When it comes to genius marketing plans, this one may be our favorite. Swedish Plant-Based Food Company Peas of Heaven is selling their own “grow your own sausage kit” made from peas. How coffee giant Starbucks gets so much backlash from UK customers about charging more for plant-based milk, they have to reverse course. Plus, Canada is giving some big bucks to help the plant-based food community grow, read about the AgriInnovate Program here.
Joey Thurman:
Welcome to Talking Plant Protein. I'm Joey Thurman, and these are this week's Trending Topics.
Oh, Canada. Our neighbors to the north are doing more than planting the seed for a plant-based lifestyle. They're giving $1.4 million to female-owned plant-based food manufacturer Big Mountain Foods 2 Ltd. Now, this is a part of their agriinnovative program to accelerate commercialization and adoption of innovative products. Now, Big Mountain uses locally sourced ingredients to produce plant-based whole foods, such as Lion's Main Crumble and soy-free tofu made from my faba-rich faba beans.
Now, Starbucks hits reverse on a business decision. If you are living in the UK, you now will not be charged extra for plant-based milks in your favorite beverage. UK customers were upset about the company's decision to charge more for extras, such as oat and soy-based milk alternatives. Now, that's good news for those in the UK, but if you are in the states, open up those pocketbooks and pay more. If you want your fancy drink, you will have to "levy a surcharge for a customized beverage made largely with those substitutes," says spokesperson Megan Adams to the Associated Press. Now to be clear, the coffee giant does not charge for a splash of plant-based milks, but if you want your plant-based alternative as a main ingredient, you will pay anywhere from 50 cents to more than $1.
Would you grow your own sausage? Plant-based sausage that is. Sweden-based company Peas of Heaven is encouraging consumers to grow their own plant-based sausages. Yes, you heard that right. In this genius move, their recent campaign says customers can purchase a pouch of seeds from their website while supplies last and in about 50 days the seeds will be peas and then will be shipped back to the startup to be magically turned into sausage. Now, in case you were wondering, the company also makes plant-based schnitzel, that's fun to say, and burgers that you don't have to grow on your own.
For Talking Plant Protein, I'm Joey Thurman, and those are this week's Trending Topics.