Beyond Meat Goes Beyond Borders with European Processing Facility

Beyond Meat has taken the alternative-protein industry by storm over the last two years, dominating restaurants and retailers in North America, as well as reaching international markets from Australia to Asia, and even the Middle East. Now the faux-meat franchise is expanding distribution further, by building the first ever processing facility beyond the US borders.

The company has grown it’s a partnership with ‘Zandbergen World’s Finest Meats’, an international protein supply chain company, by granting them permission to construct a processing facility in Zoterwoude, Netherlands. The plant is expected to be open for business by the first quarter of 2020.

Zandbergen first distributed Beyond Meat products to European food services and retailers last year, and after receiving positive feedback from consumers, the two companies have decided to make advancements in production.

“The consumer response in Europe has been very positive and we look forward to being able to better serve those customers with locally produced products. We are pleased to have strong strategic partners in Europe like Zandbergen to help us grow our global footprint,” said Seth Goldman, Executive Chairman of Beyond Meat.

The company hopes domestic production will enhance the speed and efficiency of beyond meat products to their international clientele, and rightfully so, last year the beyond-meat patty sold out in a matter of weeks when it was first distributed to Canadians through A&W.

“As the demand for plant-based products continues to expand in Europe, we are thrilled to be partnering with Beyond Meat to produce their innovative products outside the US,” said Adriaan Figee, Chief Commercial Officer of Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat.

In addition, Beyond Meat is also enhancing its distribution channels to Belgium based food retailer Delhaize and UK supermarket Tesco.

After the company establishes itself among grocery aisles across Europe, it hopes to further dominate the menus of restaurants and burger joints much like it has managed to do in both Canada and the US.

Plant-based food items are gaining mainstream attraction, and the European processing plant fueled Beyond Meat Shares to increase by 8 percent on the New York Stock Exchange.

Furthermore, a study by Allied Market Research claims, Beyond Meat’s share price tripled since its initial public offering earlier in May.

The study also indicates international exports look promising for the US Company, as 40 percent of global plant-based meat sales in 2017 came from Europe and the regions sales are expected to increase annually by seven percent from now until 2025.

Although burgers may not dominate dinner plates outside of North America, climate change and food security are of international concern. Alternative protein that requires less energy and fewer resources could set Beyond Meat to become a staple manufacturer internationally in the years to come.