07 / 01 / 2020
Breda
GoodLife foods and Flexitarian Bastards join forces
Breda/Beringen, January 7, 2020 – Things are moving fast, very fast, on the meat replacement snack market. Scarcely six months after the start of the Flexitarian Bastards and the launch of the Vega Frick, the Flexitarian Bastards are joining the ranks of GoodLife Foods. This major player in the European frozen snack market is best known in the Benelux as the inventor of the frikandel and the company behind brands such as Beckers, Bicky and Mexicano. They acquire an exclusive licence to the brand, logo and recipes of the Flexitarian Bastards. GoodLife Foods also takes care of both the production process and the marketing. The Flexitarian Bastards are embarking on the further development of new meat replacement snacks. This acquisition fits in seamlessly with the reputation of GoodLife Foods as a producer of excellent frozen snacks and their ambition to grow further into one of the market leaders on this rapidly expanding market.
Enormous upscaling after barely six months
Steve Bonnyns: “In the beginning of June we launched our first product, the Vega Frick, a vegetarian version of the frikandel — an innovative product because we were the first to succeed in combining the authentic and recognizable taste with very good nutritional values and a very low calorie content. The Nutri-Score (B and light green) confirms the excellent quality. Reactions from consumers were extremely positive: love at first bite! Sixteen wholesalers in the Netherlands and Belgium and more than 100 chip stands, snack bars, event caterers and food trucks have already included the Vega Frick in their snack range. The nomination for the Horeca Expo Innovation Awards was a quick recognition. But there is more. Flexitarianism, vegetarianism and even veganism have long moved beyond the hype. Everyone wants healthier and more sustainable food and that fits perfectly with the mission of the Flexitarian Bastards: eating with a conscience, good for people and good for the planet. That’s how we got on the radar of GoodLife Foods. The taste and texture of our products, the nutritional quality, the limited ecological footprint and our passion form the basis of our collaboration. Moreover, as a young scale-up, we have the flexibility needed to respond quickly to market feedback. This deal is an unlikely quantum leap for us. Today our products are available only in Belgium and the Netherlands; tomorrow in the 17 countries in which GoodLife Foods operates: A daunting but very exciting challenge.”
An acquisition that fits seamlessly with our strategy
Dirk Van de Walle: “GoodLife Foods is a strong growing company. As we work hard to integrate our acquisitions and our intrinsically growing business across different channels and countries, we stay focused on innovation and respond continuously to changing food trends. We are currently mainly active in the UK and Scandinavian countries with our vegetarian frozen snacks, but we have also launched a number of meat replacement snacks in the Benelux. For example, we were the first producer to launch a vegetarian frikandel on the market! Because we are constantly looking for healthy and tasty products, however, we came into contact with the three Flexitarian Bastards. They have enormous knowledge of processes and recipes, and we are moreover charmed by their enormous drive and passion. First and foremost, we want to give them room to use that knowledge and passion for further and new developments. GoodLife Foods will assume production and marketing. In this way we will capitalize optimally on the strengths of both parties to continue to grow together.”
Together at Horecava with a new product
GoodLife Foods and The Flexitarian Bastards will present a new product in addition to the Vega Frick at the Horecava food fair in Amsterdam. The BETZY’S Burger (a meat replacement burger) has been developed in accordance with the credo ‘100% veggie, full of taste.’ These two meat replacement snacks have two ambitions: to be simply the tastiest with the best nutritional values.
Production and sales and marketing to GoodLife; R&D remains in Beringen
In order to be able to meet the increasing demand, production will move to one of GoodLife Foods’ production facilities in a few months. Sales and marketing will henceforth be managed from the office in Breda. Food Innovator Steve Bonnyns will join a dedicated team there to monitor and to develop further the identity of the concept. The R&D department of the Flexitarian Bastards, led by Luc and Erik Carmans, will stay in Beringen to develop new products in line with the DNA of the Flexitarian Bastards: passion for the product and the profession, hand in hand with taste, health and sustainability.