Beyond Meat

2015-01-04T19:22:14Z

GaTechThomas: Removed the Whole Foods mistake - it belongs on the Whole Foods page, not on the Beyond Meat page.

{{Infobox company
| name = Beyond Meat
| logo = Beyond Meat Logo.jpg
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| foundation = Los Angeles, CA
| founder = Ethan Brown

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| homepage = {{URL|www.beyondmeat.com}}
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'''Beyond Meat''' is a Los Angeles-based producer of plant-based meat substitutes. Beyond Meat’s Products became available nationwide at [[Whole Foods Markets]] in 2013.<ref name=Foster2013 /><ref name=Flanagan2014>{{cite web |url=http://www.businessinsider.com/fake-chicken-beef-meat-from-plants-2014-7 |title= This Fake Meat Is So Good It Fooled Whole Foods Customers For 3 Days|publisher=Business Insider |author=Flanagan, Graham |date=7 July 2014 |accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref name=Strickland2013>{{cite web |url= http://www.inc.com/julie-strickland/ethan-brown-beyond-meat-wired-conference.html |title= Fake Meat for the Masses? |publisher= Inc |author= Julie Strickland |date= 05/07/2013 |accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref>

Beyond Meat was founded by CEO Ethan Brown in 2009.<ref name=Gunther2013 /> The company has received venture funding from [[Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers]], [[Twitter|Obvious Corporation]], [[Bill Gates]], [[Biz Stone]], and the [[Humane Society]].<ref name=Fehrenbacher2013 /><ref name=Etherington2013 />

==Origins==
CEO Ethan Brown founded Beyond Meat, formerly Savage River Inc., in 2009 to produce [[Veganism|plant-based]] products that replicated meat and to attempt to eliminate “some of the downsides” of the meat industry in the process.<ref name=Foster2013 /><ref name=Gunther2013>{{cite web |url=http://fortune.com/2013/10/03/the-bill-gates-backed-company-thats-reinventing-meat/ |title= Beyond Meat closes in on the perfect fake chicken, turns heads, tastebuds |publisher= Fortune |author= Marc Gunther |date= Oct 3, 2013|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref name = Chang2014 /><ref name=Barker2012>{{cite web |url= http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/local/chicken-substitute-to-be-made-in-columbia/article_1424b83c-17a0-5319-91e2-fee26bf59ecc.html |title= Chicken substitute to be made in Columbia |publisher= Columbia Tribune |author=Jacob Barker |date= Aug 7, 2012|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref> The inspiration for Beyond Meat began for Brown in “chicken country,” where as a young boy he spent weekends on his family farm near the [[Pennsylvania]] border in rural [[Maryland]].<ref name= Noguchi2012/>

Brown initially contacted two [[University of Missouri]] professors, Fu-hung Hsieh and Harold Huff, who had already been refining their meatless protein for years.<ref name=Kile2014>{{cite web |url= http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/techknow/blog/2014/1/15/need-to-know-tasteslikechickenmadeinalab.html |title= Need to Know: Tastes like chicken, made in a lab |publisher= Aljazeera America |author= Meredith Kile |date= Jan 15, 2014 |accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref> The duo spent nearly a decade in the University lab working different temperatures and pressures to get their mixture of soybean and [[pea protein]]s “as close to the look and feel of real chicken as possible.”<ref name=Kile2014/> It took them another five years to come up with a recipe for Beyond Meat’s first product, “Chicken-Free Strips,” which the company released to limited locations in 2012.<ref name= Hurley2014>{{cite web |url= http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck/2014/06/beyond_meat_it_tastes_like_chicken_sort_of.php |title= "Beyond Meat," the Mizzou-Creared Faux Chicken That Fooled the New York Times |publisher= Riverfront Times |author= Patrick J. Hurley |date= Jun 27, 2014|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref name=Manjoo2012>{{cite web |url= http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/technology/2012/07/beyond_meat_fake_chicken_that_tastes_so_real_it_will_freak_you_out_.html |title= Fake Meat So Good it Will Freak You Out |publisher= Slate |author= Farhad Manjoo |date= Jul 2012 |accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref>

