Hormel Sets up Vegan Meat Counters at Fresh Thyme Markets Across the Midwest 

Vegan meat brand Happy Little Plants—owned by pork company Hormel Foods—recently launched its flagship Unseasoned Plant-Based Ground Product at all 74 locations of grocery chain Fresh Thyme Farmers Market across the Midwest. The grocery chain is stocking the brand’s vegan ground meat in a dedicated plant-based counter to appeal to consumers. “We know that people are looking to add more plant-based options to their diets and we’re glad to partner with Fresh Thyme to make it easier for people to find it in their stores,” Happy Little Plants Brand Manager Robbie Koons said. In 2019, the brand first launched its vegan ground meat at Hy-Vee markets in Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin, and plans to launch new products at Fresh Thyme in coming months. “We’ve continued to see our customers looking for a simple and convenient way to find the plant-based alternative products and we are excited to be one of the few retailers in our category to offer a dedicated area to locate products like Happy Little Plants,” Jason Resner, Vice President of Meat & Seafood at Fresh Thyme, said. Kroger—the largest supermarket in the country—is testing a different approach to displaying plant-based meat. In partnership with trade group Plant Based Food Association, last year, Kroger added a three-foot vegan meat display case inside of the meat department at 60 test stores in Denver, and parts of Indiana and Illinois over a 20-week period to learn more about how this particular type of product placement affects customer shopping habits.