We Fixed It, You're Welcome - Beyond Meat & the Future of Plant-Based Food

Episode Date: September 16, 2025

In this episode, our panelists discuss the strategic rebranding of Beyond Meat, which has now transitioned to simply "Beyond." The company, once a rising star in plant-based meats, now faces challenges due to mounting losses, oversaturation in the market, and shifting consumer preferences. They explore Beyond's new mission to focus on cleaner, simpler ingredients and whether expansion into other categories is a good idea. The panelists also dive into the challenges of rebuilding trust, addressing consumer concerns, and how companies can distinguish themselves from competitors. Key Topics Discussed: •Beyond Meat's Rebrand to Beyond: The company drops "Meat" from its name to reflect a broader focus on plant-based protein options, moving away from being just a meat alternative. •The Evolution of the Plant-Based Market: Discussion on how the plant-based meat market has become oversaturated with competitors like Impossible Foods and the influx of other plant-based brands in grocery stores. •Beyond’s Strategic Pivot: Beyond's decision to simplify its ingredients, focusing on transparency and health-conscious options. Their new product, Beyond Ground, made with simple ingredients like fava beans and avocado, aims to address concerns over ultra-processed foods. •Expanding Beyond Plant-Based Meat: Moving away from just replacing meat, Beyond is now positioning itself as a provider of healthier and more sustainable food choices, appealing to a wider range of consumers, including flexitarians and health-conscious individuals. •Mission vs. Market Reality: The panelists discuss how Beyond’s mission-driven approach, focused on environmental sustainability, may conflict with consumer demands for taste, price, and availability. The episode explores how the company must balance its mission with product execution to succeed in the competitive market. •Partnerships and Global Expansion: Beyond's struggle with previous high-profile partnerships, such as McDonald's and Starbucks, and the potential for future collaborations with health-conscious brands and meal kit providers. They also touch on the importance of understanding cultural nuances when expanding globally. •Challenges in the Plant-Based Category: The panelists discuss the "Frozen Yogurt Store Effect" and how Beyond's initial success created a market for competitors, leading to increased market saturation and consumer confusion. •Future Strategy for Beyond: The panelists suggest a focused, simplified approach to product offerings, building strong partnerships with like-minded companies, and focusing on their mission to create sustainable, plant-based protein options. Key Takeaways: •Simplicity and Transparency: Consumers are increasingly looking for simpler, cleaner ingredients in their food. Beyond's pivot to cleaner products with fewer ingredients could help rebuild trust and differentiate the brand. •Targeting a Broader Audience: Beyond's new focus on providing plant-based options for everyone, not just vegans and vegetarians, opens up new growth opportunities. •Strategic Partnerships: Beyond must choose its partners wisely to ensure they align with its mission and values. Collaborations with health-conscious brands or meal kit services could help reintroduce Beyond to the consumer base. Closing Thoughts: Aaron, Qadira, and Melissa highlight the importance of staying true to a company's mission while adapting to market changes. They believe that Beyond has the potential to bounce back, but it will need to focus on rebuilding trust, simplifying its offerings, and aligning its partnerships with its core values. Links: • wefixeditpod.com • Follow us on: Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/wefixeditpod LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/wefixeditpod YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@WeFixedItPod If you liked this episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with your friends! Keep listening to find out how we fix companies and put them back better than we found them. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hey everyone, Aaron here. We are beyond excited to talk to you about beyond meet, all the meets, and get into the meat of our conversation. Wanted to let you know, there's a little bit of audio glitch on this one here and there. You'll hear it, we hear it. No big deal. It'll just kind of fade into the episode. Hope you enjoy and here we go. Welcome to We Fix It. You're welcome. The show where we take over companies, you come along for the ride and we try to put them back better than we found them. Welcome back to We Fixed It. You're welcome. Melissa, Kedera, our fixes must be working. We've had a lot of new listeners. For those just tuning in, this is the podcast where we take a look at what companies are doing and say, huh, or sometimes, huh? Then we put ourselves in charge, give them a bunch of fixes, and hand the company right back. Every episode puts us to the test. How will we even fix this one? We don't know. You listen in, it's all in good fun, and we try to leave things better than we found them. You've got Melissa. on operations and customer experience, Kadira on corporate responsibility

and social impact, myself on marketing and branding, my name's Aaron, and sometimes an awesome guest, but not this time. So today, we are firing up the barbecue to dig into a company that has been hot that may be not so much, but we're not here to rake them over the coals, we're here to fix them. Whether you're a carnivore,

a vegan, ovulacto, paleo, or flexitarian, you're going to like this episode. We're talking beyond meat, I mean beyond, not meat. Kadeira, help us out here. Oh, yeah. So Beyond Meat has officially rebranded. They're no longer Beyond Meat.

