Spain’s Heura Triples Turnover Amid Pandemic Shifts Masses To Plant-Based Meat

Spanish plant-based meat brand Heura has recorded a threefold increase in its annual turnover, despite the economic turmoil unleashed by the coronavirus pandemic. The startup has also doubled its international presence, as the health crisis continues to drive mainstream demand for more nutritious and sustainable proteins. 

Heura has announced in its latest annual report that it has more than tripled its turnover in the past year, finishing 2020 with US$9.69 million, up from US$3 million in 2019. The brand, which stands as the fastest-growing plant-based startup in Europe, also reported that it has doubled its international distribution footprint to thirteen countries in 2020, up from six in the year before. Its latest market entry was the U.K., where its products are now retailing at two major plant-based specialty stores. 

Notably, the final quarter of 2020 was Heura’s most successful yet, with returns in the three-month period rivalling that of its entire 2019 annual turnover, in what is a clear sign of the sustained trend that consumers opting for plant-based meats in the long-term. 

We’re particularly thrilled that we have been able to double our international presence by bringing our products to seven new countries.

Marc Coloma, Co-Founder & CEO, Heura

Studies conducted in the U.S. have shown that the majority of first-time buyers of plant-based meats, many of whom are meat-eaters and new flexitarians, plan on making their newfound purchases a habit even when the pandemic is over. 

Commenting on its success, co-founder and CEO Marc Coloma said: “We’re particularly thrilled that we have been able to double our international presence by bringing our products to seven new countries.”

“My co-founder Bernat Añaños and I started Heura in April 2017 as two millennials on a mission to change the world. As we head towards our fourth year, we are proud of how far we’ve come and look forward to creating even more positive change in the years to come.”

Coloma continued: “As a company whose mission is to change the way we eat for the better, far more important is what these numbers represent in terms of protecting our environment and avoiding the slaughter of animals.”

According to the company’s statistics, in 2020, Heura’s sales amounted to saving over 3,000 million litres of water, 6.7 million kilograms of carbon dioxide equivalent and more than 400,000 animals. Given the enormous environmental impact of animal agriculture, scientists have been calling for a mass shift towards plant-based diets as one of the most important things that individuals can do for the climate. 

As we head towards our fourth year, we are proud of how far we’ve come and look forward to creating even more positive change in the years to come.

Marc Coloma, Co-Founder & CEO, Heura

A landmark study conducted by international experts last year also pointed out that even if fossil fuels were to be eradicated immediately, the Paris agreement goals are still out of reach without a global concerted shift away from meat and dairy-heavy diets. 

In the coming year, Heura says that its main goals will be to continue expanding its team, global footprint, lowering the price of its portfolio and introducing new products on the market.

The newest product that the brand has launched is a new burger, dubbed as the healthiest plant-based burger available with a high-protein and low saturated fat content. Upcoming market launches include France, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland for the first quarter of 2021. 

Heura isn’t the only plant-based meat brand who have benefited from the surging plant-based trend amidst the coronavirus pandemic. Impossible Foods, the maker of the famous heme-filled “bleeding” burger, recently reported that its retail footprint has increased by almost 100-times in 2020, in what is described as “by far the biggest operational expansion in the company’s 10-year history”.  

All images courtesy of Heura / lead image designed by Green Queen Media.