The Tofoo Co has partnered with restaurant chain Temple of Seitan to launch two seitan products.
Original Seitan (rsp: £2.50/225g), a chicken-flavoured seitan block, and Pepperoni Seitan (rsp: £2.50/ 225g), a smoky and spicy pepperoni alternative, will be available in retail in May.
The brand said the new launches would capitalise on the increasing consumer demand for natural proteins.
“Consumers are looking for products that offer more versatility as to what meals they can cook,” said The Tofoo Co MD Dave Knibbs. “The Tofoo Co’s Seitan lines offer shoppers the scratch-based cooking and health benefits they are craving, whilst also providing a meatier texture than tofu and tempeh that will appeal flexitarians and omnivores.”
Seitan is a plant- based protein made from wheat gluten and is already used as an ingredient in plant-based SKUs in the market, but the brand claimed it was the first time seitan would be available as a standalone ingredient in retail.
A strong demand for seitan
“Over the last year alone we’ve served over 250,000 restaurant customers,” said Temple of Seitan co-founder Patrick O’Shea. “There’s a strong demand for seitan as a plant-based protein that delivers a meaty texture and taste.”
“Tofu’s always been a key ingredient in our seitan, and we’re excited to be partnering with The Tofoo Co to bring the product into retail,” he added.
The Tofoo Co also said it hoped the launches would “shake up” the category and “represents a real opportunity in natural meat-free ingredients”, said Knibbs.
“Over the last few years there’s been a lack of real innovation in the meat-free category, and this has led to a loss of engagement with consumers and market penetration dropping down to 28%,” he explained.
“There’s a real consumer appetite for new products such as seitan, and our partnership with The Temple of Seitan will bring excitement back to the category.”
Original Seitan will launch in Tesco and Waitrose and Seitan Pepperoni will be available in Waitrose in May.
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