Costco’s Veggie Burgers Go Vegan

Family-owned food company Don Lee Farms will launch vegan versions of its Organic Veggie Burgers and Organic Veggie Bites at big-box chain Costco this summer. The new burgers and bites are reformulated without animal products and are made with organic vegetables and sunflower seeds. “We introduced our first fresh veggie burger in 2005. The success we have had since hasn’t led us to be complacent,” Don Lee Farms president Donald Goodman said. “We push forward with continuous innovation in all categories we sell in and have a determined focus to continue our lead in the organic plant-based space.” The new products are distinguishable from previous vegetarian iteration by clearly marked “plant-based” and “vegan” labels on the front of the packages. “We knew we were ready with this launch when our plant-based formulas handily beat out our vegetarian ones in every blind [tasting] we performed,” Don Lee Farms Head of Development Danny Goodman said. Last year, Don Lee Farms launched its Organic Plant-Based Burger—which “bleeds” with the help of beet juice—at Costco where it sold 1 million units in less than 60 days.