Leading plant-based meat brand, THIS has launched a host of new market-leading products including chicken burgers, meatballs and large sausages.
Available via Brakes, the products have been launched to answer the growing demand for more plant-based menu options. Research from THIS shows 75% of British consumers want to see more quality plant-based options on the menus of restaurants, cafes, pubs and restaurants.
The brand has long been a favourite of foodservice, working closely with iconic operators such as Honest Burgers, Patty & Bun and Caffè Nero. It is one of the biggest suppliers of plant-based food to the out of home sector, including being a top supplier for pubs and restaurants. The extended range of versatile and hyper-realistic products launched by THIS, aim to help operators expand their plant-based offering, drive footfall and maximise sales potential.
The company continues to push the boundaries of plant-based innovation making the first fillet-inspired chicken burger, rather than circular. This is so it recreates the look and familiarity of its meat equivalent even more closely, helping operators deliver a compromise free experience for the customer.
The product is high in protein and a good source of fibre and enriched in vitamin B12 and iron. It uses its award-winning retail chicken recipe using pea and soya protein, which helps deliver the hyper-realistic taste and texture.
The innovative new burger also features a golden rustic and seasoned crumb to recreate the crunch and bite of its meat equivalent. It also helps create a versatile ingredient that can be used across a variety of dishes such as burgers, katsu curries and salads.
The business’s large sausages and pork and lamb meatballs will also now be available to foodservice. Since launching sausages into retail last year, they’ve become the firm's third best-selling product and won a number of awards.
The meatballs are already being used by upmarket kebab group, Le Bab. The restaurant group expanded its plant-based offering with the THIS Isn’t Pork Meatball Kebab using red pepper coulis, kale in black garlic dressing, crispy onions and organic microgreens.
They also developed a THIS Isn't Pork Meatball Mezze, cooking the meatballs with red pepper coulis, and topping with organic microgreens.
Both products feature the brand’s patent-pending, Fat 2.0 innovation. Made from olive oil it creates the succulence and bite of meat but without the downsides – a common complaint from diners when it comes to plant-based food is the dryness and lack of juiciness.
It also helps create a healthier product - THIS sausages for example have 80% less sat fat than the average meat equivalent. This innovation makes the products even more accessible; a great fit for the more health-conscious customers and for calorie labelling.
THIS was founded in June 2019 by former-meat fanatics Andy Shovel and Pete Sharman as a plant-based food brand for meat-lovers. They both previously ran a meat burger delivery service and used their knowledge of quality meat, commercial kitchens and faultless cooking to create a delicious compromise free solution for the on-trade.
Andy Shovel, Co-Founder of THIS™ says; ''These are products that could convince full on meat addicts. This is really important as customers are increasingly discerning when it comes to plant-based food. We want experimenting with and trying more plant-based menu options to be as easy, compromise free and fun as possible - for both the chef and the customer.''
The new pork and lamb meatballs, chicken burger and large sausages are available from Brakes this week. They will join its existing range of award-winning plant-based products such as bacon, bacon lardons, chicken pieces and chicken goujons.