A collective of some of the world’s top all-star athletes are investing in plant-based meat producer Beyond Meat.
The roster of names is being announced as part of the company’s Go Beyond campaign and includes Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Paul, DeAndre Hopkins, Victor Oladipo, Lindsey Vonn, DeAndre Jordan, JaVale McGee, Harrison Barnes, Malcolm Jenkins, Derrick and Charity Morgan, Alex Honnold, Shaun White, and Luke Walton.
These athletes join existing Beyond Meat shareholders JJ Redick, Tony Gonzales, Leonardo DiCaprio, Thomas Middleditch, David Wright, Eric Bledsoe, Maya Moore, Tia Blanco, April Ross and Maggie Vessey, as well as forward-thinking celebrities Snoop Dogg, Common, Jessica Chastain, Liza Koshy, and Nicole Williams in championing the brand.
Adding athletic investors and brand ambassadors reflects the understanding of the connection between the food you eat and physical performance, and aligns with the company’s latest campaign which “spotlights the inner spirit and drive to reach the unattainable… and propels its mission to perfectly build meat directly from plants.”
“At Beyond Meat, our goal is to provide consumers with plant-based meats that represent the Future of Protein – delicious, satiating protein and fuel for the body that is unburdened by health concerns increasingly associated with various animal meats,” said Ethan Brown, founder and CEO, Beyond Meat. “It’s not surprising to see that world-class athletes who are dialed into their bodies are early adopters of plant-based meat.”
Connected with the campaign is a video featuring stories gathered from this group of latest investors and ambassadors, and featuring All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving who said, “I wasn’t always the tallest or most gifted athlete, I had to work on it and in the process of working on my craft, it meant going beyond what everyone else was doing – breaking free of the mold to go beyond what was expected of me. I’m truly elated to be a part of Beyond Meat, a company that’s growing exponentially and doing it in a way that’s connecting people not just to great food, but to an incredible community.”
Beyond Meat is not unfamiliar with high-profile rounds and investors. In October 2016, Tyson, the largest meat company in the U.S. by sales, became the first global meat company to invest in a meat alternative startup when it announced it had acquired a 5 percent stake in the plant-based producer for an undisclosed amount.
Although small in comparison to Tyson’s 2014 acquisition of Hillshire Brands for $7.7 billion, this move by Tyson carries significant weight in what it signals.
“We’re enthusiastic about this investment,” said Monica McGurk, Tyson Foods’ executive vice president of strategy and new ventures and president of foodservice at the time, adding, “which gives us exposure to a fast-growing segment of the protein market. It meets our desire to offer consumers choices and to consider how we can serve an ever-growing and diverse global population…”
A year later, in December 2017, the company raised $55 million through a Series F round that included former McDonalds CEO Don Thompson, and included repeat investor Tyson Foods.
During that same quarter, in October 2017, the company announced the addition of Leonardo DiCaprio as an investor in the company and as an advocate. At the time, DiCaprio joined not only Tyson, but existing investors, Bill Gates, Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, the Humane Society of the United States, and Biz Stone and Evan Williams – the two co-founders of Twitter.
Global protein consumption is expected to climb at a CAGR of 1.7 percent, reaching 943 million tons by 2054, according to Lux Research. However, livestock production has come under fire for its effects upon the environment.
“Livestock production is a major contributor to carbon emissions. Shifting from animal meat to the plant-based meats developed by Beyond Meat is one of the most powerful measures someone can take to reduce their impact on our climate,” said DiCaprio upon the announcement.
Over this same time period, alternative protein sources are forecast to command up to a third of the protein market. This trend is taking particular hold in the U.S. market, where 60 percent of consumers between the ages of 15 and 70 say they are reducing their intake of meat-based foods, and of those reducing their intake, 55 percent indicate that the dietary change will be permanent, according to data gathered by HealthFocus, reports Food Dive.
Beyond Meat has become a leader riding this wave of change in consumption intent. Requiring 99 percent less water, 93 percent less land, nearly 50 percent less energy, and emitting 90 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than a quarter pounder U.S. beef burger, the Beyond Burger has seen sales reach 50 million to-date across 15 countries.
-Lynda Kiernan