Ethan Brown Wants to Take Us Beyond Meat

Summary

In this inspiring conversation, Ethan Brown, the founder of Beyond Meat, shares his journey from clean tech to revolutionizing the food industry with plant-based meat alternatives. He emphasizes the importance of persistence, passion, and assembling the right team to overcome challenges and achieve success. Brown discusses the health and environmental benefits of plant-based diets, and his vision for Beyond Meat to become more affordable and accessible than traditional animal protein, ultimately contributing to a healthier and more sustainable future.

Takeaways

• 🌱 **Persistence is Key**: Ethan Brown emphasizes the importance of persistence, listening to the 'no's, and continuing to push forward despite challenges.
• 💖 **Lead with Passion**: He shares that leading with passion and building the right team are crucial for the success of Beyond Meat.
• 🔄 **Transition from Clean Tech to Food**: Ethan's initial work in clean tech led him to realize the environmental impact of livestock, prompting his transition to the food industry.
• 🥩 **Understanding Meat Composition**: He explains that meat is essentially a combination of amino acids, lipids, trace minerals, vitamins, and water, which can be replicated from plant sources.
• 🌱 **Plant-Based Protein Innovation**: Beyond Meat focuses on extracting core components of meat from plants and assembling them to mimic the structure of animal muscle.
• 🏆 **Overcoming Skepticism**: Ethan discusses the challenge of convincing investors and the public about the viability and benefits of plant-based meat.
• 🏋️‍♂️ **Health and Performance**: He addresses the myth that animal protein is necessary for athletic performance, advocating for the health benefits of plant-based protein.
• 💼 **Business Strategy**: Beyond Meat's strategy includes relentless innovation, aiming to outcompete animal protein in taste, health benefits, and cost.
• 💸 **Cost Competitiveness**: Ethan is committed to making plant-based meat cheaper than animal protein, leveraging the efficiency advantages of plant-based production.
• 🌐 **Global Impact**: Success for Ethan and Beyond Meat is measured by their ability to provide healthier, more sustainable food options globally, contributing to a better planet.

Q & A

What was Ethan Brown's initial career focus before founding Beyond Meat?

Ethan Brown initially focused on clean tech, working with alternative energy sources such as lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, wind, and fuel cells, particularly hydrogen-powered proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

How did Ethan Brown's background in clean tech lead him to the food industry?

Ethan Brown's transition from clean tech to the food industry was driven by his realization of the environmental impact of livestock on climate change. He saw the inefficiencies in land, energy, water, and emissions used in traditional animal agriculture and decided to apply his problem-solving skills to create a more sustainable protein source.

What is the fundamental composition of meat according to Ethan Brown?

Ethan Brown explains that meat is essentially composed of amino acids, lipids, trace minerals, vitamins, and water, which can be simplified to protein, fat, and water. These components can be found in plants and assembled to mimic the structure of animal muscle.

What was the key to getting investors on board with Beyond Meat's concept?

Ethan Brown emphasizes the importance of persistence, passion, leading with heart, and building the right team. He also mentions that while technology was important, it was the relentless innovation and improvement of the product that helped convince investors.

How does Beyond Meat's approach to product development differ from traditional meat production?

Beyond Meat focuses on extracting proteins, fats, and water directly from plants and assembling them to mimic the architecture of animal muscle, rather than trying to make a plant behave like meat.

What was Ethan Brown's strategy for dealing with initial rejections and skepticism?

Ethan Brown used the rejections and skepticism as motivation, focusing on improving the product and building a strong team. He also cut his safety net, pushing himself to commit fully to the venture without relying on fallback options.

What is the significance of Beyond Meat's partnerships with major fast-food chains like McDonald's and KFC?

Partnering with major fast-food chains is significant because it allows Beyond Meat to reach a broader audience, offering a plant-based alternative in familiar settings and proving the viability of their products on a large scale.

How does Ethan Brown view the role of health in converting meat eaters to plant-based diets?

Ethan Brown believes that health is the primary driver for converting meat eaters, as people are more likely to change their diets when advised by medical professionals due to health concerns.

What is Beyond Meat's goal regarding the cost of their products compared to traditional animal protein?

Beyond Meat has set a goal to underprice animal protein in at least one category within five years, aiming to offer a more affordable and sustainable alternative.