They are Beyond. But why now? What does this all mean? So not long ago, Beyond was riding high, right? I mean, they were the poster child for the plant-based movement. They were backed by celebrities, stocked by fast food giants. Personally, as someone who eats a plant-based diet, Beyond products are always in my fridge. They taste great.

But fast forward, the story is a little bit more. complicated, right? So sales are down, losses are mounting. They've got some critics as terms of how the products are labeled. There's questions around it being ultra-processed, overpriced, and so they're rebranding. Again, they're moving from being known as beyond meat to beyond. And this is more than just distancing themselves from meat. I would call this a strategic repositioning, right? Because it's not just about burgers. They're talking about making. more than burgers. The name change actually gives them room to explore new categories. So we're talking about snacks. We're talking about possibly dairy. We're talking about supplements. What does that

mean? And all while I think stepping away from this kind of increasingly oversaturated plant-based meat aisle. If you walk through the grocery store, whether you are plant-based or not, just take a look the next time you're in there. There's a lot of different options. And so beyond, is moving towards being known as simpler, cleaner, more health-conscious protein products, right? So they've got this new or newer product called Beyond Ground, and it's made from just a few ingredients like fava beans and avocado. So nothing in there that you can't pronounce is what we typically hear. If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it, right?

And so Beyond Ground is kind of addressing some of that, which is great. But what does this strategic repositioning really mean, right? what, again, we're talking about is moving from being known as a meat replacement to really reinventing, right? They are actually now innovating on an entire category. They're also talking about expanding beyond their target audience. So again, when we think about plant-based meats, we think about that plant-based consumer. We think about vegans. We think about those flexitarians.

Again, we're now talking about more plant-based. based just options in general. Folks who want cleaner food. I might enjoy an occasional, you know, meat burger, but maybe I want some options. Maybe I just want something cleaner that's better for the environment on some days. We're also talking about differentiating from competitors, right? So that's a big one. Again, that those competitors that are focused primarily on meat, we're also now talking

about distancing themselves from some of these ultra-process claims because, again, they're going much simpler. And this rebrand, again, it's not just about promoting fewer ingredients, clean labels, but now we're talking about, again, regaining and rebuilding some of that trust. Again, some of that has just kind of gone away with this whole plant-based movement, folks kind of questioning claims that are being made about, is our product really better for the market, et cetera, right? Because I think across the board, meat alternatives have hit a wall.

So again, this isn't really just about beyond. It's about kind of the entire category where, you know, growth is slowed, prices are high, public trust is shaky. And I think by rebranding, Beyond is betting the future growth of the company on this pivot that they're making. But I think there's a risk that we need to talk about, right? So a couple of questions we need to talk about. So can the brand stretch far enough to reach new customers, right? We talked about that expanded target audience without losing the ones who believed in the original mission. And that's important. That's key. And speaking of mission, at its heart, beyond was always more than just a food company. Again, near and dear to my heart, definitely. It's a climate solution. That's really what they have prided themselves on. And I think in many ways, they are a symbol of corporate altruism. They have made massive investment in environmental efforts. They've made massive investments in environmental reporting. If you just look in their environmental reports on their website, even on the rapper, they talk about,

you know, a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to beef, 93% less land, 97% less water. Those are some impressive stats. But the reality is consumers, no matter how much you appreciate environmental impact and saving the planet, you still want taste, you want value, you want to be able to trust the product. Right. And again, when we think about from an environmental and sustainability standpoint, claims in those areas are under intense scrutiny regardless. And so if you're going to play in this space, you've definitely got to be on and be able to deliver. So I think what we need to talk about today, we need to talk about the opportunities and the risks about growing your niche, whether a mission-driven company like Beyond can survive or even

thrive when the market unfortunately starts to turn, and it turns on pretty much every business at some point. And is this a comeback story? Is this a pivot with a purpose? Or is it just another plant-based brand that's kind of struggling to find its place in a world that is so skeptical right now about everything. So that's where we are today. I think you've done a great job of kind of outlining the landscape, an ecosystem,

for these plant-based foods. And I think that to your point, it's more than a marketing makeover because it's really a full-skill business pivot because they're trying to actually change a little bit of the persona of who they are with. you know, that I mean, everybody loved beyond to start with, right? It's it's kind of that analogy of the whole like rising tides lifts all boats, but kind of in reverse now that the entire plant-based tide is kind of going out. Like you're kind of seeing there's a lot of competition and Possible's having problems as well. So everyone's feeling the pain in a really saturated type of

