As one of the oldest alternative meat brands currently on the market, it’s safe to say Quorn has been around the block a few times.
Launched in 1985, after a period of experimentation stretching back to the 1960s, Quorn long predates the plant-based boom of the past decade.
What has Quorn learnt from such a history? And as the market continues to evolve, how will it keep in step with other plant-based meat brands?
How has Quorn lasted so long?
Quorn is nearly forty years old, quite a feat considering many major meat alternative brands would be part of Gen Alpha if they were people.
Quorn’s product was “pioneering from the start,” new CEO David Flochel told FoodNavigator at our Protein Vision event earlier this month. “And it is still valid today.”
Furthermore, the brand has remained in touch with the “consumer needs and consumer wishes,” said Flochel.
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Scale is also a key attribute. For many start-ups producing meat alternatives, scale can be a challenge, as it requires capital and infrastructure they often don’t have.
However, Quorn has been able to build infrastructure required to scale its products effectively, over time.
Finally, he suggested, Quorn has remained affordable.
“The purpose of the company is to convert more people” into eating less meat, Flochel pointed out, and so aims to be affordable for a wide range of consumers.
How has the evolving market impacted Quorn?
The meat alternatives market has gone through a multitude of changes over the past few years, with many consumers losing interest in the category (although experts suggest it can pick up again).
The market has indeed been “very turbulent,” Flochel admitted. This is, in part, due to the “proliferation of brands,” not all of which, according to him, deliver high quality. Flexitarians have been disappointed by such products, in the end leaving the category. Furthermore, the impact of the cost-of-living crisis cannot be overlooked.
Nevertheless, Quorn has remained a category leader during this period of downturn, Flochel told us. “We’re still doing well in a tough environment.”
Quorn’s mycoprotein is what makes the brand stand out, he suggested, as a wide range of research points to the benefits of mycoprotein in reducing cholesterol, as well as being a good source of fibre, vitamins and minerals.
How is Quorn evolving in the current market?
With alternative proteins moving away from straight-up meat alternatives and towards protein as an ingredient in other contexts, Quorn is stepping up to the plate with its food ingredients offerings.
These ingredients can be used in hybrid meat products. Hybrid meat “serves a purpose,” Flochel told us. If the purpose of Quorn is to reduce meat consumption, then hybrid meat is doing just that.
With such a massive amount of meat consumption in countries like the UK, he pointed out, a reduction of this – through replacing part of the content of meat products with mycoprotein – can be highly beneficial.
How will Quorn evolve in the future?
Consumer desire for healthy food is rising, Flochel pointed out. This, he suggested, is good news for Quorn.
The company wants to expand to cover more occasions, in order to become relevant for consumers in a broader range of circumstances.
Another area where Quorn can be relevant is combatting malnutrition in developing markets, Flochel suggested.
“Mycoprotein can play a big role by providing high quality proteins to people.”
