Our own: The new competitor in the field of meat substitutes Israel today

Israeli startup threatens to bite into market share of "Beyond Meat" and "Sensational" • Behind the brand, "Wonders" by name, stands the Zoglowek company • Target audience: Meat reducers

• Soon in your pan.

  Wonders products

  Photography: 

  Press

Wonders, a new Israeli startup in the field of meat substitutes, was established with the aim of breaking into the global meat substitutes market and competing with brands such as BEYOND MEAT and IMPOSSIBLE.

The venture, led by CEO Ronit Davidovich, is supported by Zoglowek. Davidovich herself is a food technology developer behind the development of many private labels. , Which specialized in the production and marketing of meat substitutes for the leading chains in the United States and Canada, and was later sold to Nestle.

The product series is currently being launched in Israel even before the launch abroad and this is an interesting thing in itself. , Expanding the platform and continuing to penetrate additional global markets.

The company notes that Wonders' meat substitute provides quality proteins, B12, zinc and iron like meatballs.

The series is based on pea and soy proteins.

Wonders' products are preservative-free, gluten-free, cholesterol-free, trans-fat-free, GMO-free and meet the standards of 2021 regulation, that is, no red marking.

The raw materials of the Wonders series have been carefully selected from the leading suppliers in the world, and are a combination of nature and technology.

These include: peas, soy, cocoa butter, carob, beetroot, tomato lycopene and dietary fiber.

The series will currently include four products: Wonders Burger, Wonders Mini Kebab, Wonders Chorizo ​​Wonders Substitute Ground Meat.

These are products that require cooking or a pan such as Nestle's Beyond Meat and Sensational, and not products designed for heating in the oven, such as Tevol.

All Wonders products have a Wigan Friendly label, confirming that the products are vegan-friendly.

However, this is a brand in its own right and Zoglowek's name does not appear on the packaging.

According to the company's data, 5% of Israelis are vegan, and in Tel Aviv, which is the "vegan capital", 13% are vegan.

But the potential lies in an audience of diverse and meat-reducing, vegetarian, health-loving, young audiences willing to experiment with innovations, kosher observers and more.

The meat substitutes market generates about NIS 4.5-5 billion in food chains, including various corn products.  

"After the change in my position and the transition from CEO and chairman to chairman only, I made time to hire them for a start-up and I am the entrepreneur behind it," said Eli Zoglowek. "Before returning to Israel in 1995, I founded a company in the United States that began marketing meat substitutes.

I was the first to put meat substitutes in the chilled meat department but unfortunately it failed then, probably because it was ahead of its time.

When it failed, we put it in the vegetable department and it grew, until we sold it to Nestle. "

"Our raw materials are the best. The fat in the hamburger is cocoa butter and it costs 60 shekels per kilogram, ten times the coconut fat that competitors have but it gives a meaty feeling and we did not want to compromise.

We are launching the products at prices similar to Beyond Meat and will support promotions.

In addition, the products comply with Litzman's strict regulations, they have no markings at all. "  

"This is a start-up that is supposed to go abroad.

For the American market we will produce in a factory in Connecticut.

This is the same factory I had before I sold the business but I did not sell the factory and it has been rented so far.

We have invested in the project for 3 years in development and over NIS 10 million at this stage. In the American market, these are the largest investments.

We want in Israel to reach 40% of the category of Binund Mitt and Nestle's Sensational in Israel.

Tnuva also falls into this category. "

"In addition, the intention is to enter food chains and restaurants in the United States.

We want to take market share from both restaurants and writers.

Meat substitutes make up 15% of our sales.

Because of the evolving health trend, these products will continue to lead to growth.

We believe that within ten years this category, which does not include the corn schnitzel, will be a category in itself of half a billion shekels. "

Wonders CEO Ronit Davidovich says: "We have developed a unique technology with no side effects and a taste of meat.

In addition, while other brands import dance products, we manufacture the product in Israel.

The development was done looking at the Israeli consumer.

In Israel, for example, we are launching Zurisos and in the United States we will launch an Italian sausage. For this purpose, there is a new line in the Zoglowek factory that produces this series of products. The global meat market is estimated at $ 1.4 trillion a year. % Of the total meat market in the world.This is a huge potential of $ 140 billion and this is the ground for the flourishing of enterprises in the field of food giants, alongside startups.

The world meat substitute market stands at 4.5%.

In the field of milk substitutes, this is 14%.

There it happened faster because in milk it was easier to get a taste that improved.

"Milk is 97% water and meat is a complex product that requires adjustment to color, fat, texture and therefore significant development efforts were required."

According to surveys you did for vegans, is it okay to eat products from a company whose DNA is meat?

Zoglowek: "Absolutely not. We work in collaboration with Wigan Friendly. They see it as a victory that the industry is mobilizing to find good solutions to increase the customer base of these products and to reach Mass Market. On this locomotive need the leading companies. When it was a niche it Went nowhere. Large companies have the means to produce and it will produce the change. In the end, the consumer is the one who determines. We can put the best product on the plate and he will choose what he wants. We want to bring variety to everyone. It is a completely separate venture with The face is sandy. "

How did the corona affect the consumption of products that are considered less healthy, such as sausages, and did Litzman's nutritional labeling have an effect on sales volume?

Zogelbek: "The Israeli consumer voted in the wallet and continues to buy everything as usual. All consumption has increased in all products because people are at home and they buy all the simple products such as sausages, pastrami for sandwiches and more."