Deliver Your News to the World

The Vegetarian Butcher launches in Latin America and China in partnership with Burger King®

Unilever brand The Vegetarian Butcher announces that it has expanded its successful partnership with the Burger King® brand to launch the Plant-Based WHOPPER®, powered by The Vegetarian Butcher, in Latin America, the Caribbean and China.


WEBWIRE

In China, the Plant-Based WHOPPER® has today been launched simultaneously in 325 Burger King® outlets across Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hangzhou, with nationwide roll-out plans from Q2 2021. Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Suriname, Saint Martin and Saint Kitts are the first Latin American and Caribbean countries to add the Plant-Based WHOPPER®, powered by The Vegetarian Butcher, to the Burger King® menu; with more markets to follow throughout 2021. The news comes hot on the heels of launches across the Middle East and North Africa, marking The Vegetarian Butcher’s entry into UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Morocco.

Designed for ‘flexitarians’

The Plant-Based WHOPPER® has been designed specifically with flexitarians in mind: meat lovers who want to reduce their consumption, without having to sacrifice taste and texture. The Plant-Based WHOPPER®, powered by The Vegetarian Butcher, is now available in more than 35 countries across four continents. In EMEA, Burger King® expanded its menus in 2020 with Plant-Based Nuggets, also supplied by The Vegetarian Butcher.

In parallel, The Vegetarian Butcher recently launched via foodservice channels in Brazil, Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore. This has helped the brand further tap into the ongoing global surge in demand for plant-based foods as people around the world become more conscious of the impact of animal products on their health and the planet. The brand’s expansion into new continents follows a successful year in Europe, where The Vegetarian Butcher experienced strong growth across foodservice and retail, driven by its entry into 16 new European markets in 2020.

A brand on a mission

Hugo Verkuil, CEO of The Vegetarian Butcher, said, “One year on from the start of our partnership with Burger King®, we are delighted to bring our plant-based products into new markets in Latin America, the Caribbean and China. The Plant-Based WHOPPER® has proven a popular and delicious option for flexitarians and meat-lovers across Europe, and we are excited to take this into two new continents.

“The Vegetarian Butcher’s mission is to become the largest butcher in the world by offering amazingly tasty products and inspiring a food revolution that promotes more sustainable options. Today’s news is a significant step towards this ambition.”

Hanneke Faber, President of Unilever’s Foods & Refreshment Division, added, “Our announcement today marks an important milestone in our ambition to reach annual global sales of €1 billion from plant-based meat and dairy alternatives within the next five to seven years. It is also further confirmation of the huge global demand for high quality plant-based foods. Plant-based meat alternatives are growing at 15.8% annually1 as more people shift to a flexitarian diet worldwide.”

Matt Banton, Global Head of Innovation and Sustainability at Burger King®, commented: “The Plant-Based WHOPPER®, launched in over 35 countries, has been a real game-changer and become one of the biggest launches in the brand’s history. Innovation is one of our core brand values, and this launch is no exception. We are really excited about these additional launches in China and Latin America to provide our guests with this alternate WHOPPER®.”

The future of foods

Unilever has been expanding its plant-based meat and dairy alternatives business for several years by developing vegan versions of well-known classics, such as Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Magnum ice creams. The company recently launched an ambitious set of ‘Future Foods’ commitments, which aim to help people transition towards healthier diets and to help reduce the environmental impact of the global food chain. One of the key objectives of ‘Future Foods’ is an annual global sales target of €1 billion from plant-based meat and dairy alternatives, within the next five to seven years.

1Polaris Market Research (2020)

Notes to editors

The global plant-based meat market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 15.1% from 2020 to reach $17.5 billion by 2027 (Meticulous Research, 2020). This projected growth is due to rising awareness about the health benefits of a plant-based diet, increasing intolerance for animal proteins, growing flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan populations, and significant investments.

There is a growing shift towards flexitarian diets in China, where the plant-based meat market is forecast to be worth nearly $12 billion by 2023, up from just under $10 billion in 2018, according to research by Euromonitor International. The Chinese government is planning to reduce meat consumption in the country by 50% in the next 10 years.

About The Vegetarian Butcher

Jaap Korteweg, a ninth-generation farmer and real meat lover, decided to become a vegetarian after the outbreak of the swine flu. To satisfy his own need for plant-based quality ‘meat’ he founded The Vegetarian Butcher and opened his first shop in 2010. With a broad range of nostalgic favourites for meat lovers who don’t want to miss out, The Vegetarian Butcher aims to become the largest butcher in the world. Founder Jaap Korteweg twice received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award and finished in the top five of Dutch newspaper Trouw’s Sustainable 100 ranking for three years.

The Vegetarian Butcher produces plant-based proteins, which compete with animal meat in respect of taste, texture and nutritional value and has been heralded by industry figures, including a jury of butchers, culinary journalists and Michelin-stars. The Vegetarian Butcher products are being sold in over 20,000 outlets in over 45 countries. More information on The Vegetarian Butcher can be found on www.TheVegetarianButcher.com.

About Burger King®

Founded in 1954, the BURGER KING® brand is the second largest fast food hamburger chain in the world. The original HOME OF THE WHOPPER®, the BURGER KING® system operates more than 18,800 locations in more than 100 countries and U.S. territories. Almost 100 percent of BURGER KING® restaurants are owned and operated by independent franchisees, many of them family-owned operations that have been in business for decades.

Safe Harbour

Where relevant, these actions are subject to the appropriate consultations and approvals.

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, including ’forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as ’will’, ’aim’, ’expects’, ’anticipates’, ’intends’, ’looks’, ’believes’, ’vision’, or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions of future performance or results, and their negatives, are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions regarding anticipated developments and other factors affecting the Unilever Group (the ’Group’). They are not historical facts, nor are they guarantees of future performance.

Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Among other risks and uncertainties, the material or principal factors which could cause actual results to differ materially are: Unilever’s global brands not meeting consumer preferences; Unilever’s ability to innovate and remain competitive; Unilever’s investment choices in its portfolio management; inability to find sustainable solutions to support long-term growth; the effect of climate change on Unilever’s business; customer relationships; the recruitment and retention of talented employees; disruptions in our supply chain; the cost of raw materials and commodities; the production of safe and high quality products; secure and reliable IT infrastructure; successful execution of acquisitions, divestitures and business transformation projects; economic and political risks and natural disasters; financial risks; failure to meet high and ethical standards; and managing regulatory, tax and legal matters. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Except as required by any applicable law or regulation, the Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Group’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based. Further details of potential risks and uncertainties affecting the Group are described in the Group’s filings with the London Stock Exchange, Euronext Amsterdam and the US Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the Annual Report on Form 20-F 2019 and the Unilever Annual Report and Accounts 2019.


( Press Release Image: https://photos.webwire.com/prmedia/7/268299/268299-1.jpg )


WebWireID268299





This news content was configured by WebWire editorial staff. Linking is permitted.

News Release Distribution and Press Release Distribution Services Provided by WebWire.