The move comes nearly a year after the El Segundo-based maker of plant-based meat substitutes opened its first manufacturing facilities in the Netherlands — a stand-alone factory in Enschede and a plant in Zoeterwoude that it shares with local meat processor Zandbergen World’s Finest Meat.
The facilities are working together to allow for end-to-end manufacturing capabilities, according to the company.
Beyond Meat’s products will be available this spring in 445 new retail stores throughout the U.K., including the Sainsbury’s and Waitrose supermarket chains.
The company’s retail partners in Germany are Kaufland, Tegut, Famila and Real, which will start carrying Beyond Meat products in 1,000 additional stores.
Beyond Meat’s Austrian footprint will include 1,500 new retail doors via Spar, Billa and Billa Plus while
Beyond Mince —a ground meat substitute — will debut at nearly 1,000 Albert Heijn and Jumbo stores in the country.
The company’s Swiss distribution expansion comprises 155 Migros stores throughout the country.
The new retail partnerships “serve as strong proof points that Europe’s appetite for plant-based meat and Beyond Meat products in particular is on the rise,” Chief Growth Officer Chuck Muth said in a statement.
“In fact, because of our strict ingredient guardrails, we’ve been able to more easily enter global markets including the EU to make plant-based meat options that are better for people and the planet more accessible to all,” he added.
Beyond Meat, whose products are available in 122,000 retail and food service outlets in more than 80 countries, reported a loss of $52.8 million on $406.8 million in revenue for 2020.
The company said the loss was driven by an increase in operating expenses to support expanded manufacturing and supply chain operations, among other factors.
Sales from international markets added up to $81.9 million last year.
In Asia, Beyond Meat’s factory in the Jiaxing Economic & Technological Development Zone near Shanghai, China, opened on April 7.
The facility will produce plant-based pork, beef and poultry products, including Beyond Pork, the company’s line of products created specifically for the Chinese market.
Production investments in China and Europe will “enable us to access local supply chains whenever feasible, and lower overall logistics costs to serve these important international markets,” Beyond Meat said in documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