Brown has stated that his long term goal is to offer a product that can satisfy the world’s growing demand for meat, especially in markets like [[India]] and [[China]].<ref name=Flanagan2014/><ref name = Manjoo2012/>

==History==

Ethan Brown founded Beyond Meat in 2009 as a potential solution to problems he saw with the meat industry.<ref name=Kanani2014>{{cite web |url= http://www.forbes.com/sites/rahimkanani/2014/03/06/the-future-of-meat-is-meatless-just-as-tasty-and-about-to-change-the-world/ |title= The Future of Meat is Meatless, Just as Tasty, And About to Change the World |publisher= Forbes |author= Rahim Kanani |date= 03/06/2014 |accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref>

Beyond Meat first released its Chicken-Free Strips exclusively to Whole Foods Markets in Northern [[California]] in 2012.<ref name=Manjoo2012/> Soon after, the company began building a larger production facility with plans of adding meat-free ground beef and pork products to their repertoire.<ref name= Noguchi2012>{{cite web |url= http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2012/05/17/152519988/a-farmer-bets-better-fake-chicken-meat-will-be-as-good-as-the-real-thing |title= Betting Better Fake Chicken Meat Will Be As Good As The Real Thing |publisher= NPR |author= Yuki Noguchi |date= May 17, 2012 |accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref>

[[FastCompany]] listed Beyond Meat as one of the most innovative companies in 2014, and [[PETA]] named Beyond Meat as its company of the year for 2013.<ref name=Chang2014>{{cite web |url= http://www.cbsnews.com/news/meet-the-man-behind-beyond-meat/ |title= Meet the man behind "Beyond Meat" plant-based protein substitute|publisher= cbsnews |author= Lulu Chang|date= Feb 7, 2014 |accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref name=Black2014>{{cite web |url= http://www.fastcompany.com/most-innovative-companies/2014/beyond-meat |title= 43. Beyond Meat |publisher= Fast Company|author= Jane Black |date= Feb 2, 2014|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref>

===Beyond Meat goes nationwide===

The company began selling its chicken-free products in Whole Foods Stores nationally in April 2013.<ref name=Gunther2013/><ref name=Fehrenbacher2013>{{cite web |url= http://gigaom.com/2013/05/07/beyond-meat-ceo-one-day-eating-meat-will-have-no-connection-to-animals/ |title= Beyond Meat CEO: One day eating meat will have no connection to animals |publisher= Gigaom|author= Katie Fehrenbacher |date= May 7, 2013|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref name = Manjoo2012/><ref name=Brown2013>{{cite web |url= http://www.wired.com/2013/09/fakemeat/ |title= Tastes Like Chicken |publisher= Wired |author= Alton Brown |date= Sep 2013 |accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref>

[[Alanta]]-based [[Tropical Smoothie Café]] started carrying Beyond Meat products in May 2013 as a vegan-friendly substitute for items with chicken on the menu<ref name=Gunther2013/><ref name= Nguyen2013>{{cite web |url= http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=5961&catId=8 |title= Tropical Smoothie Café: Beyond Meat Here to Stay |publisher= Veg News Daily|author= Melissa Nguyen |date= Jul 12, 2013|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref name= Seward2013>{{cite web |url= http://www.ajc.com/news/business/tropical-smoothie-cafe-adds-beyond-meats-chicken/nXyD4/ |title= Tropical Smoothie Café adds Beyond Meat’s ‘chicken’|publisher= Atlanta Journal Constitution|author= Christopher Seward |date= May 21, 2013|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref>

