Beyond Meat heads into Brazil, one of the world’s largest beef markets

Beyond Meat is going beyond another border.

The plant-based-meat company today announced its expansion into Brazil, where it will debut its Beyond Burger, Beyond Sausage, and Beyond Beef products. The meat alternatives will appear in the aisles of upscale supermarket chain St. Marche, at 19 of its locations across São Paolo.

Beyond Meat, which the company says is “designed to appeal to a growing fan base of carnivores and flexitarians,” has seen a bump in sales during the global pandemic, as real meat shortages caused by COVID-19 shutdowns and supply-chain disruptions led customers to explore fake meat options. The company’s sales have also been helped by the placement of its products in the meat section of the grocery store, rather than the health food section.

“As the third-largest market in the world in terms of animal meat consumption, Brazil offers significant opportunity for plant-based meat adoption,” the company said in a press release.

Earlier this year, Beyond Meat cracked the mainland China market through a partnership with Starbucks, where it introduced a menu of pastas, lasagnas, and wraps made with its plant-based beef. According to the company, its products are now available in 75 countries and 94,000 food retailers worldwide.

Beyond Meat’s stock was up 5.5% in midday trading following the announcement of its foray into Brazil. The company’s stock is up nearly 79% year to date.