market. And to your point, the beyond meat was great. You know, know people loved it, right? But your unique challenge is that they've built their brand on that burger, right? That grillable experience, it tastes like a burger, blah, blah, blah. So now to kind of expand their menu options of what they have and beyond, you've really kind of, in trying to grow your business, so there's the whole business aspect of it, right, which is really they've got these financial issues underlying everything. It's going to to be really hard for them to increase their growth program and strategy while they're going through this pivot. And this is one of the areas that like, you know, in the world today,

politics and tariffs actually play its crucial role in this because this category is caught in that in that culture war, right? In some regions, meat is, you know, calling it meat. There's legislation against that. So I think by beyond dropping the name meat, they're kind of actually being shrewd because they won't have to go to court to be like, oh, we're not me, you know. So I like, yeah, I like that. But they don't have to, they're preempting that component of it. Yeah. But when they're looking at like going into the fava beans and the avocados to create beyond what is called ground now, you know, those are all. supplies that are coming from other places, right? And so if that is the case, are people going to be

willing to pay so much more for something, right? You know, and maybe they will. I mean, we've seen that with a lot of other brands, you know, but again, do you raise the prices for consumers when you're rebranding and trying to grow or how do you absorb that cost, you know, because otherwise you're going to deepen your losses? So, you know, they're really in kind of of, to your point, a very critical, you know, they're in a really critical intersection between their business, their brand, and what they're going to be sharing, you know, in terms of a strategy for the future and the customer, right? Like, I don't, I think, to your point, it's, it's a pretty saturated market. Everybody, you know. Yeah. So. Well, look, they,

they accomplished a lot. They're founded in 2009. What a marketing, people don't know this. Marketing's hard. Is it really? It actually is. Yeah. And creating a category, well, two things. Creating a category is incredibly hard. And training, I always say the hardest thing in marketing is training people out of

something they already know or they already do. So reversing a behavior or training into a new behavior is really hard. They did it. They created a category from a company found in 2009. There were already, if you're a vegetarian and flexitarian, there were options. So there's garden burgers and. Morningstar Farms, which is still a dominant player in this plant-based space. But they said, you know what, that's not good enough.

We want to make this meat alternative and substitute that reasonably tastes like a backsimile of meat and you're going to like it better. And they got their, together with Impossible, we did a really good job of getting into restaurants and the mass distribution that way created a category. Part of the problem that we're seeing, I saw this great quote from the street, an article that came out, is what they're calling the frozen yogurt store effect. where if you live in a city or town without a frozen, one of those self-served frozen yogurt stores where you can go out your own toppings,

and it's great for that business. So people line up out the door and frozen yogurt for days, you know, can't get enough of it. If a second store competitor opens up down the street, there's not enough customer base to support both. And so that's what we're seeing from a market perspective is you had Beyond an impossible came out a few years. later, but they don't really, they own their processes, you know, but there's no real IP

behind their ingredients or their formulations that I understand to be. So that's why you see Morningstar Farms doubling down and say we've got, I think there's this called Incognito. So ours is our meat facsimile. And then you've got store brands and things like that that that are just causing market saturation, consumer confusion. So it's not that, you know, beyond spent what they had to spend. to create the category, but they also opened it up to a lot of other players. And that's part of what they, you know, maybe they kickstarted the beginning of their own, I won't say demise. We haven't seen that yet. But they got it to the situation that they're in now. I wonder if they need to do,

like you said, marketing is hard. So I'm not going to pretend I'm a marketing specialist here. But, you know, when they're talking about Kadir, they're talking about like pivoting from like, I don't know what's in this burger that makes it so good, right? I don't know what's in this beyond burger that makes it taste so good to, you know, this is a more clean, plant-based substitute. If they lean into that and Aaron, like, change their marketing from deception, which was, you can't tell the difference between a real burger and our burger to the message is more about transparency, saying, like, try this plant-based,

you know, like discover the simple, clean protein that works for your lifestyle. Like, right? And they're going to be having all these different categories of food. So, like, maybe a shift in how they're doing that. But then, you know, what's it going to say to the people that have been loyal customers for years? You know, I don't know. But I think that they're going to have to go back to like the old school stuff, right? Like trial, you know, like at the grocery store at Costco where you're tasting it and. You know, like getting people to like actually kind of build up kind of that vibe. We've all talked about that recently.

