BRAND STORY
Try a plant-based diet with Greenforce
Interview with Thorsten Zeller from Greenforce
Thomas Müller does it, more and more people in the vegan community do it, flexitarians around the world do it too. Are you doing it too? We’re talking about giving a plant-based diet a try. Greenforce and the professional footballer are launching the campaign with the motto #probier’s pflanzlich (try plant-based). In this interview with Thorsten Zeller from Greenforce, we find out all about the young company from Munich and what they have to offer fans of meat alternatives.
VELIVERY: Greenforce was only founded in 2020 and has already been a success story for 5 years! How was the company founded and what vision has guided it since the early days?
GREENFORCE: When one of our founders tasted the most „innovative“ meat alternatives at a plant-based food trade fair in New York in 2019 and saw a clear need for improvement, he came up with the idea for the first product: a more sustainable plant-based burger patty that would even be popular in top gastronomical circles – in powder form. This burger remains a bestseller in the Greenforce range to this day.
With Greenforce, we want to inspire more and more people to choose plant-based products and dishes instead of meat and thus contribute to the preservation of our planet. Because plant-based proteins require fewer resources and protect the environment.
VELIVERY: Not all meat alternatives are the same: what is important to you?
Authentic flavour
GREENFORCE: Flavour is our top priority, as this is the only way we can bring about lasting change. If customers don’t like the flavour of the product, they won’t buy it again and will go back to the animal-based original. With our diverse product portfolio and authentic flavour, we make it as easy as possible for consumers to switch to plant-based dishes.
VELIVERY: How would you describe your product range and which are the highlights of your Velivery range?
GREENFORCE: Our product range is very diverse – from breakfast to dinner, there is something for all tastes. A couple of the highlights for me are, for example, the cevapcici or the leberkäse. The changing seasonal products, such as the grilled medallions and their winter flavours truffle and mushroom, are also definitely my favourites. These products can also all be found in the Velivery brand shop.
VELIVERY: Sustainability is a buzzword on everyone’s lips. What exactly is Greenforce’s contribution in its everyday business?
Inspiring trying out new dishes „from field to fork“
GREENFORCE: By changing our diet, we as individuals have the greatest possible leverage to make a positive impact on our environment and contribute to the preservation of our planet. This is exactly where Greenforce comes in. We want to inspire as many people as possible to try our plant-based products, because every meat alternative saves emissions compared to the original.
Since 2023, we have also started growing peas regionally. We plan to increase the area under cultivation in future so that we can cover as much of our raw material requirements as possible regionally. In this way, we are establishing a more sustainable „from field to fork“ model, which saves CO2 emissions thanks to the short transport routes.
VELIVERY: How did the collaboration with Thomas Müller come about? What does Greenforce have to do with football and what does Thomas Müller have to do with a vegan lifestyle?
Thomas Müller convinced at the very first tasting
GREENFORCE: Thomas became aware of Greenforce through a good friend. During an initial tasting, he was immediately impressed by our products and bought the pâté sandwiches several times. He himself is not a vegan, but describes himself as more of a flexitarian. This means that he only consumes meat very consciously and not so often, as he is increasingly concerned about the resources that are needed for our meat consumption. This means he not only belongs to our target group, but can also appeal to it in a very authentic way. It is important to both Thomas and us at Greenforce that nobody should be lectured to. We want to inspire people, but without pointing a finger.
VELIVERY: Are there any other collaborations or projects with which Greenforce is spreading the word about plant-based nutrition, animal welfare and environmental protection?
Honoured with the PETA Award
GREENFORCE: We are a purely plant-based company and do not support animal testing or animal suffering. Our products have even been honoured with the PETA Vegan Food Award several times in recent years. In addition, we are constantly trying to create new points of contact with plant-based nutrition through collaborations such as Europa-Park, where we have started a pop-up restaurant, food trucks and other campaigns.
VELIVERY: When it comes to meat alternatives, our top priority is of course: how does it taste? What flavour experience do Greenforce products offer and which dishes can be made purely vegan with them?
Grandma’s favourite recipes and international cuisine – Greenforce for everyone
GREENFORCE: I have already mentioned that flavour is our top priority. We want to offer a flavour experience that is as authentic as possible and this also means that our products can be prepared and used in a similar or even identical way to the animal-based original. It should be possible to recreate your parents‘ or grandparents‘ recipe with our products without too much extra effort. Our wide range of over 70 products also includes many international specialities, such as cevapcici, köttbullar and frikadelle (meatballs).
VELIVERY: Do you have any recommendations and trendy recipes à la „try plant-based“ that you would like to share with our readers?
GREENFORCE: Sophisticated dishes such as stuffed peppers with our vegan mince always go down well with guests, for example. Sausage goulash alternative are also a recipe that is popular all year round and can be customised with seasonal ingredients – we also have a delicious recipe with our organic mince here.
Staying true to our vision
VELIVERY: What are Greenforce’s plans for the future? And is there anything else you would like to share with us from your perspective as a successful start-up for the vegan community?
GREENFORCE: We want to get even more people excited about plant-based products, not take ourselves too seriously and of course remain true to our vision of making this planet a little better.
We also have some new products in the pipeline this year that you can look forward to! I’ve already had the chance to taste them and they were really excellent.
VELIVERY: Thank you very much for the exciting perspective on the topic of meat alternatives. We wish you and the company all the best!
Whether you’re an athlete like footballer Thomas Müller or not, if you’re willing to experiment a little, all flexitarians are invited to try a plant-based diet with Greenforce. Well, and people who have committed to a vegan lifestyle are usually already doing so enthusiastically anyway. So, all that remains is for us to wish you bon appétit with the right recipes.
