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Violife, the Greek brand acquired by Upfield in 2019, has launched its first butter alternative, called Vioblock. The product according to the company offers a “familiar buttery flavour” and contains vitamins B1, B2, B6, B12 and Folic Acid. At present this launch appears to relate to the UK market only although the Violife portfolio is widely distributed in Europe, the UK, the US and Canada, where a new 164,000 square foot facility is being established to eventually supply vegan cheese to North America and Latin America. Upfield received criticism in the UK recently when its plantbased Flora Buttery which was previously suitable for vegans, became unsuitable due to the addition of 10% buttermilk, though at the time the company responded with the launch of Flora Plant. Bianca Harris, UKI Marketing Manager for Violife, comments: “Launching our first butter alternative  Vioblock is a milestone moment for Violife as we look to expand our product offering further within the Dairy Alternatives category. Always 100% vegan, Vioblock stays true to the core values of Violife, in that they are suitable for everyone to enjoy regardless of their dietary requirements and perform just as you would expect. With Dairy Alternatives out-growing the dairy sector by almost 3 to 1, yet representing only 5% of the total dairy sector, there is sizable headroom for growth of the Dairy Alternatives sector and expansion for Violife beyond the Dairy Alternative to Cheese category. Whether flexitarian, vegans or vegetarian we look forward to introducing supporters of the brand ...

California’s WaBa Grill, one of the USA’s leading fast-casual chains, announces the launch of Plantspired Steak at all of its almost 200 locations across California and Arizona, in partnership with Nasoya Foods USA, owned by Korea’s Pulmuone since 2016. Pulmuone entered the alternative meat category this March with the Plantspired range which began with 20 new products in its domestic Korean market as well as in China, Japan and in the USA. The collaboration marks the first time Nasoya has worked with a major restaurant chain. The plant-based steak is marinated with Asian style flavours then grilled and served with WaBa Grill’s signature WaBa Sauce, and is according to the chain “conveniently priced”. “Today’s launch is significant for WaBa Grill as the continued evolution of our menu now includes Plantspired™ Steak, an amazing meat alternative that meets every need of our customers,” said Mark Finnegan, Chief Marketing & Information Officer at WaBa Grill. “As we celebrate our 15th anniversary in 2021, our success is driven by the idea that healthy food made with quality ingredients should be delicious and accessible to all.” “Nasoya plant-based products have been used by home cooks across the country for decades, so this collaboration is a natural evolution as more people than ever are looking for trusted plant-based products when dining out,” said Sung Yoon Nam, VP of Marketing at Nasoya. “We are very proud that Nasoya is making its QSR debut in all WaBa Grill stores and are confident that our Plantspired™ Steak will ...

Beyond Meat today announced the expansion of its partnership with A&W Canada with the introduction of Beyond Meat Nuggets. A&W is a fast food franchise chain with over 900 locations across Canada with some in Asia, which has been serving the Beyond Meat Burger since 2018. Starting August 9, consumers can find Beyond Meat Nuggets in all A&W Canada locations nationwide for a limited time, while supplies last. The Nuggets will be available as a six- or 10-piece order, as well as an option for the A&W Kids’ Pack. Guests can order Beyond Meat Nuggets at restaurant, drive thru, and through the A&W mobile ordering app and third-party delivery apps. “Beyond Meat Nuggets couldn’t come at a more perfect time,” said Deanna Jurgens, Chief Growth Officer, Beyond Meat. “We’ve doubled down on plant-based chicken this summer, just as consumer demand for chicken is skyrocketing. Following the success of our partnership on the Beyond Burger, we’re proud to be working with A&W Canada to debut Beyond Meat Nuggets in Canada.” “Many Canadians are looking for plant-based options, but they don’t want to compromise on taste,” said Tom Newitt, VP of Marketing at A&W Canada. “We have been on a search for the best, most delicious plant-based nugget and are excited for our guests to try our new Beyond Meat Nuggets. We think nugget lovers will be very impressed!” To find the location nearest you, visit the A&W Canada store locator. ...

NuLeaf, a New York City-based fast casual plant-based restaurant, has opened its first of two locations in the US city this week. Founded by Craig Cochran and Michael Pease, founders of vegan eatery Terri, NuLeaf’s ​​menu will focus on craveable foods, salads and bowl, sandwiches and wraps. Some of the menu highlights that New Yorkers can enjoy include a Chorizo Fiesta Bowl made with Blackbird seitan chorizo, Grilled Peach Salad, a Chickpea Tuna Sandwich, and a Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. The first location will be based on 23rd Street and will have 46 indoor seats with 16 outdoor to be added later this summer. The second location, scheduled to open after Labor Day in September, will be on 8th Avenue and will include six indoor seats. NuLeaf will also offer to-go orders with a self-pick-up area at the front of each location. Both spots will feature a ​​​​live plant wall with the first restaurant on 23rd Street having more than 1,800 tropical plants. ​​​​“My goal was to create a menu that has traditional comfort dishes and items that satisfy cravings,” Cochran, co-founder of NuLeaf, told VegOut. “When I first started eating plant-based in college, I worked to recreate some of my favorite meals from growing up while using natural ingredients, and the NuLeaf menu is the result of years of perfecting these classics.” NuLeaf is open seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. from Monday through Friday, and 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. ...

