Expert Advice on Building a Strong Vegan Food Brand.

Posted by Anya Sleezer << back to blog

Last Updated on June 13, 2023

There’s an old saying: "Only take advice from someone who’s been where you want to go."

As a vegan-owned brand ourselves, we strive to take that advice to heart — and now invite you to do the same.

Let’s learn from a few of today’s most successful vegan trendsetters — Miyoko Schinner (Miyoko’s Creamery), Ethan Brown (Beyond Meat) and Eshchar Ben-Shitrit (Redefine Meat) — so you can level up your vegan food brand.

Miyoko Schinner

Founder and CEO of Miyoko’s Creamery, a leading vegan cheese and butter brand.

Miyoko Schinner developed tasty, innovative vegan products and made them appealing to a wider, mainstream, “flexitarian” audience.

She did this by focusing on the following core principles.

The answer is deliciousness.
“I made my life’s mission to preach, to be an activist through food, by showing people the solutions for making a change in their lives that can impact the entire world. I think that answer is ‘deliciousness.’ That’s what people want.”
Talk to the flexitarians.
“There’s a huge percentage of people turning flexitarians, the pre-vegans, or the trans-vegans… they are an opportunity for you to target. Make sure you know who you’re talking to.”
Lean into what people care about most, health.
“Why is everyone switching? Is it because they care about animals? It is generally because they care about their health. We are still in a ‘me-centric" era where we think about ourselves the most. We got to change the perception, so people start thinking globally, start thinking beyond themselves, and start thinking about each individual as part of a larger whole so that we can move towards a vegan future that isn’t just about animals. It’s about becoming better humans.“
Crap does not sell.
“People care about eating healthy food ONLY if it tastes delicious. Even if you make something killer that’s got the macronutrient that most people care about – protein, and maybe it’s got omega 3, but it tastes like crap, it will not sell. So, we’ve got to make sure that the food we are making is as delicious as possible.”

Schinner’s personal principles are critical to her company’s success — her brand strategy is how she puts those principles into practice.

Focus on Health
Miyoko’s Creamery emphasizes the health benefits of its vegan cheeses and butter. Besides being dairy and lactose free, their products are lower in cholesterol and saturated fat than dairy products, while also being rich in plant-based protein and other nutrients.
Showcase Sustainability
Miyoko’s Creamery promotes its products as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water, and improve animal welfare.
Highlight High Quality
Miyoko’s Creamery’s emphasizes the artisanal quality of its products, which are made with traditional, cheese-making methods using high-quality, plant-based ingredients. The company’s focus on quality has helped to differentiate it from other vegan cheese and butter brands, and attract loyal customers.
Appealing Packaging and Design
Miyoko’s Creamery uses packaging and design to highlight the natural and wholesome qualities of its products. The use of earth tones and plant-based imagery conveys its commitment to sustainability and natural ingredients.
Leverage Influencer Marketing
Miyoko’s Creamery has partnered with vegan influencers and food bloggers to promote its products, engage with its target audience, and expand beyond their core customers.

Ethan Brown
Founder and CEO of Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat alternative company.

Ethan Brown’s cutting-edge research and development into sustainable meat alternatives revolutionized the protein industry and turned it upside down. Here’s how his philosophy that made it possible.

Close the Gap
“We are constantly innovating to close the gap between our products and the animal protein equivalent. The closer we get, the more and more consumers come to our brand. Consumers are hearing all sorts of information about the health implications of high levels of meat consumption, climate implications, natural resources. Every day they are genuinely trying to reduce their animal protein consumption. We are making it easier for them by creating products that enable them to eat what they love, to continue to enjoy the traditions and occasions but do it with plant-based meat.”
Never Stop Evolving and Innovating
“This is a chance to evolve and innovate to something that’s better. I am very confident that we will build a piece of meat that is indistinguishable from animal protein.”
Play Nice
“It’s not about attacking what exists, it’s more about evolving into something that’s better for us and better for the earth.”
Understand Your Audience and Their Traditions
“Meat is central to who we are as humans. We have evolved eating meat. So many of our traditions like Thanksgiving are cantered around meat. So, it isn’t something we can move away from, but can we change the source of the meat? That’s what Beyond Meat is about.”

Brown’s brand strategy turns his personal philosophy into powerful marketing. Take note: some of these will sound very similar to Miyoko’s Creamery.

