BY THE END OF 2019 100% VEGETABLE-BASED
THE VEGETARISCHE SLAGER:
AFTERMOVIE
| ROOCKWORST
THE STORY OF THE VEGETARISCHE SLAGER
| JAAP KORTEWEG
Since the establishment of the Vegetarische Slager (the 'Vegetarian Butcher') on 4 October 2010, the company has grown into a leader in the field of meat substitutes that are no less tasty than meat. The ambitions of founder Jaap Korteweg are clear: to become the largest butcher in the world and by the end of 2019 all products will be 100% vegetable-based.
For Avebe, growth in good food means growing in food ingredients that are healthy and sustainable. Protein, starch and combinations of both are an excellent ingredient in meat substitutes, for instance.
A growing market..
Jaap Korteweg (1962) is a farmer's son. His parents had a mixed farm with arable farming and cattle breeding. Jaap Korteweg took over the farm and continued as an organic farmer. When swine fever broke out in 1998, Korteweg was asked whether his cold stores could be used to store tens of thousands of carcasses. This is one of the things that led him to become a vegetarian. Only he liked the taste and structure of meat so much that he embarked on a quest for the perfect meat substitute. The years of searching and the associated process to imitate the taste of meat in vegetable-based products eventually met with success: in 2010 the Vegetarische Slager arrived. Many prizes and collaborations with almost all Dutch supermarkets followed. Jaap Korteweg is now also running his own factory, for which he raised 2.5 million euros via a crowdfunding campaign. The Vegetarische Slager also opened its own restaurant in early 2018: De Vleesch Lobby in The Hague.
Growing with the market
All these successes have generated a great deal of interest, both nationally and internationally. ‘We've had many foreign journalists visiting us for some time now, as well as documentary-makers who want to know what we're doing’, smiles Jaap Jaap Korteweg. ‘It takes a lot of time, but is of course a great opportunity, because we want to focus even more on foreign countries. The big challenge in the Netherlands at the moment is to manage the growth of our team. We have to keep pace with the opportunities that the market offers. Our team now consists of 75 people. I expect that we'll have 100 people by the end of 2018. We're currently mainly looking for production people, in all departments.’
Products in large supermarkets
The Vegetarische Slager operates in seventeen countries, with a total of more than 3,000 points of sale. ‘We're not in the supermarkets of all those countries’, says Jaap Korteweg. ‘The centre point is still in the Netherlands, but we will be focusing even more on the surrounding countries.’ The Vegetarische Slager can be found in the Netherlands in supermarkets such as Albert Heijn and COOP, but also at AC Restaurants, greengrocers and in its own concept store in the centre of The Hague. The store is currently being expanded and is expected to be completed in 2020. People can also order all products of the Vegetarische Slager online, from vegetarian meatballs to fish-free tuna.
Opportunities thanks to the plant-based trend
Jaap Korteweg sees great opportunities in the plant-based food trend that is now underway. Consumers are buying more meat substitutes and vegetables are becoming increasingly important. The number of flexitarians, consumers who do not want to eat meat every day, is growing. However, Jaap Korteweg believes that his company is not following the trend, but has helped to fuel it. ‘When we started, consumers weren't all that interested in vegetable meat substitutes. If I had done market research at the time, it would have been completely hopeless. I'd venture to say that we have helped create this market over the past eight years. Our products have the same taste experience as meat, but they're more sustainable, healthier and better for animals. Even culinary journalists are enthusiastic about the flavour.’
Completely vegetable-based in 2019
The Vegetarische Slager buys potato protein from Avebe. ‘We use this to replace chicken protein in our 100 percent vegetable Roockworst (smoked sausage), which we launched this year,’ says Jaap Korteweg. ‘Ultimately, we want to offer 100 percent vegetable-based products by the end of 2019. At the moment we still use egg protein in 40 percent of our products. Replacing egg protein is a big challenge. We actually use this to give our products texture. Potato protein is an ideal solution for this. The only limitation of potato protein is its flavour, which is not completely neutral. But potato protein does very well on nutritional value and is a perfect substitute for chicken protein.’