The viral like content of it. Like working with wellness influencers online, you know, getting fitness centers involved, health food bloggers, you know, the plant based newspaper, you know, all the things. Yeah. Try to kind of, you know, enhance what their rebrand. looks like with a lot of polish and like with a lot of intention and really focus on that transparency piece because I think that that also addresses the like what's in here like what makes so good like it can't taste this good you know and that's not true it can but I think that's going to be really

important and then like you know building loyalty has to be on functionality and trust not just taste. So they have to, it has to be consistent. And the problem with like, you know, having fewer ingredients that you can say is that if something is wrong with one of those ingredients, the flavor is off, right? And so that's, you know, it's a risk going that way, but being transparent about it is that exploring, you know, all the different options. But I do think there are ways in which they can push themselves. You know, I know they have a partnership right now with Denny's, but like, what about having a partnership with Hello Fresh, right? Like a meal subscription program, right, that says, hey, let's show you, we're going to give you recipes. We're going to show you how to

make this, you know, amazing curry with this and it's going to, you're going to be just in love with the taste, right? You know, so something like that. I feel like really going to have to rethink how what their marketing strategy is yeah yeah and taste has to be a big part of that because you got you have taste you have price point if it's if it sells as a premium over a meat what they're betting on and since the beginning is that in stateside u.s. base is 15% of Americans or what they call the flexitarian category so primarily meat eaters or occasional meat eaters but looking for open to meet alternatives And what I was able to pull up is that 70% of Beyond's existing audience consumers would call themselves meat eaters.

So what they're hoping is that, you know, and they've got taste in their arsenal. They've got price point. They've got availability and growing out the category. But those are the levers they have to pull in order to get people not only vegetarians to say, you know, I want Beyond over impossible or over the store brand. but people that would eat meat and say, no, I'm going to opt for this other product. You know, they have only a small handful of things they can do to, you know, play that shell game. Yeah. Mix match.

Yeah. Yeah. I think that's a really good point that you both are making. I would agree. I do think that they need to continue to innovate around the cleaner ingredients and better nutrition. Melissa, I think that's a really good point of like if one of those two or three. Like people love to hear that, you know, something healthy that they're eating. is two or three ingredients. Again, if I can name it, identify it, perfect. You know, there's not

of other ingredients here that I can't pronounce perfect, right? But to your point, something's wrong with one, what does that mean your entire product I was going down the toilet, right? So I think continuing to innovate around cleaner ingredients for sure, I actually think, and I know that they're looking at expanding, but I actually think they need to simplify, simplify and kind of double down on what's working well. So even if they're going to expand a little bit, right, they've got the ground. I love their sausage. You know, the burgers are perfect. But even if you're going to expand into, you know, other categories around snacks and maybe dairy or things like that.

But like, how do you simplify that? What is, again, what's working well, focus on the quality ingredients. Get really good there. Right. And then again, like I would continue. And I think, Melissa, even your point about like these additional partnerships. Like, again, if you're thinking about expanding that target, that market beyond just kind of that plant-based versus. is someone who is just flex or, you know, again, I'm a carnivore, but what are y'all doing over here?

I think looking at some of those additional partnerships, even, you know, is there an opportunity in universities, college campuses, right? I'm sure they sell some of the products on college campuses, but like where are those other partnership opportunities? You know, I think, and, you know, of course, my brain is kind of going to like balancing the mission. And I do think, you know, they don't have to kind of get away from like, we want to be this, you know, kind of climate-focused product. We want to make sure that our product is good for the planet.

I don't think that they have to abandon that. But again, I do think it means that they need to line up the values of the company, right? So if you're going to be focused on sustainability and ethics and all those things. But again, just as a point you all have made, it also has to balance with tasting good and being affordable and being accessible. You know, the other thing that I would say is, and y'all know how much I talk about frameworks and, you know, asking questions and things like that. And so like if they're going to kind of balance this, like how do we, you know, dig ourselves out of this oversaturated, you know, plant-based market and plant-based meat aisle and all the things and kind of survive and we want to stay true to

our mission, I would then be using the mission as kind of our filter for everything that we do. So I've talked about, you know, for example, simplifying. I've talked about how you're going to think about expanding the target audience. But like use your mission then as your filter. if you really want to stay true to the mission and survive in this kind of, you know, maybe what I would describe it as a war in this plant-based space, meaning, you know, whether it's product, whether it's R&D, whether it's pricing, your social impact, obviously. Does this move us closer to our mission of being the sustainable, scalable food future? Can we afford to do it right now?

If it doesn't, then maybe we don't. Again, that, of course, is based on. on if they want to stay true to their mission and who they, you know, said they are since, you know, they started in 2009 or whatever. And I think, you know, finally, we talk about, again, when I think about partnerships and, you know, I know that they're working on their global expansion, I think that's really where it's important to really know those global communities if you're going to be expanding globally, thinking about those cultural nuances, right?