===Obvious Corporation, Bill Gates, and other investors ===
[[Twitter|Obvious Corporation]], which was founded by Twitter co-founders [[Evan Williams (Internet entrepreneur)|Evan Williams]], [[Biz Stone]], and Jason Goldman, began backing Beyond Meat in June, 2013.<ref name= Etherington2013>{{cite web |url= http://techcrunch.com/2013/05/07/were-80-of-the-way-to-fake-meat-thats-indistinguishable-from-the-real-thing/ |title= We’re 80% of the way to fake meat that’s indistinguishable from the real thing|publisher= TechCrunch |author= Darrell Etherington |date= May 7, 2013|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref name = Manjoo2012/><ref name=Schwartz2012>{{cite web |url= http://www.fastcoexist.com/1680007/biz-stone-explains-why-twitters-co-founders-are-betting-big-on-a-vegan-meat-startup |title= Biz Stone Explains Why Twitter’s Co-Founders Are Betting Big on a Vegan Meat Startup |publisher= |author= |date= Jun 13, 2012|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref name=Schwartz2012/>

[[Bill Gates]] also became an investor in Beyond Meat in 2013 after he sampled the product and said he “couldn’t tell the difference between Beyond Meat and real chicken.”<ref name=Flanagan2014/><ref name=Gunther2013/>

The same year, [[Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers|Kleiner Perkins]], the [[Silicon Valley]] [[venture capital]] firm, made Beyond Meat its first investment in a food startup.<ref name=Gunther2013/><ref name=Schwartz2012/> The company also has backing from the [[Humane society|Humane Society]].<ref name=Black2014/>

==Founder Ethan Brown==
Beyond Meat founder Ethan grew up on his father’s dairy farm in western Maryland, an experience that made him concerned about the welfare of the animals he cared for. When he eventually became a vegan, his frustration over the limited availability of meat-free options inspired him to learn more about the industry, and eventually start his own company.<ref name= Noguchi2012/> After acquiring a Master’s Degree in public policy and an MBA from Columbia University, he spent his young career working at Ballard Power Systems (BLDP), a fuel-cell company. While studying clean energy, Brown became acquainted with the contribution of livestock to resource depletion and climate change, and as a result shifted his focus from energy to food.<ref name=Gunther2013/><ref name=Kanani2014/><ref name= Bessette2014>{{cite web |url= http://fortune.com/2014/01/31/10-questions-ethan-brown-ceo-beyond-meat/ |title= 10 Questions: Ethan Brown, CEO, Beyond Meat|publisher= Fortune|author= Chanelle Bessette|date= 2014-01-31|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref>

A 2013 [[Fortune Magazine]] article noted Brown’s support of animal welfare groups such as [[Farm Sanctuary]].<ref name=Gunther2013/>

==Products==
Beyond Meat develops and manufactures a variety of plant protein-based food products. The vegetarian meat substitutes are made from mixtures of [[soy protein]], [[pea protein|pea protein isolates]], yeast, and other ingredients.<ref name=Brown2013 /><ref name=Strom2014 /> As of 2014, the company’s product offerings consisted of Beyond Chicken and Beyond Beef.<ref name=Flanagan2014 /><ref name=Barker2012 /><ref name=Brown2013 /><ref name=Nassauer2014 /> A vegan burger patty, called the ''The Beast,'' was set to be released for sale in late 2014.<ref name=Just2014 /><ref name=abc2014 /><ref name=Dean2014 /> Beyond Meat products are available for purchase in packaged form as well as in retail-prepared dishes.<ref name=Flanagan2014 /><ref name=Barker2012 /><ref name=Brown2013 /><ref name=Schwartz2012 />

===Beyond Chicken===

Beyond Meat’s Chicken-Free products, marketed as Beyond Chicken, are made from a mixture of soy and pea proteins, fiber, and other ingredients and are marketed as a healthy alternative to chicken meat.<ref name=Gunther2013 /><ref name=Schwartz2012 /> Ingredients are mixed and fed into a [[food extrusion]] machine which cooks the mixture while forcing it through a specially designed mechanism that uses steam, pressure, and cold water to form the product’s chicken-like texture.<ref name=Brown2013 /> After being processed in the extrusion machine, the product is cut to size, seasoned, and grilled before being packaged.<ref name=Kile2014 /> Each batch of chicken takes approximately 90 minutes to produce.<ref name=Kile2014 />

