Two Plant-Based Brands Top TIME’s Most Influential Companies List

Arguably one of the most influential magazines in the world, TIME, today revealed its first-ever list of TIME100 Most Influential Companies, a new lineup that highlights the 100 businesses making a remarkable impact around the world. In its “Pioneers” section, two of the 16 brands featured are plant-based food companies: Beyond Meat and Oatly.

It’s perhaps a sign of the times that companies from two exploding sectors, plant-based milk and meat alternatives are on the list. These two industries have witnessed incredible growth over the last few years and helped catapult “alt-” into the mainstream proving that you can have your meat, and drink milk too...and do it pleasurably with no animals involved.

Beyond Meat (NASDAQ: BYND) has been the darling of the plant-based meat world — and the darling of the stock market with shares now up (as of current market value) 290 percent since its IPO in May 2019. It’s also delivered triple-digit revenue growth each quarter since it debuted on the exchange. Beyond the impressive numbers, people simply love the Beyond Burger and its other meatless products. As one of the first plant-based meat brands to tackle the antiquated veggie burger head-on and make plant-based burgers for meat eaters replicating the look and feel of beef, Beyond Meat has been a force on the grocery shelves and in food service.

Now carried at major grocery chains across the country, from Walmart to even CVS, Beyond Meat is an expected item on the shelf. The company just announced a new and improved "Even Better" Beyond Burger, that will taste even more like real meat, to be rolled out in May. Beyond has been the dominant player, partnering with retail restaurants from fine dining establishments to fast-food chains.

Even McDonald’s jumped on the plant-based meat train and they did so with Beyond Meat in November 2020 announcing the beginnings of a partnership and the forthcoming “McPlant” set to roll out in 2021. And Carl’s Jr. recently announced the launch of its now-available Beyond Fiery Famous Star Burger. Other dominant brands like Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, KFC and Dunkin’, and more all currently serve Beyond Meat products in some form and fashion on their menu.

Oatly, the Swedish-based plant-milk company, has deep roots in oat-milk making, but really only became popular in 2017 as a go-to for baristas. Now offered in more than 20 countries, Oatly seems to be a favorite of dairy converts as it continues to gain ground winning both the hearts and taste buds of consumers. They also now have gone beyond their popular shelf-stable milk and make vegan ice cream and yogurt.

The company recently was the center of attention as they confirmed they were taking the initial steps towards an IPO, and valued itself at a market cap of $10 billion, making it five times larger than Beyond Meat when it IPO'd at a list of $25 per share back in October 2019. Oatly also recently announced plans to open one of the world’s largest plant-based “dairy” factories in the U.K., which is slated to break ground in 2023.

Beyond the rich and creamy oat milk product, Oatly's distinct, unapologetically witty brand has been front and center over the last year, especially with its notorious 2021 Super Bowl ad that was both loved and hated — mostly laughably loved — for being so bad, it was good. The “wow, wow no cow” chorus from the song in the commercial might still be stuck in your head. But that line pretty much sums up Oatly: Yes, you can have a great milk-like product, without the cow.

“We’re in the midst of a reset, one that is already transforming the economy and what employees, customers, and our broader communities expect of companies,” said TIME CEO and Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal in a piece discussing the TIME100 companies list. “In talking with the leaders of these businesses—which are large and small, U.S. and international, public and private—it’s clear that this is only the beginning.”

See the entire TIME100 Companies list here.