Impossible Foods Makes the Direct to Consumer Leap

Need to Know

• Impossible Foods made its plant-based meats available for direct home delivery to US consumers this week for the first time ever.
• Customers can choose from four curated packages that include Impossible Burger patties or 12-oz. packages of plant-based “meat.”
• First orders scheduled to ship the week of June 8.
• Impossible follows Heinz, Aldi, PepsiCo, and other huge brands that are opting to handle their own e-commerce options.

Analysis

Plant-based protein juggernaut Impossible Foods has made its famous Impossible Burger available for purchase online, marking the first foray into direct-to-consumer retail for the company.

Impossible Foods has made its Impossible Burger available in four formats for consumers, as more individuals turn to online shopping and food delivery amid the coronavirus crisis. Buyers can choose from the Impossible Convenience Pack (four 12-oz. packages of Impossible plant-based protein), the Impossible Combo Pack (two 12-oz. packages and 10 patties), the Impossible Family Pack (one five-pound package of plant-based protein) or the Impossible Grilling Pack (20 patties).

As the current pandemic continues, consumers are flocking to e-commerce options and grocery delivery sites. This has directly translated to a rise in direct-to-consumer (otherwise known as D2C) options as brands look for ways to remove the middleman and connect directly with their shoppers.

According to Impossible Foods’ website, orders are packaged in sustainable materials — including compostable green-cell foam and dry ice. Packages range in price from US$49.44 to US$69.99 and are scheduled to ship the week of June 8.

The Impossible Burger packages are only available to customers in the contiguous 48 states (which excludes Hawaii and Puerto Rico) at this time.

Impossible Foods’ move into the direct-to-consumer market positions the company in the lead ahead of its main competitor, Beyond Meat, which is only available via traditional and online grocery retail at this time.

The company follows several other major food and beverage producers into the direct-to-consumer market, including Heinz and Aldi. Last month, PepsiCo, launched PantryShop.com and Snacks.com, offering well-known pantry items from brands such as Frito Lay and Tropicana, for online consumer purchase.