Beyond Meat Expands to 1,600 Locations In Germany

Beyond Meat scores a European win with retail placement in 1,600 German supermarket locations.

Despite recent layoffs and cooling sales in the U.S. across the vegan sector, Europe’s demand for plant-based food continues. It’s good news for Beyond Meat, one of the hardest hit by lackluster U.S. sales, which resulted in the company recently laying off 19 percent of its workforce.

The California-based company may be picking up steam across the pond, with the new expansion announcement in Germany that saw its flagship burger find placement in 1,600 REWE stores, one of the leading retailers in the country.

“At Beyond Meat, we work tirelessly to make our delicious plant-based meat products accessible to everyone,” Jaap Veth, Sales Manager Retail DACH at Beyond Meat, said in a statement.

“Half of Germans now eat less animal meat than they did five years ago; one in five now consume plant-based meat at least once a week. We are very proud to bring our popular Beyond Burger to more REWE supermarkets. This way, people across Germany can benefit from the advantages that plant-based meat has and continue to eat what they love,” Veth said.

The news follows a German debut from Singapore’s vegan chicken giant, TiNDLE, earlier this year. Over the summer, the brand landed in restaurants across Berlin, Munich, Dusseldorf, and Stuttgart.

Germany embraces plants

Germans have continued to reduce their meat and dairy consumption in recent years, even despite scoring low on a recent index looking at global dietary guidelines, which saw it rank 50th out of 95 countries for promoting a sustainable and plant-forward diet.

But despite the lacking government guidelines, and despite its history of meat-heavy foods, a recent survey of more than 7,500 Europeans also found that Germany is second only to Romania in reducing meat consumption.

Earlier this year Berlin-based Perfeggt announced an add-on pre-seed funding to accelerate its distribution plans. The startup uses fava bean protein to create its signature product. So too does The VGN, a startup founded by previous Aldi supermarket managers with a passion for animal-free foods.

Burger King has also been aggressive with its plant-based options in the German market. Last year, it opened its first meat-free pop-up in Cologne. That location offered plant-based nuggets, burgers, and a plant-based version of The Long Chicken sandwich.

Lead image courtesy of Beyond Meat.