How does Ethan Brown define success for Beyond Meat?

For Ethan Brown, success is measured by the widespread adoption of Beyond Meat's products in popular eating locations, enabling people to enjoy tasty meals that are healthier and better for the planet.

Outlines

00:00

🌱 Founding Beyond Meat: Passion and Persistence

The founder of Beyond Meat discusses the importance of persistence and passion in building a business. He shares his journey from facing numerous rejections to leading with heart and building the right team. The conversation highlights the transition from clean tech to food technology, driven by a desire to address climate change. The founder explains the concept of meat composition and how Beyond Meat aims to replicate meat's essential elements—amino acids, lipids, trace minerals, vitamins, and water—from plant sources, offering a more sustainable alternative.

05:01

🏆 Overcoming Challenges and Building a Successful Brand

The narrative continues with the Beyond Meat founder sharing insights on overcoming challenges and securing investment. He draws parallels with sportsmanship, emphasizing the need for persistence and the ability to turn rejection into motivation. The founder outlines the company's strategy of relentless innovation and the commitment to outperforming competitors in product quality. He also discusses the emotional aspect of entrepreneurship, recalling the moments of doubt and the drive to prove naysayers wrong, ultimately leading to significant partnerships with major fast-food chains.

10:04

🚀 Innovation and the Quest for Global Impact

In this segment, the founder reflects on the moments that signified the turning point for Beyond Meat, particularly the breakthroughs in partnerships with large quick-service restaurants. He discusses the personal significance of creating a new product category and the obstacles faced in convincing oneself and overcoming cultural barriers. The conversation delves into the misconceptions about animal protein and the scientific basis for plant-based meat's benefits, highlighting the company's mission to influence health and environmental sustainability.

15:06

💹 Scaling for Affordability and Market Disruption

The discussion shifts to the economic aspects of Beyond Meat's business model, with the founder outlining the goal to underprice animal protein within five years. He explains the current cost disadvantages and the strategy to achieve cost competitiveness through scaling and supply chain maturation. The founder underscores the importance of health messaging in converting consumers, regardless of their background, to plant-based diets, emphasizing the role of health as a universal motivator for dietary change.

20:06

🌟 Defining Success and the Vision for a Healthier Future

In the final paragraph, the founder of Beyond Meat shares his vision of success, which is deeply tied to the company's mission of providing healthier and environmentally friendly food options. He expresses the aspiration to make a significant global impact by making plant-based meat accessible and desirable in favorite eating locations. The founder's definition of success is not just about financial gains but also about the broader implications for human health and the planet's well-being.

Keywords

💡Persistence

Persistence is the continuous effort to achieve a goal despite facing obstacles or rejections. In the video, Ethan Brown, the founder of Beyond Meat, emphasizes the importance of persistence in the face of numerous 'no's' from investors. He relates this concept to the theme of the video by sharing his personal journey of overcoming skepticism and challenges to establish Beyond Meat, illustrating how persistence is key to innovation and success in the plant-based meat industry.

💡Climate Change

Climate change refers to long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns, often attributed to human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. In the script, Ethan discusses his initial focus on clean tech as a response to climate change, highlighting how his concern for the environment led him to explore alternative energy sources. This concept is central to the video's narrative, as it sets the stage for Ethan's transition from clean energy to creating sustainable food solutions.

💡Clean Tech

Clean tech, or clean technology, encompasses a range of products, services, and processes that reduce negative environmental impacts and promote sustainability. Ethan's initial career in clean tech is mentioned, where he worked on technologies like lithium-ion batteries, solar cells, and fuel cells. The video connects this to the theme by showing how his passion for clean energy transitioned into creating sustainable food solutions, reflecting a broader commitment to environmental stewardship.

💡Livestock

Livestock refers to domesticated animals raised in an agricultural setting to produce food, such as meat, dairy, and eggs. The script discusses the significant environmental impact of livestock, particularly in terms of land use, energy consumption, water usage, and greenhouse gas emissions. This is tied to the video's message by illustrating the need for alternative protein sources, like plant-based meat, to mitigate these impacts and promote a more sustainable food system.

