Business Wars ENCORE: Beyond Meat vs Impossible Burger | Flame Broiled | 2
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Dec 31, 2025 In 2016, the race for plant-based supremacy heats up between two rivals. Ethan Brown impresses Whole Foods with the Beyond Burger, while Pat Brown courts celebrity chefs to showcase his bleeding Impossible Burger. Tension rises as lobbyists from the beef industry fight against meat labeling for plant products. As Impossible Foods partners with Burger King for a national rollout, production shortages cause chaos. Meanwhile, Beyond Meat's IPO makes headlines, highlighting the fierce competition and evolving perceptions in the food industry.
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Turned Down A Big Buyout
- Pat Brown refused a $200 million buyout offer from Google Ventures to keep control of Impossible Foods' mission.
- He prioritized long-term impact over early exit despite heavy VC funding and interest.
Mission Framing Invites Political Pushback
- Pat Brown framed Impossible Foods as a moral mission to replace beef, not just a novel product.
- That mission-oriented messaging set up intense industry backlash and political pushback.
Won The Meat Case With A Grill Demo
- Ethan Brown convinced Whole Foods to move Beyond Burger into the meat case after in-person tastings and demos.
- The Boulder test and rapid sellouts proved the product could compete directly with beef in-store.