The first 100% vegan business event in Spain, Veggie2Business, has the support of brands such as Heura, The Vegetarian Butcher (Unilever) and Garden Gourmet (Nestlé), and up to a dozen other companies that will present their plant-based products to the hotel, catering and community sectors. Veggie2Business, a pioneering plant-based business meeting in Spain, will hold its first edition on 4 and 5 October in Madrid. It is already sponsored by multinational food companies such as Unilever (with its brand The Vegetarian Butcher) and Nestlé (with the Garden Gourmet line), as well fast-growing Spanish phenomenon Heura Foods. In addition, with different spaces and participation, companies and brands of 100% plant-based products such as RevoluGreen, Sanygran, Biogran, Alpro, New Wind Foods, Green&Great, Violife, Meatless Farm, Dacsa Group, NaturSoy, Gerblé, Compasión Carne 3.0, Flax n’Kale, Obrador Sorribas, Bonduelle and Nescafé have joined the vegan business meeting. The first edition of this first event of the plant-based sector in Spain will be held at Finca Las Tenadas, a natural space with English gardens and centenary trees 15 minutes from Madrid, and led by the plant-based market companies Vegetalmente, Kraut Food Studio and The Vegan Agency. At the end of the first day, a gourmet dinner will be held with attendees and other guests, where they will be able to taste a variety of products from the sponsors in an exceptional gastronomic experience designed by renowned plant-based chefs from Spain. The guiding thread of the gastronomic proposal will focus on three axes: nature and its ...

The all-star roster of fermented proteins: Jevan Nagarajah of Better Dairy, Jason Rosenberg of Remilk, Hille van der Kaa of Those Vegan Cowboys, Inja Radman of New Culture and Bryan Tracy of Superbrewed join me on The Plantbased Business Hour to discuss the reality of cheese and milks without the cow. We are cracking the code for cruelty-free dairy! Specifically, we discuss the following with respected to fermented proteins 1) When will ‘animal free’ dairy products be in market? How will the products be differentiated between competitors? 2) What are the reasons for the delay in getting to market? 3) How hard is it to scale when fermentation is already widely used? 4) How can we communicate this to the public? 5) What kind of support do you have from private equity and government? 6) What will happen to dairy in 10 years? 7) What do you want to be known for? Below is a highlight clip from the long-form interview and a transcript of same. For the podcast, click here. Click here to display content from YouTube.Learn more in YouTube’s privacy policy. Always display content from YouTube Elysabeth: What would you like to be known for if you think about your legacy? Bryan Tracy: Oh wow, beyond dairy would be what we would like to be known for. Inja Radman: Well, personal and business I think align for me. We would like to be known for kindness and kindness for animals and humans both. Jevan Nagarajah: I want to make people vegan without realizing it, you know? That’s what ...

VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Rockshield Capital Corp. (CSE:RKS), (US:RKSCF), (FSE:6BC) (“Rockshield” or the “Company“) is pleased to announce it has completed the Investments (the “Investments”) by the acquisition of all of the issued and outstanding equity securities of: (a) Belle Pulses Ltd. (“Belle Pulses”), the previously disclosed “pulse processor” that remained undisclosed due to competitive reasons and (b) Sapientia Technology LLC, together with its affiliate entity Innovative Prairie Snack Foods Ltd. (together, “Sapientia”) (combined with Belle Pulses, the “Acquired Companies”). The Company will not be proceeding with the investment in Boku International Inc. and has terminated its previously announced LOI with Boku International Inc. The consideration for the acquisition of Sapientia was the issuance of 3,741,969 common shares in the capital of Rockshield (the “Sapientia Consideration Shares”) and a cash payment of USD$6,400,000 to the former shareholders of Sapientia, USD$1,000,000 of which was paid on closing and USD$5,400,000 of which is payable over the next 6 months or by December 31, 2021. The consideration for the acquisition of Belle Pulses was a CAD$30,000,000 cash payment to the former shareholders of Belle Pulses. Additionally, to support further growth and expansion, the Company has extended a $2,000,000 line of credit to Belle Pulses to facilitate the purchase and replacement of a grain elevator. The Investments were sourced by and negotiated in cooperation with Novel Agri-Technologies Inc. (“Novel”). Certain principals of Novel will provide ongoing managerial and advisory positions in respect of the Acquired Companies. In connection with the Investments, Rockshield has issued 11,476,205 ...