THE VEGETARISCHE SLAGER:
BY THE END OF 2019 100% PLANT-BASED
AFTERMOVIE
| ROOCKWORST
THE STORY OF THE VEGETARISCHE SLAGER
JAAP KORTEWEG
Since the establishment of the Vegetarische Slager (the 'Vegetarian Butcher') on 4 October 2010, the company has grown into a leader in the field of meat substitutes that are no less tasty than meat. The ambitions of founder Jaap Korteweg are clear: to become the largest butcher in the world and by the end of 2019 all products will be 100% vegetable-based.
Jaap Korteweg (1962) is a farmer's son. His parents had a mixed farm with arable farming and cattle breeding. Jaap Korteweg took over the farm and continued as an organic farmer. When swine fever broke out in 1998, Korteweg was asked whether his cold stores could be used to store tens of thousands of carcasses. This is one of the things that led him to become a vegetarian. Only he liked the taste and structure of meat so much that he embarked on a quest for the perfect meat substitute. The years of searching and the associated process to imitate the taste of meat in vegetable-based products eventually met with success: in 2010 the Vegetarische Slager arrived. Many prizes and collaborations with almost all Dutch supermarkets followed. Jaap Korteweg is now also running his own factory, for which he raised 2.5 million euros via a crowdfunding campaign. The Vegetarische Slager also opened its own restaurant in early 2018: De Vleesch Lobby in The Hague.
Growing with the market
All these successes have generated a great deal of interest, both nationally and internationally. ‘We've had many foreign journalists visiting us for some time now, as well as documentary-makers who want to know what we're doing’, smiles Jaap Jaap Korteweg. ‘It takes a lot of time, but is of course a great opportunity, because we want to focus even more on foreign countries. The big challenge in the Netherlands at the moment is to manage the growth of our team. We have to keep pace with the opportunities that the market offers. Our team now consists of 75 people. I expect that we'll have 100 people by the end of 2018. We're currently mainly looking for production people, in all departments.’
Products in large supermarkets
The Vegetarische Slager operates in seventeen countries, with a total of more than 3,000 points of sale. ‘We're not in the supermarkets of all those countries’, says Jaap Korteweg. ‘The centre point is still in the Netherlands, but we will be focusing even more on the surrounding countries.’ The Vegetarische Slager can be found in the Netherlands in supermarkets such as Albert Heijn and COOP, but also at AC Restaurants, greengrocers and in its own concept store in the centre of The Hague. The store is currently being expanded and is expected to be completed in 2020. People can also order all products of the Vegetarische Slager online, from vegetarian meatballs to fish-free tuna.
Opportunities thanks to the plant-based trend
Jaap Korteweg sees great opportunities in the plant-based food trend that is now underway. Consumers are buying more meat substitutes and vegetables are becoming increasingly important. The number of flexitarians, consumers who do not want to eat meat every day, is growing. However, Jaap Korteweg believes that his company is not following the trend, but has helped to fuel it. ‘When we started, consumers weren't all that interested in vegetable meat substitutes. If I had done market research at the time, it would have been completely hopeless. I'd venture to say that we have helped create this market over the past eight years. Our products have the same taste experience as meat, but they're more sustainable, healthier and better for animals. Even culinary journalists are enthusiastic about the flavour.’
Completely vegetable-based in 2019
The Vegetarische Slager buys potato protein from Avebe. ‘We use this to replace chicken protein in our 100 percent vegetable Roockworst (smoked sausage), which we launched this year,’ says Jaap Korteweg. ‘Ultimately, we want to offer 100 percent vegetable-based products by the end of 2019. At the moment we still use egg protein in 40 percent of our products. Replacing egg protein is a big challenge. We actually use this to give our products texture. Potato protein is an ideal solution for this. The only limitation of potato protein is its flavour, which is not completely neutral. But potato protein does very well on nutritional value and is a perfect substitute for chicken protein.’
For Avebe, growth in good food means growing in food ingredients that are healthy and sustainable. Protein, starch and combinations of both are an excellent ingredient in meat substitutes, for instance.
A growing market..