So the partnerships and what's going to work, even from the ingredients that you might use in India is going to be different than in the U.S. It's going to be different in China. It's going to be different in Ghana, right? And so when we talk about those partnerships, partner with NGOs, food service providers, I think that could also be a differentiator and really show that they're serious about expanding and being like a plant-based product that everybody can pick from.

Again, if that's something that they're really serious about. You're totally right, Kadira. And I like what you're saying because we're the United States is one small part. of this equation and there are entire countries that are more or less vegetarian or have dietary, you know, needs or restrictions that we don't have here as a homogenous country. Yeah. But I like, and I like what everything you're saying about the mission side of things, because that's what got me in the first place. Oh, yeah.

I was vegetarian myself for about 10 years and then for a number of reasons, including some of the bioengineering that was happening and things that were happening with farming and sustainability there. I thought, well, maybe that's being pure vegetarian. Maybe that's not the most responsible thing to do. Maybe I should do a little bit more of a balance. So it's led me on a little bit of a detour. But when Beyond came out, a couple things, Beyond and Impossible, I was hearing from others, like you have to,

there's just one restaurant in town. It's all the way across town, and they serve this thing, and it tastes like a burger. You have to have it. You know, on the buzzer, and it was really good at the beginning, and it got me interested. And then they did the IPO. And I remember during my, during the prep,

that I bought a little bit during the IPO. And I said, okay, this is going to change the world. I'm in. But now it's sitting at, what, a tenth of the value? And then what did IPO it at? So people that are sitting here watching saying, what are they going to do next? It's not a matter of will they make the perfect next step? But will they do something interesting?

And will they reverse course on what's happening? Because they just keep going down a trajectory that no one's happy with right now. Yeah. I loved what you said, Kadeer, as well, about being ruthless info. right and I do think that Beyond has with the rebrand to Beyond that's a good first step but I think that it would be really from an operational and a business perspective I just really don't think that they should be launching beyond eggs and beyond milk all of any time soon because I think what they need to do is not dilute the brand that's already kind of on

like, you know, quicksand a little bit, shaky ground, right? They should first really own their new identity and really lean into whether that they're going to be synonymous with what we've been talking about, simple, clean, plant-based protein ingredients, you know, da-da-da-da-da, right? And not just beyond meat, right, you know, so that gets it in people's heads that this is what it is. And like, to your point, like, really lean into beyond ground. and all these and getting them out in arenas where there is that buzz that Aaron talked about, right?

I totally remember, I remember the burger place in Denver that was the only one that was serving at, right? You know, and then once that trust is rebuilt, then you start extending into the adjacent categories because then people are not looking at you as beyond meat. They're looking at you as beyond and they're like, oh, this is that clean plant-based protein. This is like this is a great snack for me to give to my child, you know, on the playground or whatever, whatever, or, you know, whatever it might be. So I do feel like from our perspective as fixers, I think that we, you know, I would cautionary tale of like jumping in head first into the pool and not really having a plan of like where you're going. So that would be something that I'd be careful if I was then. Yeah, I love that, right? Like, you know, it sounds great. We definitely have talked about other brands kind of going all in, you know, casting this wide net and going all in. But, you know, maybe I, you know, tend to be a little bit more conservative or cautious. But I would agree with you. I would kind of babystep this. And before completely just jumping in as a way to rebrand or pivot, for sure. Well, and I think that the simplification, like we talked about, is simpler can be harder. Yeah. Like so with a more complex recipe, you can use additives and processing aids to make it taste better and mask the inconsistencies in your raw materials. When you only have four ingredients, if there's inconsistency or there's a bad batch of something, you're going to, you know, one supplier can ruin an entire production run, right? So operationally, this is going to be something that's going to, you know, you.

You know, they're going to have to think about their plants in terms of that, right? There's, you've got supply chain vulnerability. You know, we were talking about with the tariffs and everything and the political climate. That's, you know, and the farms and things like that and getting, you know, goods from other countries. That could be a problem as well. But you're going to have to reformulate this all of the things and try to get it as close as possible to whatever you're trying to mimic. So, you know, or maybe you're not. Maybe you're not going to have it be like you're going to just say, no, this is a clean protein alternative.

