Dive Brief:
- Two varieties of Beyond Meat's Beyond Burgers and three other of the company's plant-based offerings are now available via Chef’d, the meal kit online marketplace. “Now, anyone, anywhere within the Chef’d footprint can be just a click away from having our delicious, satisfying plant-based burger delivered to their door,” said Ethan Brown, founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, in a statement. “We’ve been looking forward to launching this partnership and are thrilled to get it underway.”
- Kyle Ransford, Chef'd founder and CEO, said in the company statement that the partnership makes it more convenient than ever to prepare delicious plant-based Beyond Meat meals — with no subscription or membership fees needed to order. “Beyond Meat shares our commitment to innovation and the future of food, improving what we eat and how we eat. The Beyond Burger is simply a great burger, and we’re excited to offer more ways for our consumers to enjoy it," he said.
- In addition to the increased distribution with Chef’d, the Beyond Burger has expanded into more grocery store meat cases with its recent entrance into more than 1,400 Kroger and Albertsons retail outlets. The product is now available at more than 2,500 grocery stores and restaurants nationwide.
Dive Insight:
Beyond Meat and Chef'd first partnered in November 2015 when the innovative startups offered the Beyond Meat Beast BBQ Kit and the Beyond Meat Feisty Taco Box via the Chef'd meal delivery website.
With this newly expanded partnership, Chef'd offers Chinese Beyond Beef Crumbles Lettuce Cups, Sautéed Mushroom and Onion Beyond Burger, Classic Beyond Burger, Beyond Beef Mexican Bowl and Pesto Zucchini Noodles.
The Beyond Meat meal kits range in price from $28 to $44, depending on whether the order is for two or four meals. That price range is comparable to other meals Chef'd offers, although some of them featuring beef, chicken and fish entrées cost more.
More people say they are including plant-based meals in their diets. A report published in 2015 by NPD Group, Midan Marketing and Meatingplace found 70% of consumers who eat meat are substituting a non-meat protein in their meal at least once a week. Of that total, 22% said they are using non-meat proteins more often than the year before. And, last year, total plant-based meat sales topped $606 million.
Meal kits are also gaining traction among consumers. A recent Harris Poll revealed 25% of adults purchased a meal kit in 2016 and 70% of meal kit purchasers have continued to buy them. However, there is some evidence that more than half of those who buy meal kit subscriptions cancel them within the first six months.
Chef’d follows a different strategy than big players such as Blue Apron and Hello Fresh. This company relies on a unique partnership model, wider selection and no subscription fees. Retailers partner with Chef’d because it offers hundreds of meals crafted by renowned chefs and top brands. Manufacturers like Campbell's Soup — which has invested $10 million in the company — are also pursuing partnerships with it to present their products to a new audience.
While Beyond Meat has been busy lately, including arranging to have its products available in more stores, restaurants and distributed by Sysco, this enhanced partnership with Chef'd can only help to get the company's products in front of more consumers who are fans of the meat-free burger.