Riteish And Genelia’s Imagine Meats Teams Up With Starbucks To Launch #StarbucksVeganMenu

5^th June 2022, Mumbai

Co-founded by Riteish and Genelia Deshmukh, Imagine Meats, a plant-based meat alternative that launched in 2021, has been expanding its reach with great success ever since.

And now they have cemented their ties in the QSR industry with the iconic international chain of coffee shops- Starbucks with all-new vegan menu.

At the launch event in Mumbai, both Riteish and Genelia as well as Sushant Dash, CEO, Tata Starbucks, Deepa Krishnan, CMO, Tata Starbucks were present to unveil the dishes that will be part of the offering.

#STARBUCKSVEGANMENU

"It's not about saying 'I will eat this because it is vegan', customers need to want to eat it because it tastes good. So it took us some time but we are glad to partner with Imagine Meats. We wanted to give our customers the best and our value systems match well with Genelia, Riteish and their team. Starbucks likes to partner with mission-aligned partners like Riteish and Genelia who put their money where their mouth is," said Sushant Dash, CEO, Tata Starbucks.

Riteish and Genelia were elated at the partnership. "A lot of research and development has gone behind these products, we have rejected so many products because they don't meet all the criteria we have set out as a company," said Riteish, "and we are thrilled to have Imagine Meats available in this new avatar at Starbucks."

IMAGINE MEATS

Currently Imagine Meats’ products can be found in 14 states across India including Gujrat, Maharashtra, Delhi, Karnataka and Kerala.

Their 11 frozen products are all plant-based meats that one can find in the frozen section. These include different flavours of Biryani, Kebabs, Sausages and Burger Patties.

When asked about why they started Imagine Meats, Riteish said, "When I went vegan I was craving for certain flavours in my food. What we used earlier as meaty replacements in food like soya chunks no longer do the job anymore. Food technology has evolved and we thought if we can solve my problem and also that of people who are looking to cut down of their meat consumption then we are solving more than one problem."

Genelia added, "I have done a nutrition course in vegan nutrition so that I can actually get a better understanding of whether I am on the right track as a founder and also as a parent. We are constantly on the lookout for new product ideas to meet the diverse palates we have in this country. We want Imagine Meats to be a choice for anybody seeking the taste of meats without the guilt of impacting the environment and their health."

STARBUCKS

Starbucks In India has been seeing a growing demand for dairy-free alternatives which has led them to launch vegan beverages and offer plant-based alternatives such as oat, almond and soya milk at their outlets.

Sushant added, “People are seeking various options for their own reasons, it could be for health or sustainability. As a brand, we have always believed in providing these options because we want to be inclusive and cater to the various voices out there. This is why we started offering alternatives to dairy two years ago. We thought the time was right to offer vegan food alternatives."

Like this? Read: Genelia D'Souza Deshmukh Takes Initiative To Donate 100,000 Vegan Meals To Indians Affected By Covid

Read More: Starbucks India To Introduce Oat Milk As A Plant-Based Alternative Across The Country