Nestlé-owned  Sweet Earth is on a mission to help consumers move forward in their journeys toward more plant-based eating by creating products for key occasions like barbecue season and snack time, and using feedback from fans to develop new and improved versions of its plant-based meat alternatives.

“The biggest thing we’re seeing in this space is just an understanding of how many more consumers are interested today than they were five years ago,” Sweet Earth General Manager Sara Wheeler said. 

More than 60% of consumers say they’re working toward a more plant-based diet and that mainstreaming of the trend is what’s driving Sweet Earth’s new product development, Wheeler said. 

“We’re stepping back to understand first ‘What is this plant-based journey for consumers?” said Sweet Earth General Manager Sara Wheeler. “They’re starting with the reduction of meat and we need to support them where they are.”

Health reasons are the main reason most consumers cite for starting to add more plants to their plates, she said, but they’ll only stick with it if they discover delicious options.

“Health is why they come, taste is why they stay.”

That requires appealing to their taste buds with products that are both flavorful and familiar, and then creating new and improved products that work with consumers’ dining and snacking occasions, Wheeler said. 

Earlier this year, Sweet Earth introduced new plant-based chicken items. This month, the brand is debuting two new items also developed under those criteria,  including the first revamped version of its Awesome Burger, the beef-like plant-based burger the brand first launched in 2019. The Awesome Burger 2.0 is made with three different types of plant-based protein for a meatier texture and taste, said Sweet Earth General Manager Sara Wheeler. 

The new version of the burger is made with protein from peas, fava beans and hemp, ingredients that both beef up the texture and offer consumers a greater variety of protein options in their exploration of plant-based eating, Wheeler said.

Sweet Earth is also introducing its first plant-based hot dog, the Vegan Jumbo Hot Dog. 

The new items are rolling out just as consumers are firing up the grills for summer cookouts and gatherings after more than a year of a more solitary life during the pandemic. 

“It’s a special opportunity for consumers as they’re emerging from COVID to get together,” Wheeler said. “Also during this time, people became interested not only in health but in plant-based eating.”

That trend is spilling over into snacking, and this month Sweet Earth also announced its first foray into the snack aisle with the launch of two flavors of plant-based jerky, Spicy Kung Pao and Sweet Korean BBQ.

It’s no secret that snacking has been on the rise for years, often with consumers saying they sometimes snack in place of meals, and protein-packed snacks have soared in popularity, driving innovation in both plant-based and meat-based jerky. Sweet Earth’s new offerings each boast 13 grams of protein per serving. 

The global market for jerky snacks is on track to grow 7.2 percent annually over the next five years, according to research by The Shotcaller, and companies like Canada-based Noble Jerky, which switched from animal-based to plant-based meat three years ago, reported a 70% jump in revenue in 2020. 

“We really want to be sure we’re answering all these different occasions for consumers, especially as post-COVID life changes,” Wheeler said. 

That quest will flavor upcoming changes as the brand works to make improvements to other product lines, including breakfast items, lunch bowls and deli slices, with input from both chefs and consumers, Wheeler said.

“It’s an important part of our role to get products to market as fast as we can, but it's also important to not be satisfied. What can we do to make them better and tastier for consumers, and how do we continue to evolve these products?”