BRAND STORY
Redefine Meat – for everyone who loves meat but with a twist
Interview with Birte Stoltenberg from Redefine Meat
What happens when people who really love meat in the culinary world set about developing alternatives? This is exactly what Redefine Meat, the young company from Israel, says it has done. We can’t wait to hear what they tell us about the company’s idea and development in this interview. Birte Stoltenberg answered our questions about the new meat alternatives. And anyone who knows us knows that we aren’t just talk, of course. We have found out the best recipes from Redefine Meat so that you can put them to the test right away. Because as the saying goes: reading is silver, cooking is golden. Or something like that. 🙂
Meat, of course!
VELIVERY: The brand name alone makes one curious. What is being redefined?
BIRTE: Meat naturally! 😊 Redefine Meat means redefining meat. In other words, we want to enable meat enjoyment without compromise. Meat has a long tradition. But meat in abundance is considered a real climate killer, while we can save a lot of CO2 by eating plant-based meat. So, the good news is that we don’t have to drastically reduce our meat consumption, we just have to change it. „Precisely the same – entirely different“. To ensure that future generations can continue to enjoy meat, we need New Meat*. A new kind of meat with the same flavour and texture – based on plant-based ingredients – that is good for the environment and animals. The asterisk * means: free from ingredients of animal origin
VELIVERY: Where and how did the idea of Redefine Meat start and who are the people who founded this company?
BIRTE: It all started in 2018 in Israel with founders Adam Lahav and Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, who both had careers in the tech industry at HP. After the birth of their children, they were united by the desire to contribute to a more sustainable lifestyle. As they both really love meat and didn’t want to miss out on the flavour of good meat, they founded Redefine Meat, a project close to their hearts.
The food tech pioneers
VELIVERY: What is the new Redefine approach to meat alternatives?
BIRTE: We research and analyse the unique properties of meat down to the smallest detail so that our New Meat looks, feels and, most importantly, tastes just like meat! After all, it’s not just the flavour that plays a decisive role in meat, but also the consistency. The standard is high: New Meat must resemble animal meat both when cut with a knife and when you sink your teeth into it. This is the only way to convince people of New Meat. This is made possible by our patented modern technologies and close collaboration with international meat experts, butchers and star chefs.
VELIVERY: New Meat sounds interesting, and you also describe yourselves as food tech pioneers. But what is behind it? What is the plant-based basis of the Redefine Meat products? Where do these ingredients come from?
BIRTE: In keeping with their professional backgrounds, Adam and Eshchar chose a highly scientific and technological approach to product development. Using a multi-patented process, New Meat can be produced with textures and flavours that are almost indistinguishable from conventional meat. This means that entire muscle structures of an animal can be reproduced layer by layer and the distribution of plant-based ingredients can be precisely controlled during production to imitate the blood, fat and muscle fibres of a whole piece of meat, for example a flank steak of animal origin. Our products are made from commercially available ingredients: the muscle elements consist of chickpea, wheat and soya proteins, as well as rice and potato protein; the fat is made from coconut and rapeseed oil, and our „blood“ consists of beetroot and cranberry juice. Trace elements such as vitamin B12, iron and zinc are also added to bring both the flavour and nutritional value even closer to the original.
New-meat-portfolio
VELIVERY: What range of meat alternatives do you offer?
BIRTE: Our New Meat portfolio is a pioneer in plant-based New Meat due to its high quality and delicious flavour, but also due to the extensive range of products. From juicy New Meat burgers, tasty mince and pulled meat products, savoury lamb kebabs to pork sausages and tasty beef steak – all Redefine Meat New Meat products are vegan and made from 100% GMO-free, plant-based ingredients. Our New Meat is now on the menu in over 700 catering establishments in Germany, but of course it can also be ordered at home via the Velivery online shop.
“The most vegan country in the world”
VELIVERY: How would you assess it: is Israel more open to conscious eating and a vegan lifestyle than in this country?
BIRTE: When it comes to nutrition and lifestyle, Israel is a pioneer in many respects: it is now considered the „most vegan country in the world“. But a lot is also happening in Germany. People are buying less and less meat and thus driving the change in diet. According to the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL), 46 per cent of the population in Germany had a flexitarian diet last year. This means that they are actively reducing their meat consumption.
VELIVERY: What is at the heart of Redefine Meat? What can possibly be made a little better through your approach?
BIRTE: Beef production has a significant impact on the environment – more than the production of any other type of meat. New Meat instead of meat of animal origin means up to 96% less water consumption, 98% less land use and 90% less greenhouse gas emissions. By replacing animals with machines, we produce a plant-based meat that is simply much better for the environment, climate and animals.
This is a special incentive for many people who are not only striving for health for themselves with their vegan diet.
Earth Day week and Veganuary
VELIVERY: What does sustainability mean to you and how do you practise it? Do you have any examples for us in terms of resources etc.?
BIRTE: The topic of sustainability is reflected in everything we do. For example, we work together with Klimato. Climate-conscious restaurants can use the Klimato tool to calculate how high the CO2 footprint of their dishes is. This in turn encourages climate-conscious decisions when choosing dishes. To mark Earth Day, all 27 Enchilada restaurants across Germany organised a great campaign. During the Earth Day week, Enchilada customers could buy a New Meat burger for €5 and save 5,000 kg of CO2 per burger! That’s as much CO2 as charging a mobile phone once a day – but for a whole year! Through this educational work, we are trying to show how important New Meat is for our guests.
For Veganuary, we are once again launching lots of great campaigns and trying to make it even easier to veganise all dishes with delicious recipes.
VELIVERY: What are the decisive criteria for your products?
BIRTE: It has to be delicious! And as I said, it has to appeal to all five senses. Our New Meat is a high-quality source of protein, but much more sustainable than animal meat, which tastes and smells the same and has an amazingly similar mouth and chewing sensation. New Meat is also exactly like animal meat in the pan. The technology makes it possible to produce any kind of meat, to enable any kind of preparation and to satisfy any appetite.
Everything is possible
VELIVERY: What dishes can vegan fans conjure up with your products?
BIRTE: There are no limits to the imagination here! New Meat is extremely versatile and can be prepared in the same way as meat, which means everything is possible, from bolognese to chilli sin carne and pulled New Meat fajitas to boeuf bourguignon and Christmas roulade. You can find lots of delicious recipes in our brand shop at Velivery.
VELIVERY: Of course, I also want to ask about your favourite dish. What do you like to cook yourself at home?
BIRTE: I’m the only vegetarian in our household, but I can conjure up lots of meat dishes with New Meat so that nobody has to go without. My favourite dish? Definitely lasagne, but currywurst or hotdogs for a quick snack also have their charm😊
VELIVERY: Can you give us an idea of where the Redefine Meat journey will take us and what vegan gourmets we can look forward to in the future?
BIRTE: The journey is only just beginning … We will see a lot more progress in the coming years. In addition to meeting demand, we are constantly working on improving and expanding our product range. We are paying particular attention to whole cuts of meat, as there is still great potential here. Let us surprise you!
redefine meat recipe ideas
Of course, we don’t want to withhold Birte’s favorite recipe ideas from you. Enjoy your meal!