Carrefour Brazil has announced it will be expanding access to plant-based food through a partnership with Vida Veg, a leading Brazilian vegan food brand.
As part of the collaboration, Carrefour will add three of Vida Veg’s cashew-based products to its range — mozzarella cheese, traditional cream cheese, and cream cheese with fine herbs. The products will be sold under Carrefour’s own brand, making Vida Veg the retailer’s first supplier of plant-based products for its private label range.
Carrefour will be able to offer the dairy alternatives at a relatively affordable price point, making them accessible to more consumers. The idea for the collaboration arose when Vida Veg founder Álvaro Gazolla visited Carrefour in Spain and noticed the chain’s plant-based range.
The news comes as Carrefour works to increase the amount of plant-based products it sells. Last year, the retailer reported that it had already exceeded its target of achieving €500 million in sales of plant-based alternatives by 2026, and had increased the goal to $650 million.
Plant-based sales on the rise in Brazil
Vida Veg offers a variety of plant-based dairy alternatives, including milks, yogurts, and cheeses. The brand uses locally-sourced raw materials such as cashews and coconut, helping to strengthen the Brazilian agro-industrial sector.
It is hoped that the Carrefour partnership will not just increase Vida Veg’s presence in Brazil, but also enable the brand to expand into other Latin American markets. Additionally, the collaboration could inspire more retailers and manufacturers to follow suit, increasing the availability of plant-based products.
Euromonitor figures from last year indicated that plant-based sales were on the rise in Brazil, increasing by 38% in 2023 compared to the previous year. Plant-based milk was particularly successful, seeing 9.5% growth.
“Euromonitor had already predicted that the sector could exceed $425.3 million in sales by 2026 (approximately 2.2 billion reais at the current exchange rate) — and the most recent data indicate we are on the right track to surpass these expectations,” Vinícius Gallon, Communication Manager at GFI Brasil, told vegconomist at the time.
