SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--JUST (Eat JUST, Inc.), a company that applies cutting-edge science and technology to create healthier, more sustainable foods, today announced the second quarter availability of a new JUST Egg offering: a fluffy, folded egg, perfect on top of toast, inside breakfast sandwiches or as a plant-based, protein-packed addition to any meal.
The product will begin rolling out in April in the freezer section of Whole Foods Markets; select Albertsons Safeway stores; Gelson’s Markets in Southern California; Stop & Shop in the Northeast, Kings Food Markets in the New York metro area and Giant Martin's in the Mid-Atlantic, with more to come. In all, it will be sold in approximately 5,000 stores at launch and will be available for restaurants and other foodservice destinations from major distributors.
The folded JUST Egg will be sold as a box of four, and the key ingredient is protein from the mung bean, a legume that has been cultivated for thousands of years and is a dietary staple in Asia. The product is free of cholesterol and has as much protein or more protein as many animal proteins (7g). It is non-GMO, egg-free, dairy-free and has no artificial flavors. Its ingredients use 98% less water, 83% less land and emit 93% less CO2 than conventional animal sources.
Today’s news comes on the heels of last year’s breakout success of the original JUST Egg, which is currently sold as a liquid in a 12-ounce retail bottle and in larger liquid and patty formats in foodservice. In its first full year of distribution, leading U.S. retailers like Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods and Amazon.com began carrying JUST Egg, along with a growing number of restaurants, resorts, amusement parks, college campuses and corporate cafeterias. To date, the company has sold the equivalent of more than 20 million eggs — all made entirely from plants.
“2020 is the year that our work to build a world-class technology platform and compelling brand is being realized. It’s humbling to see the overwhelming response to our team’s hard work,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and CEO.
A new product for anyone to enjoy, any time of day
The folded JUST Egg, which will be the only product of its kind in the frozen food category, enters the market as many consumers are seeking out healthier, protein-rich, low sugar breakfast options that are also convenient to heat and eat. Retail frozen food alone is a $57 billion business annually, with the category growing in both dollar and units in 2018, according to the American Frozen Food Institute and Food Marketing Institute1.
Although the most obvious application for the new JUST Egg product is breakfast, a recent survey of nearly 1,000 consumers revealed that 50% would use the fold-over as a general sandwich ingredient and 40% would add it to other dishes like salads or fried rice, underscoring its appeal as a convenient protein source. Interestingly, while nearly 100% of respondents said they would eat the product for breakfast, 72% said they would select it for lunch and 66% said they would eat it for dinner2.
As of this month, JUST Egg has surpassed all of its competitors to become the #1 liquid egg product based on average sales per week per store selling the product, according to point-of-sale data from retail insights provider IRI. In Grocery, JUST Egg is driving most of the category growth and it’s attracting new consumers to the egg case.
Improving on price, process and consumer preferences
In an effort to make JUST Egg accessible to millions more consumers in 2020 and beyond, the original JUST Egg will undergo a price reduction in both retail and foodservice channels in Q2 as a result of increased efficiencies in sourcing, protein processing and manufacturing. The company’s projections show that in the coming years, JUST Egg is poised to become one of the lowest-cost and most sustainable proteins on the planet.
In December, the company announced the expansion of its protein manufacturing operations to include the acquisition of a 30,000-square-foot facility in Appleton, Minnesota, which along with other measures, helps ensure a manufacturing infrastructure for JUST Egg that is dependable, efficient and expandable as the company plans for future growth.
Today, the food innovator is also announcing a May roll-out for the next version of the JUST Egg liquid format. Consumers who already love the current version will find the forthcoming formulation cleaner, creamier and more egg-like than many chicken eggs. The newest version will deliver on the company’s commitment to leveraging its technology platform to continue innovating on sensory and functionality.
“Our team is second to none and we’re excited for people to try what we’ve been working on. We’ll keep making JUST Egg tastier, more functional and enjoyable for omnivores, plant-based eaters and everyone in between,” said Chef Chris Jones, Vice President of Product Development.
To learn more about JUST Egg, visit http://ju.st/egg and go to http://ju.st/findit to find the product in a store near you.
1 Frozen Food, the Original Meal Kit, Generates $57 Billion in Retail Sales, 2/20/2019
2 916 Opt-in respondents via SurveyMonkey.com, contacted week ending 11/9/2019