China’s HEROTEIN Launches 16 Ready-To-Eat Plant-Based Meat Meals with Iconic Specialty Foods Brand Butler & White’s

Shanghai — Plant-based meat company HEROTEIN announced it has launched a line of 16 co-branded ready-to-eat plant-based meat meals co-created with iconic specialty foods brand Butler & White's. The entire range is fully plant-based and now distributed across China, generating fantastic reviews and high repurchase rates since its launch. The new range draws inspiration from a variety of international cuisines, including sausage roll and pies from British cuisine, samosas and spring rolls from Southeast Asian cuisine, chilli con carne from Mexican cuisine, and penne Bolognese and lasagna from Italian cuisine.

“Product innovation is key to capturing consumer demand in the growing plant-based meat sector, and we are delighted to partner with Butler & White’s for this new ready-to-eat range,” said Vicky Lee, CEO of HEROTEIN. “We will continue to leverage HEROTEIN’s unique product innovation capabilities to be a technology and culinary leader in bringing new plant-based meat and meal experiences to Chinese consumers," added Lee, who is former CMO of McDonald’s Taiwan and former Group Vice President at leading Chinese restaurant brand Xiabu Xiabu.

In addition to the launch of the new ready-to-eat product range, HEROTEIN has also established a strategic partnership with U.S.-based Mission Barns, the global leader in cell-cultivated animal fats, to jointly develop a line of non-GMO hybrid products made from a blend of cultivated fats and plant based proteins for the China market. With the partnership, HEROTEIN is well-positioned to be the first in China to commercialize such products, which will have the health and sustainability benefits of plant-based protein but with far more meat-like flavor and texture.

Since entering the market in February, HEROTEIN’s core lines of plant-based chicken and beef products have launched into leading food service outlets and online and offline retail stores, including award-winning burger restaurants CHARLIE’S Burger, Beef & Liberty, Fat Cow, and Grinder; premium hotels W Shanghai, Club Med, Banyan Tree; and retailers Epermarket, City Super, Times Grocery, Just Fresh, Chun-store and Delilife. Earlier this month, HEROTEIN's spicy chicken dish, created in collaboration with restaurant King Shannon in Shanghai, won the gold prize from the prestigious 2021 Xiang (Hunan) Cuisine Master Chef Award Competition, a national recognition of the quality and versatility of HEROTEIN's products.

HEROTEIN is the first domestic company in China to sell plant-based meat products produced using high moisture extrusion. Founded in 2020 and based in Shanghai, HEROTEIN has combined the formulation expertise of R&D experts who crafted products for leading global plant-based brands Beyond Meat and Impossible Foods with a local leadership team that has deep expertise in the restaurant, food service and grocery sectors in China. HEROTEIN aims to become the leading plant-based meat brand delivering best-in-class plant-based products formulated specifically for the Chinese market. The company was named to the International Future Agrifood 2020 Alternative Protein Top 20 list, and was a winner of TechNode Global’s 2020 ORIGIN Innovation Awards in the Food & AgriTech category.

For more information on HEROTEIN, visit:  http://www.heroprotein.cn/en.