💡Plant-Based Meat

Plant-based meat is a type of food product designed to mimic the taste, texture, and nutritional profile of animal meat but is made entirely from plant sources. The video's central theme revolves around Ethan's work at Beyond Meat, where they develop plant-based meat alternatives. This concept is crucial as it represents a solution to the environmental and health challenges associated with traditional meat production, aligning with the video's focus on sustainability and innovation.

💡Innovation

Innovation refers to the process of translating an idea or invention into a good or service that creates value or for which customers will pay. In the context of the video, innovation is highlighted through Beyond Meat's development of plant-based meat products. Ethan discusses the company's commitment to 'Rapid and Relentless Innovation,' emphasizing the continuous improvement of their products as a key strategy for success and a way to overcome initial skepticism from consumers and investors.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability generally refers to the ability to maintain processes or resource use over the long term without causing environmental degradation or resource depletion. The video underscores the theme of sustainability by discussing the environmental benefits of plant-based meat over traditional animal agriculture. Ethan mentions the reduced land, water, and emissions required for plant-based protein production, positioning Beyond Meat's products as a sustainable alternative to conventional meat.

💡Investment

Investment in the video refers to the financial support provided by individuals or institutions to fund the growth and development of a business or project. Ethan shares his experiences of seeking investment for Beyond Meat, emphasizing the challenges of convincing investors to believe in the potential of plant-based meat. This concept is integral to the video's narrative, as it highlights the financial hurdles that innovative startups often face and the importance of securing investment to bring new products to market.

💡Competitive Advantage

A competitive advantage is a condition or circumstance that puts a company ahead of its competitors. In the script, Ethan discusses the importance of having a competitive advantage, particularly in the context of technology, to succeed in the market. He explains that Beyond Meat's initial technology for creating muscle structure was a key factor in gaining a competitive edge, but it was their persistence and innovation that truly propelled the company's success.

💡Health

Health, in the context of the video, refers to the physical well-being of individuals, which can be influenced by diet and lifestyle choices. Ethan emphasizes the health benefits of plant-based meat as a key selling point, noting that it can provide the necessary nutrients without the negative health implications associated with certain animal proteins. This concept is central to the video's message, as it positions Beyond Meat's products as a healthier alternative to traditional meat, contributing to the broader theme of creating better food options for consumers.

💡Supply Chain

A supply chain is the network of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in moving a product or service from supplier to customer. In the video, Ethan discusses the importance of maturing Beyond Meat's supply chain to achieve economies of scale and reduce costs. This concept is relevant to the video's theme as it highlights the logistical challenges in scaling up production of plant-based meat and the need for efficient supply chain management to make plant-based alternatives more affordable and accessible.

Highlights

Persistence is key, and listening to 'no's is part of the journey to success.

Passion and leading with heart are essential in building a successful team and business.

The transition from clean tech to food industry was driven by a deeper understanding of climate impact.

Livestock's significant climate impact led to the creation of plant-based meat alternatives.

Meat is essentially a composition of amino acids, lipids, trace minerals, vitamins, and water.

Plants can provide the core components of meat without animal consumption.

The advantage in creating plant-based meat comes from persistence and a strong team, not just technology.

Beyond Meat's success is built on relentless innovation and improving the product continuously.

The company's goal is to out-compete animal protein in terms of taste, health, and cost.

Beyond Meat aims to underprice animal protein within five years by increasing efficiency.

Cultural stereotypes about animal protein being necessary for health and performance are being challenged.

The health benefits of plant-based meat are a key message in converting meat eaters.

Beyond Meat focuses on offering products with less saturated fat and no GMOs.

The company's mission is to separate meat from animals, benefiting human health and the planet.

Success for Beyond Meat is measured by widespread adoption of their products in favorite eating locations.

The company is motivated by the potential to save lives and promote healthier living through plant-based meat.

Transcripts

You have to be persistent.

You have to, you know, listen to all the no's,

which we got many, many of

and then just keep pushing forward.

Bring as much passion as you can to something,

lead with your heart, build the right team,

the right management team,

and then just build upon that

and it starts to snowball.

And that's really what we did at Beyond Meat.

Well, look, I'm honored to have you here

and I must start off by saying

that I'm a proud investor

and I have to let you know, Ethan,

that you have a lot to do

with why I went plant-based to begin.

