The Vegetarian Butcher, which was acquired by Unilever in 2018, has become available for retail in Singapore following successful entry into the country’s foodservice market.
The retail launch sees The Vegetarian Butcher selling its vegan range via FairPrice Group, Cold Storage Singapore, RedMart and Amazon.
In early 2021 the Dutch meat substitute company expanded into the Chinese market as part of its transition from local to global brand. Hugo Verkuil, CEO, explains: “Our ambition is [to] be the leader in plant-based meat and to step up our global impact by making The Vegetarian Butcher the biggest butcher in the world. We have our eyes on many more markets and are excited about the new range of innovative products we have in the pipeline.”
Unilever reports that the brand’s sales had grown by 70% by Q4 of 2020.
We hope to … place the brand’s products alongside traditional animal meats in butchers and restaurants nationwide
A partnership with The Social Kitchen – a social enterprise which offers disadvantaged communities ‘sustainable jobs through sustainable food’ – allowed The Vegetarian Butcher to showcase several dishes (NoChicken Truffle Alfredo pasta; NoBeef Rendang shepherd’s pie; NoChicken Nuggets in Thai sauce; and NoBeef Burger with crispy onions) at one launch event in December.
Ivan Lu, managing director Unilever Food Solutions Singapore and Malaysia, commented: “This timely partnership between The Vegetarian Butcher and The Social Kitchen allows us to foreground our shared values of social responsibility and sustainability, while encouraging consumers to eat less animal meat and adopt a more plant-based lifestyle’.
“We hope to become the leading provider of plant-based proteins in Singapore and place the brand’s products alongside traditional animal meats in butchers and restaurants nationwide.”