Updated 5th Aug to reflect that the upcoming burgers can in fact be ordered as vegan. Michelin star chef Heston Blumenthal has created a plant-based burger for Australian healthy burger chain Grill’d. The burger uses a mushroom-based patty made by alt-meat brand Fable Food, also based in Australia. Fable Food is a fast-growing brand which recently launched its plant-based beef at Australia’s two biggest supermarket chains (Woolworths and Coles) last year. Its vegan beef ready meals are also now available across the country. In an interview with vegconomist, Fable said many people had tried its beef without realising it wasn’t real meat. Blumenthal has previously said that the company’s products are some of his favourite meat alternatives. The Heston Fable Burger consists of a patty topped with grilled tofu, cucumber, fresh slaw, hoisin sauce, and crispy Fable “beef”. The burger is served on a buttery brioche bun, with a side of Grill’d Famous Chips and a choice of alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages. The burger is a limited-edition off-menu item, restricted to 4000 burgers at five Grill’d restaurants nationwide. Interested customers will be required to book online. Grill’d will also be launching three more Fable burgers as permanent menu items — the Fable Spicy Cheeseburger, Fable Truffle, and Fable Southern BBQ, which can be made vegan if requested to switch out for vegan mayo and vegan cheese, at no additional cost. “I never thought I would allow another restaurant to serve one of my very special burgers until I met the ...

EDINA, Minn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#autoimmune—CLO-CLO™ Vegan Foods introduces new, plant-based shrimp entrée bowls and a mac & cheeze bowl as consumer demand for plant-based frozen entrée meals catapults. CLO-CLO™ Vegan Foods sophisticated innovation has created revolutionary plant-based shrimp entrée bowls. The plant-based shrimp is based off the konjac root, which gives the shrimp the texture, look and taste of traditional shrimp. CLO-CLO™ Vegan Foods Chef Robert Velarde, an award-winning chef with 40 years of experience, created three delicious vegan inspired shrimp bowls and a mac & cheeze bowl. The vegan bowls run the global spectrum of wonderful tastes that will appeal to the most discerning vegan enthusiast. “More than ever, today’s consumers are looking for plant-based seafood solutions that are packed with flavor and convenient; while being more conscious about the food they eat and products they buy,” said Vice President of CLO-CLO™ Vegan Foods, Wendy Hinnenkamp. “CLO-CLO™ is meeting this demand by offering new plant-based entrees that appeal to vegans by satisfying cravings of traditional seafood & texture, but also provides plant-based nutrition and goodness in an easy, ready-to-heat format.” All four bowls are made without the top 8 allergens (dairy, egg, soy, shellfish, fish, peanuts, gluten & tree nuts) with zero cholesterol per serving. The four new entrée bowls are available now in the frozen aisles at Sprouts Farmers Market Stores: Hawaiian Inspired Shrimp Bowl PLANT-BASED SHRIMP WITH RED AND GREEN PEPPER OVER BASMATI RICE IN A TERIYAKI PINEAPPLE SAUCE Red Curry Shrimp Bowl PLANT-BASED SHRIMP AND ZUCCHINI WITH BASMATI ...

According to Danone, the plant milks currently on the market have limitations. The company points out that these milks are marketed based on their main ingredient, with soy, almond, and oat being the most popular. But some consumers are put off by this, as they know the taste and texture will be different from dairy. Danone sees an opportunity to develop a new type of plant milk with a neutral taste that mimics dairy. Rather than being categorised by their main ingredient, the new milks will be sold under the names NextMilk (Silk), Not Milk (Alpro), and Wondermilk (So Delicious). Danone, which owns American brands Silk and So Delicious as well as European brand Alpro, has seen sales of dairy alternatives surge in recent months. But while 40% of households in the US and 30-50% in Europe now buy plant milks, this isn’t enough for Danone. Since at least half of households still buy exclusively dairy milk, the company believes there is huge potential to convince more consumers to try plant-based. Plant-Based at Danone Previously, Danone was well-known for its conventional dairy products. But in recent years, the company has been increasingly shifting towards plant-based, investing €12 million in its Spanish plant-based production facility earlier this year. It now expects to reach €5 billion in plant-based sales by 2025. Last year, vegconomist spoke to Domenic Borrelli, President of Plant-Based Food & Beverages and Premium Dairy at Danone North America. He acknowledged that demand for plant-based options was rising fast. “Many ...