While many meat processors see the plant-based trend as a threat, beef company Jensen Meat sees it as an opportunity.

The California-based meat company recently began the construction of a facility for the production and distribution of plant-based products to the foodservice and retail sectors.

"With 60 years' experience, Jensen Meat has perfected how to process and pack quality ground beef. We now want to leverage our world-class knowledge to create a cost-effective process for producing plant-based products," Jensen Meat CEO Abel Olivera said.

Cost-effectiveness is, in fact, a pain point in the plant-based market. One of the reasons why meat analogs are more expensive is the limited production capacity and efficiency of manufacturers. With large meat companies like Jensen Meat – which has Walmart and Kroger among its customers - offering co-packing opportunities, plant-based meat products are likely to become more affordable and available for more consumers.

Once it's open in April 2021, the facility will be capable of a variety of processes, including cooking, hydrating, emulsifying, and forming plant-based patties for distribution. "We can create, process, and pack plant-based products in ways that are cost-effective and innovative. We want to help bright minds out there that have the same goal of creating healthy, low-cost foods from alternative sources of protein, which also play a part in reducing world hunger.”

This is not the first step that Jensen Meat has taken towards the alternative protein market. In May 2019, the company’s owners Jeff and Gregg Hamann had privately acquired vegan brand Before the Butcher, which had been founded only two years prior and already had twelve lines of products.
Jensen is not new to expanding its production capability either. In February 2020, the company had invested $9 million to add two beef production lines in its Southern California facility, creating 50 new jobs.