The brand's updated logo, meant to look like a caped bull or
steer, has been around in various ways for years, says founder and
CEO Ethan Brown. Now, it's front and center, including on the cap
Irving wears in the campaign. Brown, for one, has high expectations
for the updated look.
"I love the subtle nature of it and the challenge to our
company: can it become a universally recognized icon, like the Nike
swoosh, do we really need to use our name every time we market?"
Brown asks rhetorically. "I personally don't like wearing gear with
brand names scrawled on them but I do really enjoy wearing logos
that mean something to me as a consumer."
Beyond Meat has already gotten plenty of attention from athletes
watching what they eat.
Beyond Irving, other new investors include a variety of retired
and current sports stars: Shaquille O'Neill, Chris Paul, DeAndre
Hopkins, Victor Oladipo, Lindsey Vonn, DeAndre Jordan, Harrison
Barnes, Shaun White and Luke Walton. They follow other athletes who
have invested in the company including JJ Redick, Tony Gonzales,
David Wright, Eric Bledsoe, Maya Moore and Tia Blanco, as well
entertainers such as Snoop Dogg, Common, Jessica Chastain, Liza
Koshy and Leonardo DiCaprio. Even former McDonald's CEO Don
Thompson sits on the Beyond Meat board of directors and invests
through his venture capital firm Cleveland Avenue.
"We don't think people will stop eating meat," says Brown.
"Rather, we strongly believe that we should transition the source
of meat, moving from animal-based meats to plant-based meats."
Beyond Meat, which uses proteins from peas and soy among other
ingredients, is growing but still tiny compared to the more
traditional animal-based protein players. It counts Tyson Foods as
an investor and competes against the likes of Impossible Foods
Inc., which is also eager to attract vegetarians and meat eaters to
its products. Beyond Meat products are sold at a variety of grocers
such as Kroger and Whole Foods Market. Its Beyond Burgers are on
the menus at restaurants including Carl's Jr. and TGI Fridays in
the U.S., and at A&W in Canada. In all, its products are in
nearly 20 countries. After adding products such as Beyond Sausage
to its lineup, Beyond Meat may go after other products in a
traditional butcher case, such as cuts like bacon and steak, says
Brown.
![]()
The 10-year-old company filed for an initial public offering in
November. It declined to comment on the status or timing of the
IPO. While it hasn't generated a profit yet, Beyond Meat posted
$56.4 million in revenue in the first nine months of 2018, up from
$21.1 million in the first nine months of 2017.
The company says it worked with Stun and Roadside
Entertainment on its new marketing efforts.
