When quizzed by their vegan daughter why they didn’t produce food she could eat they acknowledged her concerns had merit but had to improvise because they didn’t have a lab or dedicated food science department to develop a meat-free substitute.
Instead they headed into kitchens at their Dunedin factory and home and after four months of trial and error their subsidiary, the Craft Meat Company, released a plant-based no-meat mince.
The Craft Meat Company sits alongside the 99-year-old Fishers Meats, which the Howies bought in May.
Howie said development was hastened by not requiring board approval, scientists refining formulas, extensive market testing or tasting panels.
Instead they did some searching on the internet, shortlisted ingredients to provide protein, flavour and fat and set about cooking and tasting various mixes.
Finalising the flavour was the greatest challenge because it needed to be savoury, which is provided by a mix of tomato, mushrooms and almonds.
They tested other plant-protein products and found them to be highly processed.
They focused on keeping their product simple, made from easily recognisable ingredients and not developed in a laboratory, which he describes as the Silicon Valley approach.
“Consumers don’t want food made in a lab.”
No-meat mince is a carrier for flavours and ingredients in dishes such as chilli, meatballs, lasagne and shepherd’s pie.
Their target market is flexitarians, consumers looking for an alternative so they can reduce their meat consumption
Weeks after launch, no meat mince is now sold in the butchery departments of 170 supermarkets throughout NZ, recognition that consumers want choice and a meat alternative, plant-based protein, he says.
The 350 gram packs sell for $7.99.
Howie has previously worked in food sector sales and marketing, most recently as sales manager for Silver Fern Farms since 2008.
When he bought the business there was spare production capacity and he believed NZ would soon see the rapid growth experienced overseas of plant-based protein.
Howie is now looking to develop recipes for plant-based protein sausages and is confident he has developed an edible non-animal sausage skin.
In using the no-meat mince name, Howie says he is being honest and not confusing.
“I don’t want to deceive consumers or make claims about anything that cannot be substantiated.”
