as chief marketing officer and the head of disruption for Kraft’s Canadian region, states the CPG company is looking to use its much-publicized joint venture with NotCo – known as The Kraft Heinz Not Company – to improve the taste, texture, and price of plant-based proteins.  Frost describes working with the Chilean food tech brand as an “amazing experience”, and says she has already participated in multiple “fantastic” tastings.  Major venture Kraft Heinz …

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