You one of the first examples I always go to

when talking about the impact this can have

on someone's life

and just you as role model for kids.

It's been amazing, even aside from Beyond Meat,

the carbon footprint and everything.

Now getting onto some of the questions Ethan.

So you started off in clean tech.

I did. How and why?

Yeah, so when I was younger

and I had love a for basketball,

but not the same talent as you do

so we had to go do something else.

And I was sitting in my dad's office

and I was talking about kind of what I should be doing

as I thought about my career.

You know, he asked me a question.

He asked me, "What is the biggest problem in the world

as you see it?"

And I thought about that for a long time.

And to me, it really came back as being climate.

And so the correlate to that question was, you know,

then what do you do about it?

And at the time,

the thinking was really around alternative energy.

So looking at ways to migrate from fossil fuels to

renewable and cleaner sources of energy.

And there was kind of a basket of different technologies,

whether it was lithium ion batteries, solar cells,

wind, fuel cells, and I began working on a number of those

as a kind of analyst

and then joined a company that was focused on

hydrogen powered, specifically,

proton exchange membrane fuel cells.

And I loved it. I loved working in that space.

But I kept feeling that I was missing something.

And that led me to the work that I'm doing now.

How does clean tech get you to food?

Like how did that happen?

I mean, first of all,

what we're talking about in clean energy is fuel

to move things around, to warm buildings,

to provide the electricity that we so enjoy,

and things of that nature.

What we're talking about in food is fuel for our bodies.

And so there are some common elements there,

but more importantly,

it was through problem solving.

I began to really think more about climate

in maybe a more sophisticated way than I had

when I was just a student

and started to think about the impact that livestock

has on climate.

And to me, just the sheer amount of land, energy, water,

and emissions that are involved

in bringing a piece of protein to the plate

from an animal that was so significant

that I felt I had to go do something about it.

It's one thing to know all of those working parts

and all the different intricacies.

Like me, once I started eating healthy, right,

I started trying to figure out what foods to eat.

But you got Beyond Meat, right?

Like what inspired you, right.

If you think about what meat is,

and this is really where I think things get exciting.

Meat is a composition that is very familiar to us

and it's essentially five things

if you think about it at a really high level.

It's amino acid, it's lipids, it's trace minerals,

it's vitamins, and it's water.

Said more simply, it's basically protein, fat, and water.

And what the animal's doing is

they're consuming a large amount of vegetation.

You know, you look at Bovine,

they're eating grass or being fed feed.

And they're converting that plant material

through their digestive tract

and their skeletal muscular system

into a center of the plate protein, into muscle, right.

And we harvest that muscle as we slaughter the animal,

pull it out,

and then we prepare that as something

we put at the center of our plate.

Well, the tremendous news here,

and this has to do with the evolution of the earth

and our species within it,

is that there's a commonality in a unity

between plants and animals,

in terms of the core material of parts.

So what you find in plants,

you also find in human and animal bodies

just presenting differently,

but it's that combination of proteins

and fats and water that you can pull those from plants,

or you can get them from animals.

And our idea was to just,

not to make a soybean behave like a steak,

but rather let's find the core parts of meat in plants.

Let's pull them from the plants

and let's assemble them against the architecture

or blueprint of animal muscle or meat.

What was your advantage, right?

And how did you get investors to believe in you?

Right, cause I'm sure when you came to some people,

they were like, what is he talking about?

Like we not trying to do this.

We like to eat our meat.

We like this stuff.

What is he talking about?

How did you get investors to believe

in what you were building?

I mean, it's very similar

and this is why I love sports so much,

to what I've seen you go through.

And I obviously,

I know so much about your career as a fan

and the persistence that you had to show.

And, you know, transiting from football to basketball.

So I think that the biggest thing,

you know, when I was in business school,

people would talk about, oh, you need a competitive moat.

And generally they would say that has to be some advantage

from a technology perspective going into a sector

so that you can create a competitive advantage

that someone else can't knock out.

And unfortunately, that's not really true.

What you do need is to work harder than anybody,

to be smart, and surround yourself with very smart people.

But it's not like I went into this space

with infallible technology.

I went in with a very good technology

and one that was very good at creating muscle structure,

but it was what we've done after that,

that really has helped propel the company.

