US plant-based protein maker Beyond Meat has unveiled a new partnership with Chinese tech giant Alibaba, which will see Beyond Burgers hitting supermarket shelves in mainland China for the first time.
The move follows high profile foodservice launches with Starbucks and Yum China earlier this year. Starting this weekend, the plant-based Beyond Burger will launch in 50 Freshippo stores in Shanghai. The collaboration with Alibaba Group’s Freshippo, an innovative mobile-powered new retail platform, marks the first rollout of Beyond Meat products in supermarkets in mainland China.
After offering the Beyond Burger in 50 Shanghai Freshippo stores throughout the summer, Beyond Meat plans to expand its Beyond Burger to an additional 48 Freshippo stores in Beijing and Hangzhou starting in September 2020. The Beyond Burger will also be available on the Freshippo mobile app so customers can have delicious plant-based meals delivered on demand and enjoy the product with their friends and family from the comfort of their own homes.
Ethan Brown, founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, said of the partnership, “We know that retail will be a critical part of our success in China, and we’re pleased to mark this early milestone within a few months of our market entry. Following recent foodservice announcements with Starbucks, KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell in China, as well as our distribution partnership with Sinodis, expanding into retail is the natural next step in building our market presence. We are proud to partner with Alibaba’s Freshippo, a dominant player in the retail space, to introduce our hallmark Beyond Burger to home cooks throughout China.”
“Freshippo’s New Retail technology will enable plant-based meat to grow in China by meeting the modern Chinese consumer’s expectations whether they are shopping online or offline”
Jiayu Zhao, senior director and Head of Merchandising of Freshippo said, “Beyond Meat and Freshippo share a vision of bringing innovative shopping experiences and products to our customers. Freshippo’s New Retail technology will enable plant-based meat to grow in China by meeting the modern Chinese consumer’s expectations whether they are shopping online or offline. We have seen a growing interest in plant-based meat among our shoppers and look forward to offering more Beyond Meat products in the future.”
In Freshippo locations around Shanghai, the Beyond Burger will be located in the frozen meat section, offering Chinese customers more choice when it comes to their protein options and greater visibility for plant-based meat in China.