Vion Food Group is an international producer of meat, meat products and plant-based alternatives with production locations in the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium. Vion said that DrWe need to shift our diets toward more plant-based protein sources, and in response, companies have launched ME-AT (pronounced meat), is a white label company that designs and develops 100% plant-based meat alternatives that it says offer the look, feel and taste of animal meat.
It is important to note from a vegan publication that the slaughterhouse in Vion and the meat processing plant in Leeuwarden became a vegetarian meat factory after the introduction of ME-AT.
Willem Kranenbruck, General Manager of ME-AT.
You launched your plant-based white-label ME-AT three years ago. Can you tell us what progress has been made since then and what growth you’ve seen?
The last three years have been quite a journey. When we announced that we would be stepping into plant-based meat substitutes, we still didn’t have a (sale-ready) product, there was no manufacturing facility available and we were still looking for a good development team. Now, three years later, we have a state-of-the-art factory where we manufacture a wide range of products, we serve top retailers in our surrounding countries and sell our products in more than 17 countries. This is a great move.
What are the most successful products in your Alt Meat range and why do you think?
In our opinion these are our boneless ribs, salmon burgers, Plantrecote® and Dutch faba bean burgers and mince. In general, the simple burger is still the best seller, but success is not only about sales, it is also about influence. With these items, we really made an impact. We were first to market with these new inventions like ribs, salmon burgers and Plantrecote which opened eyes not only to consumers but also to the competition in the market (they later tried to copy us). We need to show consumers that there’s more to burgers or pre-fried replacements.
“…Success isn’t just about sales, it’s also about impact“
Also, with the faba bean product, we were first in the market. Faba beans are grown in the Netherlands, where we partner with farmers and processing companies. Here we really want to make an impact. We grow the protein in our fields without importing it.
We are now looking at markers in the DNA that are responsible for the bitter taste in beans. With the help of a genetics company, we try to modify the beans in such a way that the protein level increases and the unpleasant flavors disappear. For this, we use speed breeding, which is of course GMO-free. We started our product range in the Netherlands with burgers and mincemeat, but not only do we want to expand the product range here, we also want to step into other markets like Germany, Belgium and the UK with this idea, where we can do that as well. Grow beans locally.
You recently launched and presented your Plantrecote® at the PLMA event. What is the USP of this product and what was the feedback from those who sampled it?
The great thing about Plantrecote® is that no one has created it before. It is unique in that it really looks like an entrecote steak with layers of fat in between and on top. We are able to manufacture this product with our 2D technology. This 2D technology is state-of-the-art and enables the creation of patterns and shapes in our plant-based meat alternatives such as Plantrecote®.
We use digital files to create shapes, which are then transferred to the physical features of the machine through 3D printing. At this point we can use 2 flours in one product, they can be different in color and structure to be combined in a certain shape. The difference in taste, flavor and texture is something we really noticed; To provide an enhanced dining experience for consumers. It can be skillet baked or even grilled with no problem!
Many restaurants are only serving a plant-based burger or maybe a curry or risotto. We thought it would be great to bring something new to the market as a great tasting original option for a steak dinner: Plantrecote®!
The response to PLMA was really fantastic, people were amazed that it (Plantrecote®) was possible as a plant-based product and the taste was so close to real meat. With the fat on top of the ‘meat’ they get the full experience they were looking for.
Will more innovations come from ME-AT this year?
Most definitely, our NPD team is always looking for new ideas to advance ourselves and our production. With this open mindedness, we are still able to come up with new ideas and solutions that do not yet exist in the market.
What kind of protein do you use and why?
We mainly use sustainable soy sourced from the EU, focusing on wheat, peas and faba beans. We use soy because the amino acid profile is very close to real meat and there are so many different texturized vegetable proteins (TVPs) available that it helps you widen the product range. However, not everyone wants soy in their products, so we have also diversified into peas and wheat (both readily available in the market).
In our journey towards a new protein source from Dutch soil, we found that faba beans have the most potential to provide a revenue model for farmers; Enough protein in beans; Growing and harvesting potential in the Netherlands; Requires little to no fertilizer; And it stimulates biodiversity and soil improvement. This makes faba beans a winner for us.
Apart from the Netherlands, which are your main markets?
For Fresh, our main markets besides the Netherlands are Germany and Belgium For frozen, our main market is the whole EU.
What are your additional services as a private label manufacturer for small companies?
We’re able to make large-scale burgers fully automatically, so we can really help small companies scale up. Further, we have a flexible development team that not only uses their own knowledge but combines it with the knowledge of our suppliers. With this, we can quickly develop products and get them ready to market.
What is your mission as a company and where do you see yourself in five years?
The world’s population is growing and our planet is under pressure for overuse of resources. We want to improve protein transition So that people can enjoy healthy, affordable and tasty meat options from sustainable sources.
“We want to improve protein transfer”
Within five years, plant-based products will be cheaper and even better tasting than real meat. With this, we will have higher market acceptance and full penetration in all levels of population in our countries (Netherlands, Germany and Belgium). After that we will definitely surprise our customers with new innovative ideas and products that we mainly source from locally produced proteins.
For more information, visit www.me-at.com