News Roundup: Great Foods Research And Advisory Platform Launches; Planterra Closes
GTFO It’s Vegan Launches GreatFoods Platform To Support Plant-based Brands
E-commerce platform GTFO It’s Vegan launched a new research and advisory platform designed exclusively for plant-based food makers, dubbed GreatFoods. The new service is supported by sales data and consumer preference insights gathered from its two-year old online marketplace and includes proprietary SaaS platform STAMP, which enables companies to access instant consumer insights including purchase intent on their products.
GTFO It’s Vegan was launched in 2020 by Tanya Pierce and her husband Marc, a former market researcher and business consultant in the CPG health and wellness space. He has also worked as a consultant with PriceWaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Procter & Gamble, and Ernst & Young.
“When we first launched GTFO… there were 5 or 6 major players in the top selling categories,” said Marc Pierce in a press release. “Now there are 30 or 40 all vying for their share of the market. This spells trouble for new entrants who may not have the market insight, marketing budgets, distribution presence, and most importantly, the product uniqueness to succeed.”
The new platform includes “a full suite of services” like purchase trends, quantitative and qualitative market research and advisory services for product innovation, testing and portfolio expansion. The company claims its e-commerce site has filled 50,000 orders and “maintains one of the largest proprietary databases of plant-based sales data.”
“I am most excited about this piece of technology as nothing like this exists in the market today,” said Pierce in a press release. “We have the ability to push out concept stage and existing products in every box we send to our large base of customers and obtain real-time feedback on what is most important to these customers in selecting a plant-based product together with how well the product is delivering on their expectations.”
JBS Shutters U.S. Alt-Meat Branch, Planterra Foods
Meat producer JBS announced earlier this week it would cease operations for its plant-based CPG arm Planterra, which produces a range of protein alternatives under the OZO brand. The closure of its Denver headquarters and production facility will impact approximately 121 employees, however, JBS is reportedly working to transfer those individuals to other JBS locations.
The brand debuted at Kroger in 2020 and has since expanded to include lines of burgers, ground meat, sausages, chicken patties, bacon and chicken nuggets. The news comes two months after Maple Leaf Foods announced it would cut back its plant-based brand Greenleaf Foods by nearly a quarter due to declining sales.
Daily Harvest Enters Regenerative Ag Movement With New Grant Program
Direct-to-consumer company Daily Harvest announced a new program this week that aims to support the sustainable cultivation of fruits and vegetables in California. The company has selected 12 Latino-run farms for the multi-year grant program, to be provided through a partnership with American Farmland Trust (AFT) and California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF).
“A more just and regenerative food system starts with the people who grow our food,” said Rachel Drori, founder and CEO of Daily Harvest, in a press release. “This program aims to tackle systemic issues at the root by giving historically disadvantaged farmers in California’s Central Valley and Central Coast the tools they need to expand their operations while scaling organic and regenerative approaches that benefit growers, consumers, and the planet.”
The program includes $10,000 grants each year for three years and intend to help farmers scale operations, expand their organic farm acreage and implement regenerative practices like composting and cover crops to improve soil health; all grant recipients grow berries, vegetables and greens on 50 acres of farmland or less.
“It’s better for us [to grow organic] in the field cultivating so we’re not absorbing those chemicals, and especially for those of us eating the produce,” said Domitila Tapia, one of the grant recipients, in a press release. “This funding really helps us because it takes a lot of money for all we do in agriculture and we have a lot of payments to make.”
Yolélé Teams Up With Brooklyn Brewery For Fonio Beer
West African food brand Yolélé teamed up with Brooklyn Brewery to launch a co-branded, fonio-based white beer this week. The limited release product combines the “nutty, wheaty character” of fonio and hops to create a 5.6% ABV beverage that will be available at Brooklyn Brewery’s taproom as well as Whole Foods Market stores in the Northeast in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans, while supplies last.
“It’s been my mission to bring the flavors of Africa to America,” said Pierre Thiam, Yolélé cofounder, in a press release. “By utilizing fonio in food and beverage sold in the States, Yolélé supports livelihoods on smallholder farms in West Africa. Working with Garrett and the Brooklyn Brewery team has been an incredible partnership, and I am proud to see this delicious beer with an African flair on the shelves of Whole Foods Market.”
