JUST Kicks off #EarthEveryDay Campaign With Adrian Grenier

A day after Earth Day, actor Adrien Grenier joined the CEO of JUST, Inc., Josh Tetrick, and their most devoted fans for an online live stream to kick off their new campaign, #EarthEveryDay. JUST, a company specializing in egg alternatives, believes their mung-bean formula is a much more sustainable alternative to shell eggs, which require huge amounts of land and feed to produce. Grenier, a well-known actor and co-founder of DuContra Ventures which has invested in JUST, shared his love for the company that created the plant-based vegan egg phenomenon, saying that he felt drawn to the plant-based brand because he felt it was "important for me to invest in companies that reflect my values."

Grenier refers to himself as a 'halfitarian' and encourages others to make their best effort to reduce their meat and dairy intake, saying, "If you are on your way to a vegan lifestyle. If you are cutting down on your meat, those are great steps. Don’t feel absolute perfection is the goal. I've been a 'halfatarian' and that means I do try to eat mostly plant-based and every now and then allow animal protein. But I've been able to sustain that for a long, long time."

Tetrick gave some insight into what we can expect next from JUST, noting that the company is taking strategic time to develop their offerings because they want to zero in one product at a time, saying "[I want to] focus and get one thing really right and then moving on is a much better approach. I want to increase my odds that I do something meaningful."

JUST also announced plans to expand its products' reach to Europe in the next few years, actually utilizing existing supply chains and infrastructures from egg distributors to ramp up this production overseas. While it seems like an unusual pairing, Tetrick notes that the egg distributors want to do something positive, and working with JUSTEgg is a beneficial step for them to move in the direction of a more compassionate, sustainable world. They also noted that they hope to build strategic partnerships with restaurants and fast-food chains around the country. About this, Grenier remarked, "There are certain chains I won’t step into, but if they had JUSTegg on the menu, I might."

Tetrick cautioned that as plant-based breaks into the mainstream, companies need to be careful not to "repeat the conventional mistakes of the regular food market." He notes that while JUST Egg is currently made of mung bean, the brand has plans to explore other plants and their ability to mimic egg-like textures as well, as to not create a "monoculture" and cause some areas of the world to cultivate only a single crop, which it then becomes reliant on.

As the live stream came to a close, Grenier hypothesized about the skyrocketing growth of the plant-based food industry, saying that "what's driving the trend is awareness, mindfulness. People are starting to recognize that what they eat affects the world."

To hear Grenier and Tetrick talk about the future of the plan-based food industry, check out the video below: