Plant-based meat only “part of the equation”: Charley St launches vegan alternatives in compostable pouches

22 Oct 2021 --- Plant-based meat brand Charley St is launching its chorizo and bolognese alternatives in industrially compostable pouches. 

“Reducing the consumption of animal-based protein is well understood to reduce carbon emissions, lower inefficiencies in food systems supply chains, and reduce animal cruelty, but we believe this only part of the equation,” Kieren Dwyer, Charley St co-founder and co-head of Charley St CPG strategy, tells PackagingInsights. 

“If we genuinely want to build a brand that affects real change, we cannot turn our back on how our products are packaged and consumed.” 

According to Dwyer, plant-based companies are “well-suited” to lead this packaging transition as plant-based customers show significant interest in products that are environmentally responsible from cradle to crate. 

“The way we see it, the overlap between plant-based foods and eco-friendly packaging is optimal, and we hope plant-based companies will follow in our footsteps.” 

Planetary and human health
The key ingredients of Charley St’s plant-based chorizo and bolognese are mushrooms, broccoli, shallots, tofu, garlic, miso paste and tomato paste. Chorizo adds a zest of lemon juice and spices while Bolognese adds a combo of herbs and red wine vinegar.

Planetary concerns are beginning to outstrip personal health when it comes to consumers’ food priorities.“Unfortunately, too many peers are too caught up in rushing products to market to benefit from the underlying growth trends,” Dwyer points out. 

“In doing so, they are turning a blind eye to the harm they are inflicting on our planet through using single-use plastic to package their products. For decades, we’ve been producing permanent, petroleum packaging that simply isn’t designed to work in concert with the earth. We knew Charley St’s packaging couldn’t contribute any further to this problem.”

Innova Market Insights’ top F&B trend “Shared Planet” underscores that consumers now rank planetary health as their number one concern, overtaking personal health, which has been the top priority in recent years.

“Plant-Based: The Canvas for Innovation” follows closely behind as Innova’s second-ranking F&B trend for 2022, highlighting how plant-based R&D has refocused from mimicking meat, fish and dairy to optimizing and diversifying options.

Bringing alt-meat outside NYC
Charley St is a restaurant based in New York City, founded in 2018. “Product development started prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, but became a pivotal focus when Charley St had to temporarily shut its doors due to New York City’s mandate,” Dan Churchill, Charley St co-founder and CEO, tells PackagingInsights.

Choosing compostable pouches could incentivize wider composting infrastructure in the US.“The chorizo had such a strong and positive reaction at the restaurant that it led us to think about creating a product that we could package, sell and ultimately bring to people outside of New York City,” he adds.

Many global restaurants were forced to rethink their business strategies as the pandemic forced nationwide lockdowns. For example, seaweed-based burger food truck The Dutch Weed Burger launched in 2012, but pivoted to supermarket launches during public event restrictions throughout the Netherlands.

Incentivizing US composting
Dwyer assures compostable food packaging does not affect the products’ taste or aroma. Neither do the pouches contain harmful “forever” chemicals such as bisphenol, PFAS, or phthalates.

“A transition at scale to better materials demands that there cannot be a compromise on quality,” he underscores. 

“My personal brand has always been about getting people to eat more plants, while educating about the impact agriculture has on the environment,” says CEO Dan Churchill.Furthermore, part of Charley St’s motivation in using compostable materials is to incentivize composting infrastructure in the US. “Our customers are an important part of maintaining a closed-loop system,” adds Dwyer. 

Compostable infrastructure is still arguably lacking in the US. In a video interview with PackagingInsights, EarthFirst Films by Sidaplax detailed how the region’s compostability structures stagger behind European standards. TC Transcontinental showed similar initiative to support US industrial composting by introducing compostable potato chip bags to the US next year.

Costly mistakes are “worth it”
“Make no mistake,” flags Dwyer. “Taking this approach to packaging our products has not been cheap, easy, or without countless mistakes.”

However, the Charley St team believes the inherent challenges associated with building a “truly sustainable brand” will have long-term benefits for the company and the planet. These challenges will outweigh the additional costs incurred by being an environmentally sustainable brand “by a factor of 8 billion to one.” 

“We still have work to do and with continuous improvement, coupled with our commitment to do what’s right, we have a real chance to become something we can be proud of for the generations to come,” Dwyer concludes.

By Anni Schleicher