USA, New York. The new flagship brands Giggling Pig and Happy Chicken by Livekindly are targeting Gen Z. This strategy is part of an international expansion, which is fueled by $535 mill. capital raise in company’s first year. The entering of a high growth potential market aligns with a new standard for labeling plant-based meat in China.
Livekindly Collective, a collection of brands on track to become one of the world’s largest plant-based food companies, announced its launch in China with two new flagship brands, Giggling Pig [Ge Ji Zhu] and Happy Chicken [Ha Pi Ji]. Both have been developed and manufactured locally to cater to Chinese consumer tastes and are the first brands created in-house by the Collective.
The two new brands cover a portfolio of seven innovative plant-based products based on beloved Chinese dishes, including plant-based dumplings, several mushroom-based dishes and a seasoned minced dish.
These new products will be available across China on June 25. Both brands are targeted at Gen Z, with two cartoon characters, Giggling Pig and Happy Chicken, whose message is that consumers can enjoy great taste, excellent nutrition and a modern twist on heritage cuisine by eating plant-based food. China’s plant-based market was nearly $1 bn. in 2018, according to the Good Food Institute, and is projected to grow between 20 and 25% annually.
Since March 2020, in its first 12 months, the company has raised $535 mill. to fund its international expansion into China and other growth regions, as well as the company’s strategic acquisitions, partnerships and investments in plant-based innovation.
In addition to the newly created Giggling Pig and Happy Chicken, Livekindly has five plant-based food brands in its portfolio – Oumph!, The Fry Family Food Co., LikeMeat, No Meat, and The Dutch Weed Burger – as well as the digital media company.
This also marks the adoption of China’s first standard for labeling “plant-based meat products,” which are now defined as food products that use plant-sourced materials or their processed products as sources of protein or fat. This standard, issued by the Chinese Institute of Food Science and Technology (“CIFST”), signals the rapid growth in demand for plant-based meat in China.