Skinny Butcher collaboration puts plant-based poultry on the map

08 Mar 2022 --- Skinny Butcher, Wow Bao, Golden West Food Group and Valor Siren Ventures are teaming up to bring a soy-free range of plant-based poultry to supermarkets and virtual restaurants in the US.

Skinny Butcher commissioned LA-based Golden West Food Group to manufacture the plant-based protein range. The company was developed in Detroit by former Garden Fresh Gourmet partners, who sold it to the Campbell’s Soup Company for US$231 million.

Wow Bao designed the virtual kitchen concept while chefs from Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises (LEYE) created the Crazy Crispy Chick’n menu.

Skinny Butcher imports a vegetable fiber strain, based on pea protein, and combines it with a proprietary spice blend to create plant-based products.

“While other plant-based chick’n companies have nuggets, we have a full line of menu items that will please any and all eaters,” says Wow Bao president and CEO Geoff Alexander.

Crispy chicken for every palate
Wow Bao has a longstanding relationship with Valor Equity Partners, an operational growth equity firm. Valor Siren Ventures, Valor’s early-stage food, food technology, retail and retail technology investment fund, made a US$10 million investment in Skinny Butcher.Skinny Butcher imports a vegetable fiber strain based on pea protein.

Wow Bao is a virtual restaurant operator with more than 650 units across the US. The company has partnered with Reef Kitchens to launch Crazy Crispy Chick’n via third-party delivery.

Food manufacturer Golden West Food Group caters to companies across food service, military, private label and retail industries.

As the plant-based space continues to evolve and branch out, Innova Market Insights details how global markets continue to open up for hybrid formulas made with both animal-based and alternative proteins, driven by expanding consumer preferences for an “extra level of sophistication.”

An Innova Consumer Survey indicates that 36% of global consumers would prefer a mix of plant and animal products, while 25% would prefer 100% plant-based options.

The rise of plant-based eating has been charted by the market researcher’s Top Ten Trends for several years. 

Edited by Inga de Jong