News Popular vegan meat brands unite to form The Aussie Plant Based Co.

Could this signal a whole new era for plant-based meat and dairy? 🤔🥩🌿

Two of Australia’s most prominent plant-based meat brands, All G Foods’ LOVE BUDS and Fenn Foods’ vEEF, are teaming up to become The Aussie Plant Based Co, with the aim of paving the way towards a plant-based future, together. 

“At The Aussie Plant-based Co, we don’t merely imagine a better world – we create it, one step at a time … We stand united in our mission to foster goodness for people, animals, and the planet.”

LOVE BUDS is known for their plant-based schnitzels, mince, burgers, sausages, and chicken nuggets, while vEEF offers vegan beef and chicken pieces, burger patties, and bacon bits. 

“The Aussie Plant Based Co aspires to lead the Australian industry with the broadest route to market, an enticing range of taste-first products, and our exceptional team.”

Award-winning chef and co-founder of vEEF, Alejandro Cancin, who will lead The Aussie Plant Based Co as its CEO, says the collaboration is a testament to the companies’ “shared commitment to creating a sustainable, healthier, and tastier future” for Australians.

Recent studies have found that plant-based meats have a “healthier nutritional profile” than animal meat, and that switching to a vegan diet can massively reduce our environmental footprint. 

“By combining our strengths, we can accelerate the adoption of plant-based alternatives and contribute to a greener planet and more ethical sources of protein.”

Functioning as a separate entity, The Aussie Plant Based Co will give both brands access to an impressive network of 6,000 distribution points nation-wide, as well as an already established, state-of-the-art manufacturing hub located on the Sunshine Coast.

Representatives from LOVE BUDS and vEEF say the merger will position The Aussie Plant Based Co to keep up with increased demand for plant-based meat here in Australia – as well as explore the potential of expanding into Asia and the Middle East.

How amazing would it be to see these already beloved Aussie brands go global, able to deliver their kinder and more sustainable vegan products to even more caring consumers around the world? 🙌🌏

All G Foods to zero in on its food innovation work

By spinning out its LOVE BUDS brand to join this merger, All G Foods has announced it will be able to focus increasingly on its other area of specialty: precision fermentation research and development. 

All G Foods’ biotech arm is looking to create biologically identical – but animal-free – versions of both lactoferrin and casein, two key proteins found in dairy.

Their vision is to be able to produce nature-identical dairy, without the cruelty or land use associated with dairy production today.

“Since inception, we have always had one foot in the ‘deep-tech’ segment of precision fermentation, and the other in the consumer-facing ‘plant-based meat’ business,” said All G Foods founder and CEO Jan Pacas, who will be chairman of The Aussie Plant Based Co. 

“[This merger] represents a pivotal strategic move to allow the two different businesses to concentrate exclusively on their respective and unique needs.”

We can’t help but feel like the formation of a new powerhouse like The Aussie Plant Based Co could usher in a whole new era for plant-based foods in Australia, with potential ripple effects around the world …

Not only does it sound like we’ll be seeing even more delicious, Aussie-made vegan meats popping up in Australia and overseas – we might have entirely animal-free, ‘nature-identical’ dairy hitting the global market in the not-so-distant future, too.

For folks who want to ease their transition away from the environmental damage and cruelty associated with animal-based dairy, a stepping-stone innovation like this could be a game-changer. 

We’ll be watching this space for updates!

Header image: © LOVE BUDS