US-Based Beyond Meat Enters Indian Market; To Take On Licious, BlueTribe, Shaka Harry

US-based Beyond Meat has partnered with Allana Group’s consumer products vertical to sell its mock meat products in India.

The startup is one of the market leaders in the US and its foray into India comes at a time when Bengaluru-based farm-to-fork meat startup Licious has also entered the plant-based meat segment with UnCrave.

Despite inhibitions about the premium prices of its lab-made faux meat products, Beyond Meat is looking at a pan-India distribution via Allana for its range of faux meats for burgers, sausages, meatballs and more.

The US-based faux meat giant has initially launched its products in 25+ Indian cities including Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and Kolkata. 

Beyond Meat products will be available through Nature’s Basket, Le Marche, Modern Bazaar, Spencer’s, and also on Urban Platter, Vegan Dukan, Vegan World, Vvegano, Alt Mart and more.

Founded in 2009, by Ethan Brown, Beyond Meat launched its initial products – the plant-based meat substitutes – in 2012 after years of R&D and building taste, texture and shelf life at par with meat products.

As of June 2022, the company claims to have footprints in 90+ countries and 183K+ retail and food service outlets. “By shifting from animal-based meat to plant-based meat, we can positively control four growing global concerns – human health, climate change, limited natural resources and animal welfare,” Beyond Meat’s website says.

India’s Plant-Based Meat Market Dynamics

It is noteworthy that despite India’s vegetarianism tag, less than 25% of Indians are truly vegetarian. But the trend of veganism is fast catching up, owing to several factors including sustainable living, environmental concerns and now the availability of a product range that satisfies one’s taste buds and meets nutritional needs. 

“India is moving towards healthier lifestyle choices and people are looking for products which are sustainable and better for the environment,” said Allana Consumer Products Division’s CEO Milind Pingle. 

Beyond Meat aims to grab a piece of India’s INR 300 Cr worth of plant-based meat market which is poised to reach INR 3,500 Cr by 2026. 

India is a fast-growing hub for plant-based meat products and besides Licious, Beyond Meat will compete with startups such as Sudo Foods, Virat Kohli-backed BlueTribe, MS Dhoni-backed Shaka Harry, Ritesh and Genelia Deshmukh’s Imagine Meats and others.

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