And so you have to be persistent.

You have to, you know,

listen to all the no's,

which we got many, many of,

and then just keep pushing forward.

But bring as much passion as you can to something,

lead with your heart, build the right team,

the right management team, have good technology,

and then just build upon that

and it starts to snowball.

And that's really what we did at Beyond Meat.

What was it like for you though

when you were getting those no's

and then obviously Beyond Meat is very successful now.

Like, do you remember a lot of those no's

and it's okay to have a chip on your shoulder?

Well, I love that.

It's funny, I just was texting one of my children about,

they were going into practice.

I said, make sure you do play with a chip on your shoulder

because you know,

you have to find some ways to feel yourself every day.

And so I certainly do have that.

And in this room here, there are quotes on the wall

from people who have doubted us.

You know, people in media

and things like that saying that this can't be done.

And I use those a lot to motivate myself

and to motivate my team.

And so, yeah, I remember all of 'em actually.

Where, you know, you're sitting across from a table,

you really need someone to invest

and believe in you.

And, you know, they turn you down

and they turn you down again and again.

And you know, it's persistence

and it's a commitment to the product at the end of the day.

Like we have to keep making the product better and better.

And we have this program at Beyond Meat,

that's called Beyond Meat Rapid and Relentless Innovation.

And to talk about sports again,

actually stole that word, that use of that word,

from the warriors back when they were,

you know, just, I went to a conference there one day

and they kept using that word.

I said, "Well, that's really what I want this team

to be doing within our labs is just be relentless

on being the best out there.

At taking protein fats,

minerals, vitamins, water

from non animal sources

and building them into the structure of meat

and let's get better and better every day.

And that's the only way to prove people wrong."

And by the way, with these deals we just did

with McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell.

Our promise to them is that we will out compete

the other people in the market.

Like we will just bring you the best product.

And that's how we have to build our reputation

and how we have to build our company is not through,

you can try to get contracts

where you force people to take your products,

or what have you.

Better way to live

and the better way to do things is just

always produce the best product.

And so, you know, as I was getting those no's,

I just went home and made the product better.

Just went, you know,

worked with my team to make the product better

and better and better.

And once you do that, at that point,

you start to see customers come to you.

You start to see investors come to you.

Being in athletics my entire life,

playing football, playing basketball,

and especially when I made it to the NBA,

everyone used to always ask the question,

when did you know that you were gonna make it, right?

Like, you have some prodigies

that know they're gonna make it

when they're in middle school now.

And I always say for me,

I didn't know until probably my sophomore year in college.

That's when I really was like, I'm ready.

I'm ready. I can go to the NBA.

I know I'll be ready.

When did you know that you were onto something?

So I have this thing where

I never thought the business would fail.

I didn't know how it would come out though.

You know, I just didn't.

You know, we talked about

how do you get through the no's and stuff,

and one of the ways is to

cut your safety net completely, right.

And I didn't necessarily do that consciously,

but I did it anyway.

And what I mean by that is,

you know, I had a very good job

and had, you know, some savings

and home and all this stuff.

But, you know, you say, I'm never gonna touch those savings,

but you do and you burn through them.

And then, you know,

I'm not gonna sell that house, but you do, you know?

And so then it's not so much bravery that keeps you going,

it's just you got to.

I'm sharing that because, you know,

even today you have to have a healthy amount of,

I dunno if it's fear

or a belief that you need to keep pushing hard

to be successful.

That you can't rest, right.

And so one of the things I love about,

particularly college coaches and even NBA coaches is,

how many times you see a NBA coach, like, you know,

smiling and dancing up and down when they win.

They look relieved.

Like, if you look at like Coach K when he wins,

he just looks relieved.

Right. You know.

And that's sort of the sense of what you,

when you have a business like this

or a career like yours,

you know, oftentimes it's just a relief to have won.

And I feel that way as we're growing our business.

And so I would say the moment that I felt like,

my God, this is actually turning

and this is something that could have the global impact,

when we started getting these large quick serve restaurants.

And so, you know,

one of the first was A&W

and then here in Southern California,

Carl's and Del Taco,

but then in Canada McDonald's.

And I went there myself,

I was in Toronto and they did the test in a rural area.

