From lfpress.com
What began as a fun food-truck burger for a small London startup has landed in grocery stores and is launching serious business growth
What began as a fun food-truck burger for a small London startup has landed in grocery stores and is launching serious business growth.
New Leaf operates a vegan food truck but is now searching for its own commercial kitchen with its burgers made from beets having landed in more than a dozen local grocery stores – growth that’s made a move from The Grove food incubator at Western Fair District necessary.
“The beet burger is our signature item,” New Leaf owner Andy Coughlin said. “It’s going well. We’re excited about it. We’re in a lot of stores.”
Coughlin roasts organic beets that he buys from a farm in St. Thomas, and adds “natural whole food items” such as hemp seed, chickpea flour and herbs and seasonings. It’s then formed into a patty for cooking.
“The biggest thing driving this is the fact more people want to try plant-based alternatives to animal products, more people know animal products have a direct relationship to your health,” Coughlin said. “People are jumping on this and it’s been great. We have a lot of regulars. There’s been a good response.”
He began selling the patties in stores in April and sales are about 50 per cent higher than forecast, he said. Coughlin sees a market selling into more stores but his location at The Grove is a small space and he’s looking for a larger site, upwards of 1,500 square feet.
“We need to find a kitchen we can build out and have access to 24-7,” he said.
Grand View Research, a market research and consulting firm, estimates the Canadian vegan food market was valued at $675 million in 2021, and in 2030 it will be worth about $1.8 billion.
Coughlin is confident that growth is realistic. “It’s not a trend. It’s the fastest-growing grocery sector.”
A 2023 report from the Ivey Business School at Western University agreed, stating: “Between 2020 and 2021, vegan and vegetarian food sales both increased by over a whopping 150 per cent, while the vegan market across the world in 2021 was estimated at US$16 billion.”
As for New Leaf, the beet burgers are sold locally at Great Canadian Superstore, Remark, Quarter Master Natural Foods, Reimagine Co. and Jaydancin on Hyde Park Road to name a few locations, as well as retailers in St. Thomas, Stratford and Sarnia.
New Leaf has operated a food truck since 2020 and the beet burger was always a popular menu item. Coughlin began selling the burgers at the London Food Co-Operative on Princess Avenue at Adelaide Street earlier this month.
https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/burgers-made-of-beets-one-vegan-london-startup-is-betting-on-it
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