Asheville, North Carolina-based No Evil Foods, the mission-based plant meat company, will release its newest product line March 5-9 at the Natural Products Expo West in Anaheim, California.
No Evil Foods will introduce and sample several flavors of its new vegan jerky for beta testing at the trade show before going to market with a full retail line later this year. This will be No Evil Food’s first foray into a shelf-stable product that will co-exist on retail shelves alongside traditional jerky.
Sadrah Schadel, No Evil Foods co-founder and product development visionary, has been working on creating a vegan jerky line with unique flavors and impeccable texture.
“It was important for us to nail the texture of our jerky,” said Schadel. “We want our product to satisfy and appeal to everyone, even the jerky connoisseur.”
Among the flavors to be sampled at Expo West is the Cherry Teriyaki, a sweet-tart combination that blends cherries, mirin, shoyu, garlic and ginger into a savory glaze for the jerky strips.
In addition, the new vegan jerky will roll out in 100 percent home compostable packaging.
“As an environmentally minded brand,” said Schadel, “our goal is always to create products that taste awesome and have as little environmental impact as possible. That goal extends to our packaging, too.”
The company was previously recognized for their commitment to sustainable and creative packaging design in 2017 when they received a NEXTY Award for Best New Packaging Innovation at Natural Products Expo East.
Consumers can expect to see a slow rollout of the jerky line beginning this summer and into the fall. No Evil Foods vegan jerky will first become available online at noevilfoods.com with an expectation to hit retail shelves late 2019.
No Evil Foods will host jerky tastings at Expo West each day at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. Expect to taste the Cherry Teriyaki plus two to three additional beta flavors. Find them inside the North Hall, Booth No. 946.
No Evil Foods product line includes Comrade Cluck “No Chicken,” The Stallion “Italian Sausage,” El Zapatista “Chorizo” and Pit Boss “Pulled ‘Pork’ BBQ.” All are low in fat, high in protein and free from cholesterol, nitrates and antibiotics. No Evil Foods started in 2014 and is available in retailers nationwide including Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Wegmans, Fresh Market and in co-ops, independent grocers and restaurants.
