Beyond Meat and JD.com fire up eCommerce plans to grow China presence

To make plant-based meat accessible to more consumers across China, Beyond Meat will now be making its products available on eCommerce site on JD.com. This new online store is Beyond Meat’s first eCommerce channel in China in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, with plans to expand to 300 cities in the country.

The opening of the store also marks the first time that consumers can directly purchase Beyond Pork, a product that was created exclusively for the Chinese market. As a direct-to-consumer site, JD.com unlocks a new way for consumers to shop for Beyond Meat products and continues to expand Beyond Meat’s retail presence in Mainland China, building off its success with Alibaba’s Hema and METRO China stores.

Candy Chan, Beyond Meat China General Manager, said, “Beyond Meat is excited to launch its store on JD.com to expand our local availability and reach consumers throughout China. With increased capabilities thanks to our new manufacturing facility in the JXEDZ, we are able to offer a growing portfolio of great-tasting, locally-produced plant-based meat products that are nutritious and sustainable.”

The new eCommerce site announcement comes just 15 months after Beyond Meat first entered Mainland China through a partnership with Starbucks China. Within its first year in the market, Beyond Meat has launched a high-profile foodservice partnership with Yum! China as well as with well-known names in China’s dining scene, including Jindingxuan, GangLi Beijing, Slow Boat Brewery, W Hotel Shanghai and more.

Globally, PepsiCo and Beyond Meat have tied up for a joint venture named The PLANeT Partnership to develop, produce, and market innovative snack and beverage products made from plant-based protein. The joint venture taps on Beyond Meat's technology in plant-based protein development and PepsiCo's marketing and commercial capabilities to create and scale new snack and beverage options. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed. Joint venture operations will be managed through the newly created entity The PLANeT Partnership.

Related articles:

7-Eleven partners with Green Monday to bring plant-based meals to over 700 stores

McDonald's HK rolls out plant-based luncheon meat items, featuring Karena Lam in TVCs

Starbucks rolls out plant-based menu across APAC