companies struggling to make it in the CPG world against decades-old compa-nies with cash and resources on hand. Just ask Spain’s Heura Foods and France’s Swap Food, two plant-based meat companies that co-launched a new whole-cut plant-based chicken fillet, the Suprême, in April. The product is made from soy pro-tein, pea protein and sunflower oil using Swap’s texturizing platform, allowing Heura to expand into whole cuts while Swap benefits from Heura’s connections with mass market retailers. “The biggest chal-lenges aren’t solved alone,” says Laurent Gubbels, global head of content at Heura. “We don’t see other plant-based compa-nies as competitors; we see them as mis-sion partners. “When we col-laborate, when we improve the offer together, everyone wins: the market, the companies, the con-sumers, the planet and the animals.” “This collaborative mindset is key to ush-ering in a new, more mature era for the plant-based indus-try,” Simsa adds. “I hope that more collaborations like these will emerge in the alt protein space.” “As an individual company, [taste, texture and nutrition] are large challenges … but when approached collectively they can be overcome.” —Klara Kalocsay, head of research strategy at Australia’s Food Frontier, on why collaboration is key as alt-meat companies build out infrastruc-ture, improve products and expand availability Alt-Meat August 2025 5
Alt-Meat August 2025: Page 5