And I got in a car late at night,

and I drove out there

and I sat down in the restaurant and I had it.

And I got that feeling of like, you know,

really can't believe this is happening.

And that was a blessing for me.

And a wonderful feeling.

You created a product that didn't exist before, right.

So you're an inventor.

Like, what was, you laughing about it,

but that's the truth.

Like, sometimes people will come out with something

that already exists

and just try to make a better version of it.

You really invented something.

So what was your biggest obstacle?

Yeah, there were a lot.

The first obstacle was myself.

You know, was just convincing myself that

well, answering a calling, basically.

You know, if I didn't do this,

would I be happy in life, you know?

And it takes a lot to get yourself out of,

you know, a routine where you're paying for your mortgage,

you're saving money, and all that stuff,

to do something that is outside of your field.

And so for me,

it just a discomfort started to build,

I was like, you know,

said, I really have to go do this

and satisfy this issue.

So that was the first obstacle

was getting over my own

sense of trepidation about it.

And then second,

you know, was just this constant need to overcome,

there's a cultural barrier to this

that still exists today.

That, you know,

I think one of the reasons that

I find your work with us

and your work overall on this subject,

so incredibly compelling is

we have to displace, attack head on,

and really something that's a-scientific.

And that is that animal protein

is better for you in terms of athleticism

and everything else than planet protein.

What's true is that a complete set of

amino acid is really good for you, right,

as an athlete.

And healthy, clean fats are really good for you.

We can take all those from plants

and build them into the structure of meat

so that you can satisfy

and grow your body and

perform at your highest level.

But yet there's a cultural stereotype

that's the exact opposite, you know.

And so, this ideas that- Right.

To be a robust athlete

and to be a masculine presence

that you need to have animal protein,

and it's just a-scientific.

And so we had to get through that,

and we're still trying to get through that.

And because the irony is that

if you do wanna perform at the highest level,

cleaning your body of some of the things

that are in animal protein is the way to go.

And so we're just learning so much about the role

that food can play,

whether it's in, you know,

the inflammation you feel in your knees

or potential precursor or contributor rather

to Alzheimer's disease, to heart disease.

Inflammation is the root of so many of the things

that are causing these diseases that are so horrific.

And we can influence those through the food we eat,

through how it conditions our microbiome

and the bacteria in our gut.

And we can play a role at that at Beyond Meat.

Trust me, Ethan,

everything you saying right now is,

I told you it's been life changing for me.

And I think what you're saying is so important,

'cause it's the education component of it.

And I think that's what so people lack in general,

but especially the African American community.

My aunts and uncles, my dad,

I think for me, this change in lifestyle,

as far as diet and eating it,

it really hit me hard

and it started off performance based,

but then it became life based, right?

And if no one else ever listens to me

when I get on one of my rants

and talking about how to eat healthy

and what it does for your gut,

my dad turned 60 this past year and you know,

I was driving on the highway

and my dad called me and he called me on FaceTime

and he was in tears.

And he was just telling me that he had went to the doctor

and the doctor has told him that his health

was so much better, was so much better.

So, I thank you for educating me

to begin with so that I can try to educate those around me.

So off of that moment right there,

so one of the things too,

that obviously people know is that

Beyond Meat is still more expensive than

regular meat, right?

And I know that you said that that will flip.

Like, when and what will it take to make that happen?

Yeah, so we set a goal two years ago

to within five years be able to underprice animal protein

in at least one category.

And that's so important

because right now we're asking the question of the consumer,

let's say in a quick serve restaurant

you know, do they want to transition

or substitute a plant-based meat into their diet.

But also do they wanna pay more for it?

And we gotta get a away from that second question.

That second question is not helpful.

And what's terrific about what we're doing,

you know, if you believe in this model of efficiency,

we talk about the animal

being the biggest bottleneck in agriculture.

So we have increased the efficiency of our fields

over the last 100 years,

an incredible amount, right?

So, you know, corn, soy, and wheat,

we're growing hugely more quantities per acre

than ever before in human history.

But what are we doing with that?

We're running it through the same system

to convert it into meat, which is the animal.

And the animal's largely standing still in the sense that,

the animal's not evolving,

at a pace that we can see anyway,

into a more efficient bioreactor.

