Beyond Meat today announced its new Cookout Classic, a limited edition 10-pack of its plant-based burgers going on sale this month at the majority Walmart and Target stores in the U.S.
Normally, we wouldn’t cover packaging news, but today’s announcement is less about the box Beyond’s burgers will come in and more about the price of that 10-pack. In a press announcement emailed to The Spoon, Beyond says it will sell the Cookout Classic for $15.99, which is $1.60 per patty. That brings the price of its burger closer to the cost of traditional meat.
Right now, Beyond Meat burger patties sell in two packs that retail for $4.84, or $2.42 per patty, over at Walmart.com. Regular beef hamburger patties on Walmart sell for as little as $7.92 for a 12-pack (.66 cents per patty). While Beyond’s burgers still come in at more than twice the cost of the cheapest meat option, Beyond is more likely going after a customer that is willing to spend more to begin with.
However, getting the price down will be critical for Beyond and other players in the alternative protein space in order to make plant-based burgers cross over into the mainstream. The COVID-19 pandemic actually helped push more people into buying plant-based meats, with sales of the product up 264 percent between March and May of this year. Between that and shortages with our current meat supply chain, the time is right for Beyond to get its price down to attract more customers.
Also tucked away in today’s announcement is the news that Beyond will be launching its own direct-to-consumer site later this summer. This is of particular interest because earlier this month, plant-based burger rival Impossible launched its own direct-to-consumer sales. The Impossible site sells its burgers and ground product in bulk, and with Beyond launching its new 10-pack, it’s a safe bet they will as well.
But until then, if you are looking to grill up Beyond burgers for the whole family this summer, the new Cookout Classic 10-pack will be available in Target and Walmart stores starting June 22. (But before you do, check out our guide to grilling Beyond burgers.)
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