“The company has found extensive success in the US market, doubling sales in 2017 and increasing distribution of its portfolio to more than 27,000 grocery stores and restaurants,” said Ethan Brown, CEO and founder of Beyond Meat. “Reflecting rapid demand growth in the United States and sustained interest from international markets, we've taken steps to significantly increase our production capacity.
“These additions make it possible for us to support international launches, building upon the successful 2017 introduction of the Beyond Burger in Hong Kong.”
The company announced it would expand distribution of its plant-based burgers across six continents this summer. The company has partnered with select distributors for 50 countries including Germany and the rest of Europe, Canada, Australia, Mexico, Chile, Israel, UAE, Korea, Taiwan and South Africa.
A spokesperson for the company told FoodNavigator-LATAM: "The list was just an example of some of the countries where we will have product, but we'll be in more than 50 countries in the not so distant future. There has been a lot of interest throughout LATAM, which we are really excited about. We are in talks with several strategic partners throughout LATAM and look forward to bringing Beyond Meat products to as many countries as possible."
US success
Beyond Meat has sold more than 13 million of its Beyond Burger since it launched 2016. The patties can be found in nearly 15,000 restaurants and grocery stores across the US.
Speaking with our sister site FoodNavigator-USA earlier this year, executive chairman Seth Goldman explained that Beyond Meat had notched up triple digit revenue growth in 2017 through tracked retail channels, driven in part through the rapid growth of the Beyond Burger, but also through continued growth for the frozen products, which had benefited from the buzz around the burger.
The Beyond Burger looks, cooks, and tastes like ground beef from cows but is made entirely from plants, without GMOs, soy, or gluten. The burger reportedly has more protein than a beef burger, with less saturated and total fat.
Earlier this year, Beyond Meat announced the construction of its new research and innovation facility in Los Angeles. A seven-fold increase of the existing R&D footprint, the new state-of-the-art facility is projected to cut production scale-up timelines in half, enabling the company to bring a new product to market every year.