The man who introduced the Happy Egg Co to American shoppers will spearhead the launch of plant-based egg alternative Just Egg in Europe.
David Wagstaff launched Happy Egg in the US in 2012 and turned it into a multimillion-dollar business before leaving in 2017. He joined San Francisco-based Just, as executive director for Europe in July.
Just, formerly known as Hampton Creek, will manufacture its vegan egg alternative in Italy through a deal with egg supplier Eurovo Group. It aimed to launch it across Europe during the first quarter of 2020, Wagstaff said.
The brand had also secured a distribution partnership with German protein giant PHW Gruppe - which holds the rights to distribute the Beyond Burger across Continental Europe - and was in discussions with UK retailers, foodservice operators and distributors, Wagstaff added.
“We’re just finalising the supply chain now and building a team to bring it to market across Europe, but we aim to launch in the new year backed by heavyweight marketing support.”
Made from mung beans and with a 60-day chilled shelf-life, Just Egg had now captured 40% of the chilled liquid egg market in the US and was available in 20 of the country’s 23 largest retailers, the brand said.
It outsold 29 of the 60 biggest-selling egg SKUs across America’s three largest retailers in July [Company data vs corresponding Nielsen data], while its success was further boosted last week with a national listing in 2,100 Kroger stores nationwide.
“Given the demand we’re facing for our products, the biggest challenge we will have is in keeping up with demand when we launch in Europe,” said Wagstaff. “We will be bringing a product to the market that is unique and tastes great, which also has a lower environmental impact than standard eggs. We believe Just Egg can coexist with eggs, appealing to much more than just vegans.”
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