Vegan Brand Field Roast Expands Across Australia

Seattle-based vegan brand Field Roast Grain Meat Co. recently announced its partnership with food distributor Essen Foods to facilitate its entry into Australia and New Zealand. Essen Foods will exclusively distribute Field Roast products such as sausages, deli slices, Field Burger, Roasts, loaves, and frozen items, and assist the vegan brand in regional and in-store marketing, trade show presence, and compliance with local labeling laws. “Coming off an incredible first quarter where the brand experienced 81 percent year-over-year (YOY) sales increase overall,” Field Roast President Dan Curtin said, “this is a strategic decision we’ve made to create efficiencies supporting our continued growth and look forward to continuing this momentum internationally with the support of Essen Foods.” Last year, Field Roast was acquired for $120 million by Canadian meat company Maple Leaf Foods. Shortly thereafter, Field Roast CEO David Lee released a “Vegan Policy Affirmation” statement that set guidelines for the acquisition which included keeping all Field Roast products vegan and maintaining animal-free policies at the company’s processing facilities and offices.