Cult-Favorite Vegan Chicken Brand Is Coming to Costco

On April 5, vegan brand Daring Foods will launch its plant-based chicken at Costco locations across Los Angeles, CA and Hawaii—marking its first expansion into club stores. The brand’s Original chicken pieces are made from water, soy protein, sunflower oil, and spices and mimic both the flavor and texture of traditional chicken without the need to slaughter animals. At Costco, Daring’s chicken will be available in an exclusive 24-ounce pack for $12.99—a substantial price reduction compared to its 8-ounce package sold for a suggested retail price of $7.99 elsewhere.

Daring Foods’ mission is simple: to end the slaughter of chickens for food by providing a viable alternative. To do so, the company is aggressively expanding its distribution in both the retail and foodservice sectors. “Entering a retailer like Costco is a huge milestone for Daring, especially as we just recently celebrated our one year anniversary of launching our direct-to-consumer platform and expanding into retail,” Daring Foods Co-founder and CEO Ross Mackay told VegNews. “Joining the lineup at Costco further signifies our commitment to growth and innovation, and we’re thrilled to expand our retail footprint with this launch.”

Daring to make better chicken

Daring Foods made its US retail debut at 340 Sprouts stores in 2020 after launching in the foodservice sector in the United Kingdom. With its Costco launch, Daring Foods expanded its US distribution to 1,100 retail locations, including Gelson’s, Fresh Thyme, Erewhon, Roots Market, Wegmans, Bristol Farms, and more. Daring Foods’ vegan chicken is also available through grocery subscription services Imperfect Foods and Sun Basket, and at fast-casual chain Just Salad. In January, Daring Foods announced its partnership with Dot Foods—the largest foodservice redistributor in North America—making the brand’s vegan chicken widely available to food service providers. “It gives all foodservice channels and operators the ability to expand plant-based menu options, allowing more customers a much needed plant-based chicken alternative,” Mackay said. 

In the coming months, Daring Foods will continue to expand across the US with the mission of replacing traditional chicken with better vegan alternatives. “From day one our mission at Daring has been to remove chicken from our food systems, and we can’t achieve that goal without the help of our retail and foodservice partners,” Mackay said. “We want Daring to be available for customers in every store and in every restaurant across the country.”