Yeah. And we know that it tastes like ground turkey. Yeah. Right, you know. But it has maybe the same consistency. So you can add it to a vegetarian chili or you can add it, you know, to a spaghetti sauce or something like that. But from an operational perspective, I just imagine that like their production lines are going to need retooling and retrochewing. and retrofitting processing is going to be much more, you know, require new equipment and

QA processes and, you know, and so there's going to be a bunch of change management also for the teams that are actually providing all of this out to wherever they're going to send it to. But you know what? If they can do this well, and obviously that's the whole point. it actually helps to strengthen their mission that much more, right? Stay with me, right? Because, you know, when they talk about the impacts to the environment and they report on those types of things and their environmental report and they're telling the sustainability story, I mean, supply chain improvements and that ingredient quality and product innovation,

that's part of their mission and their story right there. Right. So, like, if they actually can do what you're talking about, Melissa, which I love, if they can figure that out and do it well. And again, step, you know, baby step into it. Don't come out the gate, trying to do everything and definitely don't come out the gate trying to make all of these claims that you know you can't live into. But if they can figure that piece out, their mission actually skyrockets off the charts. And again, that can help them be a differentiator from their competitor. So I am not mad at that actually at all. You know, even we talk about, you know,

where they, you know, they're going to need to do these operational cuts and things like that. Again, it depends on where they're doing it. Again, not in the areas necessarily that we talked about because, again, that's going to impact their mission. But if they can figure out, like, you know, how to pivot but still enhance the environmental impact that they're having, that's a game changer right there. So I'm not mad at, you know, maybe some of the lean processes that they're, you know, potentially going to embark on because going lean actually might mean, you know,

being more sustainable, et cetera, again, all the things that they've been talking. about since the beginning of time with this company. Yeah. Well, they're going to have to figure it out somehow because we talked about strategic partnerships as part of their regrowth strategy. But the frustrating thing is they had those strategic partnerships. They had anything, you know, an upstart brand could dream of. So they were in McDonald's with the horribly named McPlant.

But it didn't go well. Oh. Some locations sold two to three a day. They, I don't know if they still are, but they were in Starbucks, you know, with the breakfast sandwiches and the sausage patties. They're in KFC. They got plant-based KFC nuggets. So they were put on a, you know, huge spotlight stage.

And one by one, like I said, Starbucks may still be around. But those, you know, those huge high-level, high-visibility partnerships are gone. A lot of them. So as you get, go back to basics or refocus or think about what happens next, you know, how do you win back not just consumer trust, but market trust. us that no, no, we're doing it right this time. This is, this is for real. I think you have to be very, very careful about who your partners are. Yeah. I'm just saying that like, you know, you name some people that I, KFC, like really? Like that's who you're going to go to? Like,

why aren't you at sweet greens, right? Like, Chipotle. Chippoldi actually does have their so frito or whatever thing. But like, I think you have to think about who you're, you know, like, that's what I'm saying is like I feel like they need to they need to pivot who their partners are too because I think that like I'm not going to McDonald's for a McPlant you know you're going for a Big Mac or you know what I mean and right and I want those like I don't know what part of the chicken it is chicken nuggets like that's fine I want 10 of them right you know so I just I wonder if like they need to pivot about like who their partners are because there's plenty of fast food out there but like if you think about it, like they could be part of like a place where you go, you know, like the sweet greens

kind of place or, you know, where you're looking for alternative protein for your salads or wrap, you know, just I feel like there's places that, I mean, even like a subway or even, you know, like somewhere where it's eat fresh, you know, like it makes it feel more what their mission is, like I would say like, is our mission like what McDonald's? mission is? I don't think so, right? You know, I just feel like that that was, you know, this is also a chance for them to kind of find that partner that's really going to lift them and really kind of, you know, help embody everything that they're all about because I don't feel like, you know, I feel like, yes, you want to get out there. Of course, like the more opportunities you have to

sell your product. But it doesn't necessarily mean you're going to sell more like McPlant. You're not going to sell more there, right? You know? And so I feel like there's an opportunity for them. Like I said, like so many people are doing these home meal delivery services, right? Like, they could partner with so many of those, right? Like, that would be to me, I think that, and that's an easy check. Like, I want beyond. Don't send me a chicken breast. Send me beyond, right? Send me the recipes. Have it already cut up. Have it all tasting good. Spice. devices, everything. And so all of a sudden, you're getting people habituated towards this is the option that I want. And so they'll be starting to look for it at, you know, partner restaurants or doing a pop-up. You know, like, I think that there's a way that like customers today want to be, we're talking about all different types of things. They always want, it's always about like that feeling of like you don't fomo. You don't want to lose out, right? Yeah. So how to make a viral moment of it. right? Like beyond, do you know what beyond is? Do you know where the beyond pop-up is? Oh, my God,

you need to try these kebabs, you know, all the things. And really, you know, but have it be like, you know, something where it makes sense, like at a farmer's market versus a fast food. Yeah. I don't know if that's enough, though. Like, because on menus, you go to restaurants, even in, you know, little county cafes and instead of the house. made Patty or the garden burger that used to be on menus, they have a beyond or an impossible. So I don't know. I don't know if that's enough. I hate to say it, huh. But I think we'd be looking at a global meat shortage or an e-cola outbreak or something where people just say, well, that's not good of anymore. What else can we be eating? You know, and I don't wish any

catastrophe on anybody, but I think it would take, you know, a monumental disaster-style event for to create a more viable category opportunity, let alone a beyond opportunity. That's just where my head's at on it. Yeah. And I think Melissa, though, to your point, though, about, you know, some of the partnerships, I mean,