The analog chicken is available as lightly seasoned strips, grilled strips, and southwest style strips.<ref name=Brown2013 />

===Beyond Beef===
The company’s two flavors of Beyond Beef imitation [[ground beef]] product, Beefy and Feisty, are made from pea proteins, canola oil, and various seasonings.<ref name=Schwartz2012 /><ref name=beyondmeatbeefcrumbles>{{cite web|url=http://beyondmeat.com/beef-free-crumbles-beefy/|title=Beef-free crumbles|publisher=Beyond Meat|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref> The soy and gluten-free pea protein mixture initially resembles a paste before being heated and processed by an extrusion machine.<ref name=Manjoo2012 />

The beefy crumbles possess the same protein content per 55 gram serving as traditional ground beef.<ref name=Gunther2013 /><ref name=Strom2014 />

===The Beast===
Beyond Meat announced in 2014 that it had begun development and testing of a new product called The Beast. The vegetable protein-based burger patties were taste tested by [[The New York Mets]] during a pre-game event.<ref name=Nassauer2014>{{cite web |url= http://online.wsj.com/articles/meatless-burgers-make-their-mlb-pitch-1403736799 |title= Meatless Burgers Make Their MLB Pitch|publisher= The Wall Street Journal |author= Sarah Nassauer |date= 2014-06-25 |accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref name=Just2014>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecorazzi.com/2014/07/18/beyond-meat-unleashes-new-beast-vegan-burger-on-ny-mets/|title=Beyond Meat Unleashes New ‘Beast’ Vegan Burger on NY Mets|publisher=Ecorazzi|date=7 July 2014|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref name=abc2014>{{cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/beast-burger-packs-flavor-nutrients-patty-24313619|title=Beast Burger Packs Flavor, Nutrients|publisher=ABC News|date=7 July 2014|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref><ref name=Dean2014>{{cite web|url=http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=6485&catId=8|title=Beyond Meat Pitching Beast Burger to Big Leagues|publisher=VegNews|date=7 July 2014|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref>

==Production==
The Beyond Meat factory is located in [[Columbia, Missouri]].<ref name=Foster2013>{{cite web |url= http://www.popsci.com/article/science/can-artificial-meat-save-world |title= Can Artificial Meat Save the World |publisher= Popular Science |author= Tom Foster |date= 2013-11-18|accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref> The facility is capable of producing approximately seven million pounds of chicken substitute in one year.<ref name=Barker2012 />

==Reception==
Beyond Meat products have received favorable reviews. Mark Bittman, a food journalist with [[The New York Times]], wrote that “you won't know the difference between that <nowiki>[Beyond Meat]</nowiki> and chicken. I didn't, at least, and this is the kind of thing I do for a living.”<ref name=Wellman2012>{{cite web |url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2159300/New-vegan-chicken-product-sells-days-entices-meat-lovers-promise-authentic-texture-flavour.html |title=New vegan 'chicken' sells out in days with promise of authentic texture and taste... but can it impress our meat-loving tester?|publisher=The Daily Mail |author=Wellman, Victoria |date=7 July 2014 |accessdate=7 July 2014}}</ref> Bill Gates wrote on his personal blog that, “I couldn’t tell the difference between Beyond Meat and real chicken.”<ref name=Foster2013 /> In 2013 chef and television personality [[Alton Brown]] wrote about Beyond Meat’s Beyond Chicken that, “it’s more like meat than anything I’ve ever seen that wasn’t meat.”<ref name=Brown2013/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Companies based in California]]
[[Category:Vegetarian cuisine]]
[[Category:Vegetarianism]]

Wikipedia - Benutzerbeiträge [de]

Beyond Meat