Beyond Meat facts for kids
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A Beyond Meat burger
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| Public | |
| Traded as |
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| Industry | Food |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Founder | Ethan Brown |
| Headquarters | El Segundo, California, U.S. |
| Revenue |  US$464.7 million (2021) |
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Number of employees
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1,419 (31 December 2021) |
Beyond Meat, Inc. is a company that makes plant-based foods that taste like meat. It was started in 2009 by Ethan Brown in Los Angeles, USA. Their first products came out in the United States in 2012. In 2019, Beyond Meat became a public company. This means its shares can be bought and sold on the stock market. It was the first plant-based meat company to do this.
Contents
How Beyond Meat Started and Grew
Starting the Company
Ethan Brown started Beyond Meat in 2009. He wanted to help fight climate change by offering meat alternatives. He worked with two professors, Fu-hung Hsieh and Harold Huff. They had been working on meatless protein for many years.
Beyond Meat used their ideas to create its first product. These were called Beyond Chicken Strips. They first sold them at Whole Foods stores in 2012. By 2013, they were sold all over the country. In 2014, the company made its first plant-based beef product. It was called Beyond Beef Crumbles. Since then, they have also made plant-based pork. The animal rights group PETA named Beyond Meat their Company of the Year in 2013.
Becoming a Public Company
Between 2013 and 2016, Beyond Meat got money from many investors. These included famous people like Bill Gates and Biz Stone. Even Tyson Foods, a big meat company, invested in Beyond Meat for a while.
By 2018, Beyond Meat had raised a lot of money. Many celebrities and athletes also invested in the company. These included Leonardo DiCaprio and Snoop Dogg.
In May 2019, Beyond Meat started selling its shares on the Nasdaq stock exchange. Its symbol is BYND. It was the first plant-based meat company to go public. On its first day, the company was worth about $3.8 billion. It was one of the most successful new public companies in a long time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Beyond Meat started selling more products in grocery stores. This helped them reach more people at home.
Where Beyond Meat Makes Its Products
Beyond Meat has several factories in the United States. These are in places like Columbia, Missouri, and Pennsylvania. In 2018, they opened a second factory in Missouri. This made their production three times bigger. In 2020, they bought another factory in Devault, Pennsylvania.
Outside the U.S., Beyond Meat has factories in the Netherlands. These factories help send products to Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. They also have a factory in Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China. This was their first factory outside the U.S. and started making products in 2021.
Making New Products
In 2018, Beyond Meat opened a large research and development (R&D) lab. This lab is in El Segundo, California. Here, scientists and chefs work to create new plant-based foods. In 2021, they announced a new global headquarters. This new place will have even more space for their R&D team. They want to keep making their plant-based foods taste even better.
Working with Other Companies
Beyond Meat works with many popular food companies. This helps them get their products to more people.
In July 2019, Dunkin' Donuts started selling breakfast sandwiches with Beyond Meat sausage. They first tested them in Manhattan. Then, they sold them across the country.
In November 2020, Beyond Meat teamed up with McDonald's. They worked together to create the McPlant burger. This is a plant-based burger option. They also started testing a plant-based minced pork in China.
In 2020, Beyond Meat also started selling its products online. This lets people buy directly from their website.
In January 2021, Taco Bell announced they would test a new plant-based protein with Beyond Meat. Also in 2021, Beyond Meat and PepsiCo started a joint company. It's called The PLANeT Partnership. They plan to make plant-based snacks and drinks together.
In February 2021, Beyond Meat made deals with McDonald's and Yum Brands. Yum Brands owns KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut. These deals mean more plant-based choices. You might see McPlant burgers, plant-based pizza toppings, or chicken and taco fillings. McDonald's tested the McPlant burger in the USA. It is now sold in several European countries.
In September 2021, Beyond Meat started selling their vegan chicken tenders in stores. You can find them at places like Walmart.
Beyond Meat Products
Beyond Chicken Strips
Beyond Meat's first product came out in 2012. These were frozen strips designed to taste like chicken. They were made from soy, gluten-free flour, and other ingredients. A special machine cooked and shaped them to feel like chicken. Some famous people liked them. However, some journalists said they didn't taste much like real chicken. Beyond Meat stopped making them in 2019.
Beyond Burger
In 2014, Beyond Meat announced they were making a plant-based burger. It was released in February 2015.
What's in a Beyond Burger?
Beyond Burgers are made from proteins from peas, rice, and mung beans. They also contain oils like canola and coconut oil. Potato starch, apple extract, and sunflower lecithin are also used. To make the burgers look like they "bleed," they use red beet juice. The products are certified to not have genetically modified ingredients.
One Beyond Burger patty has about 270 calories. It has 20 grams of protein and 20 grams of fat. This is similar to a beef burger of the same size. However, the Beyond Burger usually has more salt. The exact nutrition can change depending on where you buy it.
Beyond Sausage
In December 2017, Beyond Meat introduced a plant-based sausage. It was a vegan alternative to pork sausage. They made three kinds: Bratwurst, Hot Italian, and Sweet Italian.
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Beyond Sausage, raw
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Beyond Sausage, cooked
Beyond Meatballs
"Beyond Meatballs" are plant-based meatballs. They first appeared at Subway in 2019. You could get them in the Beyond Meatball Marinara sub. In September 2020, Beyond Meat started selling these meatballs in grocery stores across the U.S.
Beyond Meat Jerky
Beyond Meat Jerky is the company's first product that doesn't need to be refrigerated. It was also the first product made with PepsiCo as part of their PLANeT Partnership.
Beyond Mince
In 2021, Beyond Meat also started selling 'Beyond Mince' in the UK. This is a plant-based version of ground meat.
See also
In Spanish: Beyond Meat para niños
Images for kids
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A Beyond burger served at a restaurant in Tuolumne County, California, United States
