Vegan Wagyu Beef Delivered to Your Doorstep? Here Are the Details

Vegan wagyu beef delivered to your doorstep? It may sound unbelievable, but it will soon be possible, thanks to Wamame Foods. The brand is shipping its vegan wagyu product directly to American consumers nationwide via GTFO’s It’s Vegan's online platform.

Wagyu beef is one of the most coveted beef breeds in the world, and Wamame’s new product will provide fans of wagyu with a sustainable alternative that captures the beef's highly marbled properties. Wamame’s Wagyu Premium Sukiyaki Style “Beef” Teriyaki strips use exclusively plant-based ingredients, and currently, the company only produces small batches, but this new partnership will allow the company to expand its distribution capabilities.

“Having the ability to sell our products directly to consumers is an excellent way for us to enter the US market with our flagship Wagyu brand,” CEO of Wamame Foods Jarrett Malnarich said. “The GTFO direct sales platform positions us to quickly generate revenues and it is also an excellent channel for us to launch additional Wagyu™ products over the coming months.”

Recently, the Canadian company showcased its plant-based Wagyu at the exclusive Ted2022 Conference in Vancouver, serving the vegan soy-based Wagyu steak to guests including Elon Musk, Al Gore, and Bill Gates. Now, consumers will be able to get this specialty meat alternative through eCommerce.

The online launch closely follows Wamame’s partnership with Advanced Fresh Concepts – the largest sushi franchise in the United States. The company’s vegan iteration of the luxury Japanese beef will be available at sushi restaurants nationwide. Advanced Fresh Concepts currently operates over 4,000 foodservice locations in the United States. Wamame’s parent company, Top Tier Foods, claimed that this launch is a trial, marking the first test of the innovative product.

“This trial will hopefully be the beginning of a long and successful partnership between AFC, Zensho Holdings, and Top Tier Foods,” Top Tier Foods President Blair Bullus said. “With an ever-increasing demand for plant-based alternatives, we believe Top Tier Foods can help fill that demand with unique products that offer both quality and sustainability for Zensho’s global clientele.”

On May 22, Wamame and GTFO will showcase the vegan Wagyu at the CoLaboratory launch party in Chicago. This groundbreaking vegan beef honors traditional Japanese fermentation and cooking techniques to replicate the taste and texture that makes conventional wagyu such a desired food. The plant-based products replicate the beef by creating whole muscle plant fibers.

The vegan Wagyu is the product of a collaborative effort in Canada to produce beef and pork products to rival Wagyu beef and other meat industries. Led by Protein Industries Canada, the coalition set out to create impressive, upscale meat alternatives using Canadian crops. The co-investment project will include Wamame Foods, Merit Functional Foods, Wismettac Asian Foods, and Winecrush Technology, working to diversify the plant-based market in Canada.

“Partnering with Protein Industries Canada has enabled Wamame Foods to assemble a world-leading consortium of like-minded companies and academia to deliver on our goal of creating premium plant-based beef,” Bullus said. “This project will leverage the best in Canadian and Japanese agriculture, technology, and culinary tradition to build a premium plant-based alternative that rivals the world’s most revered beef, Wagyu.

“Wamame’s plant-based Wagyu will offer a new, sustainable alternative that promises consumers flavor and that melt-in-your-mouth culinary experience that Wagyu premium beef delivers. Support from Protein Industries Canada will strengthen our key partnerships domestically and help expand Wagyu globally with amazing companies like Wismettac Asian Foods.”

The international project received $7.6 million dollars which allowed the brand to develop high-quality meat alternatives. Its plant-based alternative will significantly cut into the negative environmental impact that stems from the global beef industries. Animal agriculture uses 77 percent of all agricultural land despite only supplying 17 percent of the world’s food supply.

These specialty plant-based meat options are intended to encourage people to shift to more sustainable food options. A plant-based diet can potentially slash food-related greenhouse gases by up to 61 percent. With more vegan delicacies like Wamame's Wagyu, diners might be more inclined to try vegan options, especially as interest in sustainability continues to increase worldwide.

For more plant-based happenings, visit The Beet's News category. 

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