Indonesian Startup Green Rebel Foods Unveils Asia’s First Plant-Based Whole Cut Steak To Meet Growing Demand For Meat

Indonesian plant-based meat startup Green Rebel has debuted two new products, a Beefless Steak and a Chick’n Steak, in what it calls the “first plant-based whole cut steak in Asia” at two of the leading steakhouse dining chains in the country in order to help bridge the growing demand for beef and chicken in the region.

Green Rebel, formerly known as Green Butcher and part of the Burgreens family, one of Indonesia’s largest plant-based eatery chains, says it has created the region’s first ever plant-based whole cut steak, with one version, the Beefless Steak, created out of shiitake mushrooms, and a Chick’n Steak produced from soy protein, both of which are launching today (June 15).

As compared to animal beef and chicken steak, Green Rebel’s versions are cholesterol-free, have fewer saturated fat levels and have much high fibre content, while still offering a similar taste and texture to their counterparts.

The company, which was founded by long-time activist couple Helga Angelina Tjahjadi and Max Mandias committed to democratising plant-based food by making it affordable and accessible, has joined forces with two of the largest steakhouse chains in the country: ABUBA Steak, which has 29 outlets across Indonesia, and Pepperlunch with 50+ outlets.

ABUBA Steak unveiled 8 vegan and vegetarian menu items featuring the brand’s new steaks priced at the same rate as its animal-based counterparts.

Pepper Lunch, a Japanese-inspired DIY (Do-It-Yourself) ‘Fast Food Steak House’, is set to launch two meatless menu items using Green Rebel’s Beefless Steak on June 28, along with their signature black pepper sauce, and crucially, the dishes will be priced even lower than its animal-based steaks.

Read: Alt Protein Will Undercut Meat Prices By 2030

Co-founder and chief innovation officer of Green Rebel, Chef Max Mandias said that he was excited about launching its new creations in Abuba & Pepper Lunch. “Both brands are the go-to family restaurants, where the conscious young generations can bring their parents & grandparents – the market segments that are less likely to try plant-based meat. As a chef, I’m also thrilled because now there’s a steak made from plant-based ingredients where the chefs can cook passionately, and customers won’t believe that it is made from plants.”

Both steakhouses are the go-to family restaurants, where the conscious young generations can bring their parents & grandparents – the market segments that are less likely to try plant-based meat

Chef Max Mandias, co-founder and chief innovation officer of Green Rebel

According to the company, the production of these vegan meats has 15x less negative impact on the environment than beaf steak’s production process and if consumers opt for Green Rebel’s meat, they would be saving 4 years’ worth of drinking water and 44 kilometres driving worth of carbon emissions. This is key in Asia, where rising incomes and economic mobility means demand for animal protein is growing fast. Despite the pandemic, in 2020, beef imports to China increased by 76% compared to the year before.

Vice director of ABUBA Steak, Elzan Azis said: “With this collaboration, we aim to strengthen our position as the market leader and the pioneer of positive change for the environment. Now we are able to recapture our long-lost customers who have decided to eat less meat for different reasons. We are proud to collaborate with Green Rebel, the pioneering plant-based startup that has been promoting a healthy & sustainable lifestyle for years, as our exclusive vegan steak supplier.”

With this collaboration, we aim to strengthen our position as the market leader and the pioneer of positive change for the environment. Now we are able to recapture our long-lost customers who have decided to eat less meat for different reasons

Elzan Azis, vice director of ABUBA Steak

The new products will add to Green Rebel’s existing range of more than 12 products including Chick’n Satay, Chick’n Katsu, and Beefless Rendang that are created from mushrooms, GMO-free soy protein, chickpeas, and seitan.

Read: Carbon Footprint Of Seitan Is 130 Times Lower Than Beef, Claims New Industry Research 

“Boga’s vision is to enrich the dining and culinary experiences in Indonesia, so of course, the addition of plant-based menu at Pepper Lunch is very relevant and in line with our vision. I think our partner – Green Rebel – has succeeded in developing an innovative plant-based steak that is as satisfying as animal protein-based products,” concluded Kusnadi Rahardja, president director of Boga Group.

Apart from the steakhouses, the Beefless Steak will be available for consumers to purchase via retail on Green Rebel’s website and at Burgreen stores starting from today (June 15) with the Chick’n Steak landing on shelves in July. Later this month, the products will roll out across three Indonesian supermarket chains.

Within just 8 months of its operations, the company has worked with 500+ food service outlets and 50+ retailers- including nabbing a deal with Starbucks Indonesia, who launched their first ever plant-based menu with Green Rebel’s vegan-friendly beef across 50+ locations. In addition, the startup has closed a seed funding round to expand its R&D team and “launch in mainstream retailers by Q2 2021.”

Elsewhere Israel-based Aleph Farms worked with research partner Technion to reveal the world’s first cultivated ribeye steak that is grown from the cells of cows and utilizes 3D bioprinting technology. It even received the support of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu who tasted the company’s cultivated steak showing the government’s overall confidence for the alternative protein sector.

Other companies that are developing alternative meat steaks include Japan-based Next Meats who launched yakiniku-style vegan steaks, Slovenian food tech Juicy Marbles that is responsible for the world’s first 100% plant-based, whole cut filet mignon steak and Spanish startup Libre Foods who is incorporating the process of fermentation to develop a fungi-based beef steak alternative and eventually be a leading provider of this meat.

Read: The Cell-To-Table Movement: How Steer-Less Steaks Will Redefine Sustainably Grown Meat

Lead image courtesy of Green Rebel.