All Articles Food Great American Plant Company wants to help restaurants, retailers offer delicious, affordable plant-based proteins under their own brands

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Great American Plant Company wants to help restaurants, retailers offer delicious, affordable plant-based proteins under their own brands

To help its retail and restaurant customers succeed, private-label brand Great American Plant Company brought on Chief Sales Officer Armetha Pihlstrom, who discusses how the company empowers its customers to make their brands household names in the plant-based category.

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Food

Plant-based burgers, meatballs and crumbles from Great American Plant Company

Great American Plant Company

This post is sponsored by Great American Plant Company.

Plant-based foods continue to draw consumers’ interest on restaurant menus and grocery shelves, but the category is evolving as buzz for big-name brands dies down. With the plant-based category becoming increasingly crowded, a few factors are coming to the fore when it comes to determining which plant-based proteins will make it onto consumers’ plates. 

Sales of plant-based meats totaled $1.4 billion in 2021, according to a report from the Plant Based Foods Association, which points out that “cost remains one the biggest considerations for consumers.”

Datassential’s 2022 “Plant-Forward Opportunity” report also points to cost being a limiting factor for the growth of plant-based proteins, with 39% of consumers surveyed saying affordability concerns are holding them back from eating plant-based foods at all or more often. More than half of respondents (53%) said the same about taste concerns, while 21% expressed concern about the nutritional value of plant-based foods.

Providing plant-based protein products that address all of these concerns is Great American Plant Company’s mission. Founded in Dallas in 2020, the company offers a line of private-label plant-based protein products to retailers and foodservice operators. The patties, meatballs and other products are made in the US using a relatively short list of ingredients that includes protein from peas sourced solely in North America. 

“We’ve created great products that delight consumers through the brands they already know, trust and love,” said CEO Barbara Fontaine. GAPC’s products wholesale for 10-20% less than competitors’ products, allowing restaurants and grocers to pass those lower prices along to consumers – a factor that will become even more important as consumers tighten their budgets due to inflation. The brand’s domestic production translates to a smaller environmental footprint compared to some of its competitors. 

To help more restaurants and retailers ramp up their plant-based protein sales, GAPC has brought on a chief sales officer to elevate business development and build strategic long-term partnerships.

Armetha Pihlstrom
Pihlstrom

“GAPC has generated significant momentum for 2023, it made sense to add significantly to our business development team. We are thrilled Armetha Pihlstrom has joined GAPC as our CSO,” Fontaine said. 

“She comes to us with over 16 years of relevant experience with companies such as Cargill, Impossible Foods and Future Farm. It is clear she is a master of the industry, an incredible team architect and has the skills and relationships to build GAPC’s business in 2023 and beyond.” 

Pihlstrom said her values and morals align with GAPC’s mission and vision, and her experience working with multiple plant-based food companies has given her the skills to developing GAPC’s business sales strategy, navigate supply chain disruptions and sustain long-range pipeline planning. She plans to  focus on offering “top-notch data analysis, enriching customer partnerships and expanding global business development ROI growth throughout every aspect of the sales cycle process.”

“GAPC has the values and beliefs relating to sustainability and creating undeniable value for retailers, foodservice, e-commerce, wholesalers and the planet,” Pihlstrom said. “A private plant-based label allows restaurants and retailers to create a differential experience in the value chain. We want our customers to be the hero in the story when they are doing business with GAPC. This is why we prefer our customer’s logos to be highlighted on the products we create for them and make their logos a household name.”

Learn more about Great American Plant Company’s plant-based solutions.