Vivera ramps up plant-based investments to supply European market

12 Mar 2020 --- Plant-based food producer Vivera is predicting strong growth in demand for vegetarian products. The company has delivered average annual growth of 25 percent over the last three years resulting in €80 million (US$90 million) expected revenue in 2020. As Europe’s third-largest producer of plant-based meats, Vivera predicts that it can achieve revenues of up to €250 million (US$282 million). To achieve these targets, Vivera is substantially investing in its production capacity and its product portfolio to supply the retail market in 25 European countries.

“We clearly see accelerated growth in the European market of plant-based food. We are noticing higher than expected demand from European supermarkets and quick service restaurants. We will invest further in our successful journey to let consumers see that plant-based food can be as tasty as traditional meat, while having large benefits for their health, environmental impact and animal welfare. Making it tastier and easier for conscious consumers to reduce their meat intake is in line with our belief: more life, less meat,” says Willem van Weede, CEO of Vivera Foodgroup.

With a weekly production of 1.5 million plant-based products, Vivera responds to the growing interest of consumers in healthier and more sustainable food. It recently launched products, such as “bacon” pieces and BBQ Goujons, which are currently available at many large retailers in Europe.The new portfolio items come in addition to a plethora of Vivera products, including a 100 percent plant-based steak, which the group says was the first to enter the European market in 2018. Following release in the UK, the vegan “meat” was unveiled in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy. In 2018 the company also launched a Veggie Quarter Pounder, targeting the UK market.

Goodbye, meat products
In 2019, the collective Vivera Foodgroup stepped out of the meat industry by selling its former parent company Enkco, a specialist in chilled and deep-frozen meat products. Following the move, the group focused on expansion and investment in the remaining plant-based companies – Vivera, Culifrost and Dutch Tofu Company.

Since leaving the meat market, the company has successfully expanded its production capacity by 50 percent. Beginning in 2021, the company is executing a doubling of its production capacity with the opening of a new manufacturing facility in the Netherlands. Besides this, Vivera continues to increase its investments in marketing and R&D.

In the UK and the Netherlands, the “More Life Less Meat” repositioning has already taken place. The relaunch for other European countries – Germany, Italy, France, Belgium, Sweden, Norway, Greece, Poland and Hungary – is lined up in the coming weeks and months.

Edited by Missy Green