Talk About Health
Beyond Meat emphasizes the health benefits of its plant-based meat alternatives, which are cholesterol-free, protein- and nutrient-rich, and lower in saturated fat than traditional meat.
Showcase Sustainability
Beyond Meat promotes its products as a way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water, and improve animal welfare.
Be Cool and Cutting-Edge
Beyond Meat has built its brand around its innovative plant-based meat products, which look, taste, and feel like real meat. Its cutting-edge approach has attracted media attention, generated buzz, and differentiated it from both plant- and animal-based food competitors.
Form Strategic Partnerships
Beyond Meat has formed partnerships with high-profile, animal-based food brands like McDonald’s, Dunkin’, and KFC, increasing brand recognition, reaching a broader, flexitarian audience, and positioning it as the brand for alternative meat.
Strong Brand Messaging
Beyond Meat’s brand messaging celebrates "The Future of Protein." This positions the brand as the industry leader and trendsetter, while tapping into what its consumers want: innovative and sustainable food options.

Eshchar Ben-Shitrit
The Founder and CEO of Redefine Meat, a plant-based meat company

Eschar Ben-Shitrit teaches us that when you don’t fit into an established category, you simply make your own. His principles empowered him to “redefine” meat to create a whole new food category.

Let the Market, and the People in It, School You
“The importance of being to market is not because we need market shares, or we want to be the first… It’s because….we learn much more by being in the market than by being in the lab. We learn much more from an interaction with a chef in Amsterdam in a pop-up restaurant than from one year of talking with ourselves.”
Make an Impact on the World, Fast
“We want to be fast because we want our meat to be global and it is different in every place around the world. So, we really need to reach the consumers in the USA and in Hong Kong as fast as possible to know what to develop for them to accelerate the development. This is why we drive ourselves crazy with how fast we run everthing though–to make an impact on the world, fast.”

Ben-Shitrit’s personal principles have influenced his brand marketing strategy in powerful ways. Just like with Schinner and Brown, you’re going to notice some of the same strategies (which shows just how important they are).

Focus on Technology
Redefine Meat emphasizes its proprietary technology, which uses 3D printing to create plant-based meat products that look, taste, and cook like real meat. Its high-tech focus has created a buzz and differentiated it from competitors.
Showcase Sustainability
Redefine Meat promotes its products as a way people can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water, and improve animal welfare.
Create a Culinary Experience
Redefine Meat emphasizes the culinary experience of its plant-based meat products. Its focus on creating high-quality, delicious food that is recognizable to meat-eaters positions the brand as a viable alternative to traditional meat, even to the toughest critics.
Form Strategic Partnerships
Redefine Meat formed partnerships with high-profile chefs, such as Chef David Chang, and companies, like Israeli meat distributor Best Meister. This increases their brand recognition and reaches a broader flexitarian audience.
Strong, Cause-Based Brand Messaging
Redefine Meat’s positioning tagline, "Meat Reimagined," celebrates innovation and technology, showcasing how the brand is revolutionizing and disrupting the plant-based meat industry by creating a whole new product category.

What are the key takeaways?

What do these successful, plant-based innovators have in common?

A Clear #RallyPoint
Create a clear brand philosophy. At Levo, we call this your #RallyPoint. Clear brand values, when coupled with a cause, gives vegan brands a unique identity that resonates with consumers, builds trusts, and drives sales.
Focus on What People Care About The Most
Not all vegans adopt a plant-based lifestyle for the same reason. It may be health, the environment, animal rights — or all of the above. Clearly communicate your brand’s purpose, and your understanding of your customers wants and needs.
Take an All-Inclusive Approach
Make smart, strategic partnerships and broaden your target audience. Highlight that all vegans, pre-vegans, and flexitarians, whatever their background, are welcome.
Never Stop Innovating
There’s always room for new ideas, approaches, and ways of doing things. Vegans want to make the world a better place, and that starts by always striving to make your brand better!

Level up your vegan food brand with Levo!

Ready to take your vegan plant-based food brand to the next level? Start by learning from the best (this article helps!), and then partner with a marketing brand that is just as passionate about a plant-based lifestyle as you!

As a woman- and-vegan-owned company, we’re on a mission to create a better, healthier planet for all, one brand at a time. We want your vegan brand to be next!

Level up with Levo!

Anya Sleezer

Anya Sleezer is the owner of Levo, a full–service marketing agency, focused on helping companies from all industries who are concerned with their marketing results, traffic, branding, advertising, or websites.

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