So if we remove the animal

and we put in this technology,

which takes two to three minutes

to create that muscle like structure,

we should become less expensive.

We have tremendous efficiency advantages

over animal protein.

And we had University of Michigan

do this great study where we, you know,

we use 99%, less water, 93% less land.

So why are we more expensive?

It doesn't make sense.

The inputs are, you know, plants.

They're things like peas and,

you know, faba bean,

and things that are readily available in agriculture.

The answer has entirely to do with

the scale of our business.

So if you think about Tyson or JBS,

you know, you look at how much food they are producing.

I heard at one point that Tyson was touching

two out of every five plates in the United States.

So they have a scale advantage over us

and we have to continue to scale our business.

We have to continue to mature our supply chain,

enter more competition into our supply chain

so we can get lower cost inputs,

but we're doing all that now.

And we're on that cost curve.

And so if you think about the computer industry

or the semiconductor industry,

or any of these technologies come along,

we are gonna make this cheaper

and cheaper and cheaper to the point where

we'll underprice animal protein.

Why is that so important?

For obvious reasons, but look,

we'll get closer and closer

to the animal protein that we're trying to

provide an alternative to,

in terms of the sensory experience,

the taste, the aroma, the appearance,

all of that stuff will keep getting better every year.

Second, we'll get the nutrition to the point where

everyone understands that point, right.

Right, now there's a lot of noise about process

and all this stuff.

We're gonna do a lot of education about

why this product is healthier for you, right?

So taste, health,

and then you drop the price below animal protein,

it becomes a rare consumer that says,

"This tastes just like animal protein.

It's better for me. And it's cheaper.

I'm still not gonna eat it."

So we've gotta get those three things done

and we've gotta get 'em done in the next few years.

Right, cause my next question was gonna be

for me, it was somewhat easy to convert me, right.

Because the inflammation, me being an athlete, right.

But how do you convert the diehard meat eaters?

Independent of ideological boundaries

or, you know, socioeconomic,

all the divisions that we have in our society.

You're still seeing people take this step

and become largely flexitarian.

And it's driven primarily by health.

You know, it doesn't matter

whether you're in a field in Idaho

or in one of the densest urban neighborhoods

in the United States, on the coast,

or in Chicago, or what have you,

if your doctor tells you that you are going to die

if you don't change something, right,

you're gonna listen.

And not everybody listens,

but enough people are listening

where they're breaking through

and they're setting aside stereotypes

and things that are not serving them.

And so for us, health is the number one message.

And that differentiates us by the way,

from some of the companies that are out there.

You know, when we talk about our ingredients,

we say, you know, first of all,

it wouldn't be responsible to load our product up

with high levels of saturated fat.

So we're always gonna offer the consumer,

if you look at our burger,

significantly les saturated fat than what's in beef, right.

So we have, I think in the Beyond Burger 3.0,

we have 35% less saturated fat in one of the versions

and a second, which is meant to be a lean burger,

we have 55% less saturated fat.

We have, you know, no GMOs.

So there's no,

you know, novel ingredients there.

It's just, we're using the plant kingdom in ways

that present it to the human-centric experience

as animal protein.

And then no heterocyclic amines

all of the things that are of concern

within the medical community about animal protein,

we have kept out of our products, right.

Or minimized.

And so we have to keep conveying to people,

the health benefits of eating it.

And that's the quickest way to their plate.

Last but not least, you know,

everyone defines this differently.

What is success to you?

What is success look like to you

when it comes to you and your company?

You know, it really,

we're trying to do something.

And when I say we, you know, we're all in this,

doing this together,

to help, you know, save lives

and help people live a healthier life.

And to help repair our planet.

Success for me is seeing as many people as possible

in the locations that they love to eat.

And that's why I'm so focused on places like McDonald's

and KFC and others,

enjoy themselves, enjoy the meal,

have great tasting products,

but do it in a way that's better for their bodies

and do it in a way that's better for the earth.

And so that's really how we do measure success here.

It's a mission,

you know, it's something that's very personal.

And, you know, we hope to look back

and be that group of people that separated meat from animals

and brought the benefits that that brings to

not only humans, but the rest of life on earth.

Well, listen, Ethan, thank you so much.

I appreciate you giving us all this insight,

all this wisdom.

Thanks man.