I think, and again, not, you know, sitting at the table with the Beyond team or any of the plant-based teams, but I, you know, I think, obviously what they're trying to do is like, okay, you know, one, if I'm plant-based, but maybe all these years ago, I remember what that delicious, McDonald's burger tasted like, okay, I can get close enough right on the menu.

Or if I'm with my friends and everybody else who's eating burgers or chicken, I at least have an option on that menu. But I think what you're saying, the bigger point that I'm walking away from is sometimes your mission and what you stand for can actually in some ways become a little bit of a liability to you. Because folks do start asking these types of questions, right? it almost seemed like a contradiction, right? If you're so health-focused and, you know, is a healthier, greener option, then why would I be going to fast food restaurants anyway? And so, you know, I think that that's a really good point that, you know, they probably do need to be thinking about as they're thinking about expanding into partnerships

and, again, going global and all those things. What I always advise, you know, when I'm working with companies is like, think about, you know, this balance of like over-promising and under-delivering, because that's what's going to get you, you know, get you in trouble with, again, talking about what your mission is and what you stand for and all these things. And then to your point, you show up at a restaurant or, you know, some sort of other partner that just seems to kind of contradict who you are. I think the way that they, and we've talked about this before, the way that they kind of, you know, can kind of back out of this or address this is like, of course, in their messaging, being consistent, being transparent. Why are you here? Right.

Like, don't make me as the consumer guess. why you might be embarking on some of these partnerships. What does this mean other than it's a money grab? Again, especially if you're doubling down on saying you're this mission-driven company that's focused on sustainability and health and being greener and all the things. Okay, so then why are you partnering with, you know, a sugary donut company? Just making that up, using it for an example. So, you know, I think that that's a really, really good point that you're making around,

you know, if this is who you say you are, then being really mindful about who you're aligning yourself with. if, again, you know, how you're thinking about your mission and you really want it to stand true and stand alone. And I also think, you know, again, I think the FOMO thing and viral moments is a big marketing thing, right, today, in today's world. Everybody, like, you know, we're talking about all the different things, right? You know, the Taylor Swift thing, all the things. I think that they have an opportunity also to be very mindful of how they partner and launch beyond, right? And so like they could make it feel like back to Aaron and I talking about like there was only one restaurant that had the Beyond Burger or something like that is what if they partnered with only with Target or only with Kroger or only with Whole Foods or only with Walmart like only one retailer to start with.

So they had it very specific. So that was like the destination where you had to go to get the beyond line. And create this buzz that. It includes dedicated demo days where they're creating foods for you to taste. They also have, it becomes like a destination thing. They have the clean and healthy, you know, protein-based, you know, all the things, you know, displays. And kind of get their feet in there and get that buzz going before they kind of do, like, launching it all over, which feels not intentional.

It feels like they're just trying to stay alive, which maybe they are. I don't, you know, I shouldn't, you know, it's easy for me to say this, you know, being kind of a backseat driver. But I do think that like I said, like people want to feel like what they're doing is special, right? And that they're apart, you know, like you want to feel like you won the auction. You know, you want to, you know, like there's like a lot of sale like clothing sites that do that where they're like, this is only available for 10 hours and then it makes you feel like you have to buy it and you don't really.

Yeah. It's just a white t-shirt. You know, that kind of thing. And so I'm talking to myself as a customer. I think like that would kind of be a cool way for them to launch it, you know, and then, you know, really envision like who that partner should be, right? Like, you know, Whole Foods would be a great example, right? Like they were kind of known before Amazon bought him for being like,

a health store and da-da-da-da-da-da-da there now a lot more but they also have ability to cook beyond and use it as an ingredient in their buffet style right or a pop-up or an in-store like a built-in cafe type of thing yeah love it i like what Melissa i like everything you're saying I just think beyond is doing the opposite of what you're saying they're dropping the meat and saying well now beyond can still be that it could be sympathetic meat protein and it could be be anything we want it to be. So it's going to be new categories and it's going to be new, new foods. And it's, you know, we don't even know what it is yet necessarily, which is, it's confusing, right? It's hard to follow that. You can't be when you're in a tough financial

position, the last thing you can be is everything to everybody, right? You go, I figure it, are. Yeah. Yeah. And I think that Kadira has mentioned this so, so often about bringing it back, but it's like, it seems like they're not clear on their story. Right? What is, the narrative? What are they trying to do? And if it's, you know, it just feels like if they had a little, like they just got a laser focus, man. And then I love the idea because I think that this is something that people want in this category, especially. And I think not just in this category in all foods category, but that transparency of like like the simple thing. I love what you said, if you can't pronounce it, then don't eat it kind of thing. I love that. I love that. I love that. right, you know, that habits that, you know, have their mission made. It'll be six ingredients or less, right? You know, great. Yep.

