Meati Launches At Retail In Pursuit of Omnichannel Strategy
Plant-based meat maker Meati is making its retail debut at three Colorado-area Sprouts Farmers Market stores this week as it sets its sights on a national, omni-channel rollout by next year. The brand launched direct-to-consumers in March and also announced it has expanded its foodservice presence to all nine locations of fast casual chain Birdcall today.
Meati currently produces three cutlet and steak products – Meati Classic Cutlet, Meati Crispy Cutlet and Meati Classic Steak – with its hero mushroom root ingredient, mycelium. The products are made from fermented mycelium, seasonings and natural flavors, allowing Meati to produce whole-cut meat alternatives that offer a similar fibrous mouthfeel to conventional meat.
“We’re thrilled to have the support of such well-recognized, respected and purpose-driven partners like Sprouts Farmers Market and Birdcall as we bring our category-first whole-food cutlets and steaks to shelves and plates in our home state of Colorado,” said Scott Tassani, President of Meati Foods, in a press release. “Given the consistent record-breaking sellouts of our Meati products online, we’re eager to pilot on-shelf with Sprouts with an eye toward rapid expansion in the coming months.”
The products are currently made at Meati’s Pilot Ranch facility in Colorado; however, as it looks to support its growth, operations will shift to its new Mega Ranch facility this fall. Mega Ranch has the capacity to produce 45 million pounds of plant-based mycelium products each year according to the brand. The new facility will accelerate its distribution gains, the brand said, as it looks to expand with new foodservice partners and support a national retail rollout with Sprouts, among other retailers, later this year.
“As a trusted grocer for those looking to discover new, better-for-you products and ingredients, we’re excited to be the first to offer Meati on shelves at three of our Colorado locations, and soon enough nationwide,” said Matt Pratta, Culinary Director of Sprouts Farmers Market, in a press release. “We’re impressed by Meati’s ability to set new standards in an ever-crowded category and know that Sprouts customers are going to love the taste, nutrition and clean labels that their products offer.”
The Colorado-based company has raised nearly $127 million to-date, closing a $50 million Series A round last July which it said would be used to scale production and launch additional products. However, since its last fundraise, Meati has been wrapped into a legal dispute with The Better Meat Co. A hearing for the case is set for next week.
