Tovala, which makes the connected countertop oven of the same name, announced today that it now offers Beyond Meat as part of its accompanying meal plans. It also has dedicated automated cook programs for the plant-based meat.
The partnership between the two companies will kick off June 3, after which Beyond Meat will be included in six of Tovala’s pre-packed meals for a month. The Beyond / Tovala meals will rotate on a weekly basis and will include menus items such as:
- Coconut Kale Curry with Beyond Beef Beefy Crumbles & Roasted Vegetables
- Italian Sausage & Eggplant Pasta with Beyond Beef Italian Sausage Crumbles
- Sweet Soy Stir-Fry with Beyond Beef Beefy Crumbles, Brown Rice & Chow Mein Noodles
In addition to Beyond Meat getting into Tovala’s pre-made meals, Tovala’s oven will feature automated cook programs for the plant-based fare, so Tovala owners will be able to cook Beyond Burgers and Sausages with the push of a button.
The Beyond partnership comes at a pretty great time for Tovala. Sales of plant-based meat are booming as customers wake up to the ethical and environmental complications of eating traditional meat, and Beyond’s name brand recognition has never been higher thanks to its recent head-turning IPO.
The two companies met because, at the time, both Beyond and Tovala counted Tyson among their investors. Since then, however, Tyson sold its stake in Beyond prior to the plant-based meat company’s IPO.
Investor origins aside, today’s move also continues to transform Tovala into a platform, something the company needs to keep doing to differentiate itself from the many connected countertop ovens coming to market. While Tovala’s oven is (way) less expensive than the June or the Brava or the forthcoming Suvie, it may have been hobbled early on by perceptions like ours, which found the device good for cooking Tovala-brand meals, but not as convenient for regular meals.
Tovala went a long way to remedy this situation with its second-gen oven that it released last November. The company has since expanded its capabilities with a scan-to-cook feature that works with Trader Joe’s frozen foods, and LG appliances will now cook Tovala meals. The scan-to-cook feature, however, does not work with Beyond products yet.
This partnership is also further recognition that Beyond Meat is becoming more mainstream. Tovala is the second appliance to add a dedicated cook program for Beyond burgers and sausages, following a similar move from June earlier this year. This means appliance companies are putting resources into developing specific cook programs for Beyond.
As of now, the Beyond/Tovala menu partnership is only planned for a one month run. Tovala Co-Founder and CEO David Rabie told me during a phone interview that if this initial run goes well, Beyond Meat could re-surface in its meals on more of an ongoing basis. If so, flexitarian Tovala owners will be beyond thrilled.
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