All right. Well, I can't believe it, but it's time to fix this one. We made a mess. Let's clean it up. So let's pull the threads back together. So we are going to walk up to Beyond's door, knock and hand them a paper. The paper is going to say, hey, Beyond, stick to your category, start building it back better, focusing on your mission.

When you look at partnerships, look at strategic partnerships and who really aligns with your mission and what you're set out to do. Don't just jump on an opportunity because it's an opportunity you did that already.

And look at maybe choosing one, you know, whether it's Whole Foods or one partner that really sticks with you and reintroduces consumers and that's your proving ground and then you build back up from there. Maybe look at meal kits

and home delivery and less what you might consider traditional options to retrain or regrow your consumer base and to grow preference. And once you've proven out your category that you've already originated and you're established, then you look at going beyond those things. But start with there and start building back. Are we, Melissa, if we do that, what do you think? I think they have a really good chance because I think that this is a kind of focus that they need in this category.

And I think that the others are still trying to mimic meat, but they can really actually lean into this protein plant-based diet and an ingredient and actually show the world all the possibilities. So I love it. I think, but I do feel like they need to pivot from the scattershot product launch approach. And I think you got to close in, focus. Yeah. Kedarah, what do you say?

Yeah, absolutely. You know, I'm biased. I do love Beyond products for sure. And so I definitely am rooting for them and want them, you know, to win. I think that they are definitely in this trust rebuilding moment as they rebrand. That's not a bad thing. I think people do still believe very much in this brand. Again, they were a leader, if not kind of developed the category.

So they've got that credibility from early in, you know, leadership. Again, the environmental impact that they were having. the thing that I would add, again, just from, you know, thinking about them as this mission-driven company is just make sure that their values line up with the value that they're bringing to the customer and just making sure that the mission doesn't outpace or get in the way of the product execution. Right. So again, yes, we're all about saving the planet. We're all about, you know, helping the environment. But again, if no one's buying our product, because, again, it's not delivering on those, you know, that quality taste ingredients, all the things, then, you know, we're going to have a harder time being able to invest. our profits into our social impact efforts.

So that's the only thing that I would add, but I think that we have definitely fixed it. I hear you. I'm going to give you one more, that I was thinking about not the first to say it. So Beyond is going back, maybe not to basics, but they're going more transparency in the ingredients. They're focusing on the ingredients and the simplification and the natural side of things. Impossible Burger or Impossible Foods is going more on the reality simulation. you know, proximity, the indulgent side of it, they're even saying,

hey, we might give you a hybrid burger that's half meat of our ingredient. Yeah. So they're, they're making an effort to distance themselves as companies. And they're going to try to spend each other, I would think, with whatever resources they have left to win consumer preference. As someone who eats both interchangeably, I don't care. Some people do. Some people feel strongly. I don't. You know, I'll buy whatever's in front of me. Why don't they merge? Just create Beyond Impossible. One company. Get a primary market share overnight. Consumers that have preferences can choose A or B in your product line, but you're going to start simplifying and concentrating what you do best. And then you can, you have economies of scale. Your price point can come down.

And then you can innovate and get into other categories because you have the means to do it. And you've got some stability for a while. And again, not my original idea. People have been kind of sitting on the sidelines saying, why don't we do that? But I think it's time. Why don't they do that? We'll see. I don't know.

Well, we'll see what happens from here. It's possible to get them in a room together. Let's do it. Yeah, let's mediate. I love that. That's going to do it for this episode, and we fixed it. You're welcome. Like, every time we talk about food, my stomach's growl.

I know. So this time we took you beyond meat, hopefully beyond expectations of what we can do. If you like our fixes, give us a shout, we fixed it pod.com. If you think we got it wrong, keep it to yourself. No, just kidding. We still want to hear from you. We fixeditpod.com. And companies keep doing what you do. You keep us very busy. We're going to go cook up another episode, so we will see you next time. We hope you enjoyed this episode of We Fixed It. You're welcome. We go into every episode somewhat cold and nothing we say should be construed as legal advice, financial advice, or anything that would get us in trouble. All trademarks, IP, and brand elements remain property of their respective owners.