Dive Brief:
- Meati Foods, the Boulder, Colorado-based protein cut producer made from mushroom root, will now be available in all Whole Foods locations nationwide, the company announced Thursday.
- With this retail expansion, Meati is taking another step to achieve its goal of having a “national, omnichannel footprint by the end of the year,” the company said.
- The Whole Foods news comes on the heels of Meati securing a previous retail partnership with Meijer back in May through its locations in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The Meijer partnership was the company’s first with a mainstream grocer.
Dive Insight:
At the start of the year, Meati took its first steps to achieve a national footprint with the opening of a mega ranch.
The Thornton, Colorado-based ranch is 100,000 square feet and able to produce more than 45 million pounds of product per year, according to the company.
Before their expansion into retail with Meijer and now Whole Foods, the fermented meat analog company was only available for purchase through online orders, a few restaurants in Colorado and Arizona and a few retail stores.
“I can’t think of a better way to build on this success than a relationship with Whole Foods Market to underscore the value of what Meati delivers,” Scott Tassani, president and chief operating officer of Meati Foods, said in a statement.
In preparation for its retail launch, Meati hired Elizabeth Fikes and Joseph Johnson — both operations and supply chain leaders with extensive experience in the CPG space — back in March.
Fikes took on the role of chief supply chain officer, and Johnson is now senior vice president of operations and engineering.
The entire Meati product line — classic cutlet, crispy cutlet, classic steak and carne asada steak — will be available at all Whole Foods locations in two-unit packages in the refrigerated plant-based protein section, the statement said.
"Since taking our first bites of Meati in Boulder last year, we've been excited to bring their differentiated, quality mushroom-root products to our shelves," Kara Maloney, grocery category merchant for Whole Foods Market, said in a statement.
