Diving overview:
- Meati Foods last week cut 60 positions as part of a “restructuring,” a decision that affected nearly every part of the organization, a company spokesperson said. food dive.
- meety The company said the job cuts were necessary to focus on profitability and were not evidence of growth in the company’s products. “meety teeth “A young, disruptive company navigating uncharted territory…Each of these factors requires us to regularly evaluate all aspects of our operations,” the official said.
- The job cuts come as the alternative protein maker expands its domestic footprint and launches an online shop to meet its goal of becoming the U.S. market leader in plant-based meat by 2025.
Dive Insight:
So far, Meaty appears to be on a more stable footing than some of its competitors.
Earlier this month, two San Francisco-based alternative meat startups, Hooray Foods and Noday, announced on social media that they would be discontinuing production and going out of business. “The economics of running a company of this size are simply not commensurate with our revenue,” Hooray said on social media.
These recent closures, coupled with Meaty’s layoffs, come at a time of difficult times for the factory-based sector as a whole. Last year, JBS USA closed its plant-based Plantera business, and Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods and Green Leaf Foods, part of Maple Leaf Foods, all cut employees.
Still, Mitty is moving forward. The Colorado-based fermented meat company is currently rapidly expanding its footprint, learning and adapting to local community demands.
before that Moving into retail in March, Meaty will have a “very light direct-to-consumer launch in 2022,” resulting in The product will sell out quickly. The company’s decision to restart its DTC business Christina Ra, Meati’s vice president of marketing and communications, told Food Dive.
The company is also debuting a paid subscription option called Innovation Kitchen, available for $169 per month. Next to the customer he offers four. Mitty’s Current products and at least one new product So that they can review.
“We have a really great community that really wants to be a part of it. And because the nearest Whole Foods is, say, 20 minutes away, a lot of people want to order directly from us.” said Mr. Ra.
With the launch of Meati Marketplace and Innovation Kitchen’s paid subscription option, the company expects to get feedback on the seasonings, textures, and other characteristics that can be used. to help with that improve it product.
plant based sales Inflationary pressures have forced consumers to rein in their spending, which has recently been on the decline. The category has also been hit by product oversupply and skepticism about the product’s taste in the market.
Mr. Mitty hopes that The new marketplace will address these issues by creating a community and allowing consumers to engage with the company on issues such as new product flavor and texture.
“There’s a lot going on in the future, and this launch is in addition to our plans to continue our retail expansion,” said Rahr.
Leading companies in this field also use the DTC model to We will provide our products to more people. In 2020, when the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic was at its peak, Beyond Meat offers delivery Plant-based meat products. Impossible Foods also launched a DTC purchase option in the same year. Both companies have since discontinued these efforts.
