On a mission to move three mountains (read on to find out what they are), Moving Mountains is leading the way in vegan food development. We catch up with them to talk hot dogs, bleeding burgers, and how they're helping to fight climate change.
ADVERTISEMENT
When and why did Moving Mountains Foods first launch?
Moving Mountains Foods® was founded in 2016 by Simeon Van der Molen.
He launched the company with the purpose of creating real and long-lasting positive change by developing plant-based meat that is not only delicious, but is made with compassion for the planet.
What’s your USP when compared to other brands such as Beyond Meat?
Moving Mountains offers the highest-quality plant-based products on the market, emulating the taste, texture, and smell of their animal-based counterparts.
Moving Mountains is also pushing the boundaries in plant-based NPD innovation with its new fish alternative range that includes Fish Fingers, Fish Fillet, and Fish Goujons.
Moving Mountains is unique in its mission to move three mountains which are:
- Improving human health
- Reducing intensive factory farming
- Improving food sustainability
What are your products made from?
The Moving Mountains range of products are primarily made from high-quality, sustainably sourced soya-protein.
The Moving Mountains Hot Dog is unique in that it is primarily made from sunflower seeds that replicate the taste and texture of a meat Hot Dog perfectly.
ADVERTISEMENT
Why did you feel it was important for your first burger to be a ‘bleeding’ one?
Moving Mountains’ primary mission is to improve sustainability.
To achieve this we need to convince the world to consume less meat, but the problem is the global population enjoys consuming meat.
Our solution to this is to replicate the experience of meat to the highest degree with our plant-based products, to convince meat-eaters that eating plant-based meat is just as tasty (and far better for the plant). The ‘bleeding’ aspect of the Moving Mountains Burger does just that.
How did you decide which products should come next after your burgers?
After the success of the Moving Mountains Burger, we sought to create a unique product in the plant-based market. The Moving Mountains Hot Dog achieved just that.
Initially we created the world’s first foot-long vegan Hot Dog which was hugely successful.
Since then we have launched the Moving Mountains Hot Dog in a much more supermarket-friendly size.
What’s your most popular product to date?
The Moving Mountains Burger is still our most popular product worldwide due to its ease of access to both global foodservice and retail markets.
It still wins countless awards and top 10 lists for its revolutionary taste.
What’s your process for developing new products?
Our new product development team is always looking at the plant-based market for inspiration. But as an organisation led by NPD innovation, we look to the meat and fish markets too.
We want to bring as many plant-based alternatives to our customers as possible to achieve our mission.
The product development process is never rushed, to ensure we achieve the highest-quality taste and texture.
A great example of this is the Moving Mountains Burger that took a team of scientists and chefs over two years to develop to create the perfect product.
We are also not afraid to go back to the drawing board if a product is not up to our high standards.
ADVERTISEMENT
What would you say to a meat eater who is sceptical about trying mock meats?
We always encourage meat eaters to taste our products before making any assumptions.
Our aim is to replicate meat or fish to the closest degree with the whole Moving Mountains range, and our customer feedback demonstrates that we successfully achieve this.
As well as tasting great, our products are non-GMO, contain no hormones, and are far better for the planet.
Can mock meats be a valuable part of a healthy vegan diet?
Our products aim to replicate their meat or fish counterparts, and like their counterparts they should be enjoyed as part of a healthy balanced diet.
How are your products beneficial for anyone looking to make changes to their diet to fight climate change?
The Moving Mountains range is fantastic for all of those wanting to reduce their impact on the planet.
Moving Mountains commissioned Eaternity, a sustainable analytics organisation, to review the environmental impact of the Moving Mountains Burger in direct comparison with its beef counterpart in a life cycle assessment.
The results show a significant reduction in the amount of water, greenhouse gas emissions and land used in the life cycle of a Moving Mountains Burger compared with beef. Specifically, 70% less water usage, and 92% less greenhouse gas emissions.
Reducing your meat intake is one of the easiest changes to fight climate change.
Why did you decide to apply for the Vegan Trademark and what advantages has it given you?
Registering our products with The Vegan Society was important to Moving Mountains as part of our aim to create excellent quality food that contributes towards reducing intensive factory farming, improving food sustainability, and increasing animal welfare.
After looking into the options available, we chose to use The Vegan Society’s Vegan Trademark on our products because it was easily recognisable to our customers and offered the trust and reassurance we wanted to provide.
What’s next for Moving Mountains?
We have plenty of exciting products in the works, as well as expansion into further territories around the world.
Keep a lookout on our social media for a first glimpse at any exciting announcements!
Has this got you in the mood for a burger for dinner? Check out our top 23 mouth-watering vegan burger recipes
