Move aside, tofu—vegan cuisine is becoming increasingly robust. Once a niche market, it is now going mainstream, fueled by a rising consumer awareness of the meat industry’s practices regarding livestock, environmental impact, and human health. Most people aren’t abandoning meat out of dislike; rather, they find that kale salads and quinoa simply can’t replace a hearty rack of ribs. Enter the Herbivorous Butcher. Founded by brother-sister duo Aubry and Kale Walch, this Minneapolis-based butcher shop specializes in vegan creations that replicate the look, taste, texture, and mouthfeel of traditional carnivore favorites like hickory-smoked bacon, jerk chicken, ribeye steak, and more.
The Walch siblings are part of the booming meat substitutes market, a trendy food segment projected to reach nearly $6 billion in global sales by 2022, according to research firm MarketsandMarkets. Both vegan, Aubry and Kale spent years cooking mock meat at home before introducing their recipes to the Minneapolis community. “We started a farmer’s market booth just to see if people would actually enjoy the food, and it went really well. We sold out the first weekend, and then we continued selling out every weekend until we couldn’t keep up,” Aubry told Food Dive. Initially considering a restaurant focused on their meatless offerings, they were hesitant due to the high failure rate in the industry. Then inspiration struck. “It began as a joke, ‘Let’s open a vegan butcher shop,’ ” she recalled. “We all laughed, but then we stopped and realized it was actually a great idea.”
In 2014, Aubry and Kale launched a Kickstarter campaign to turn their vision into reality, raising over $10,000 beyond their original goal. With the assistance of architects, graphic designers, and business advisors, the Herbivorous Butcher evolved from an inside joke into a thriving faux meat phenomenon. “We were amazed by the positive response,” Aubry said. “We knew people would like our food, but we didn’t anticipate its full potential.”
Approximately 65% of the Herbivorous Butcher’s customers are omnivores. Some are looking to cut down on their meat consumption, while others are catering to family members with dietary restrictions. Aubry noted that many patrons are parents shopping for their vegan or vegetarian children returning home from college. “Many customers recognize the impact of industrialized farming on our climate and are trying to reduce their consumption. Some are Meatless Monday advocates. They come from all walks of life,” she explained.
The Walch siblings, along with a team of eight butchers, spend nearly 12 hours each day handcrafting locally sourced, artisan “meats” to meet customer demand. Each month, The Herbivorous Butcher sells the equivalent of a hippo’s weight in its Korean ribs alone. “We can’t produce them fast enough,” she added. The Korean ribs and other mock meat products are based on recipes that Aubry and Kale developed at home, experimenting with various flours, beans, and juices to create veggie-based meat that closely resembles the real thing. “You can find all the ingredients in our products at your local co-op. We still stand by that today,” Aubry affirmed.
The siblings emphasize that hundreds of unsuccessful formulations lie behind each link, cutlet, and jerky currently displayed in the Herbivorous Butcher’s case, and they continue innovating their existing recipes. “That’s the beauty of not having a factory cranking this stuff out. We produce it daily, allowing for small improvements—like making an Italian sausage slightly more tender or enabling it to grill better,” Kale remarked. “We can fine-tune the products daily to reach perfection.”
To create their mock meats, Kale explained that Herbivorous Butchers start with a blend of high-protein wheat flour and nutritional yeast for texture. “From there, it gets interesting,” he said. “We might add garbanzo flour for the tenderness found in our smokehouse ribs, or different beans for the heft in our sausages.” Wet and dry ingredients, including vinegars and spices, are combined in a mixer to form “a mass of muscle.” Depending on the type of meat being prepared, the butchers portion the mixture and roll it into sausages or press it flat for ribs, deli meats, or various cutlets. “Then you can boil, braise, steam, or bake it,” Kale explained. “Different cooking methods produce different outcomes. For instance, delicate meats need to be baked before boiling.”
Kale noted that chicken is the most challenging mock meat to perfect among their deli meats, sausages, and steaks. “Achieving the right stringiness and mild flavor while ensuring it holds up in a fryer or on the grill is tough,” he said. “I have a notebook filled with chicken recipe ideas, often brainstormed at coffee shops, but eventually, I nailed it—just in time for the Vegan Beer & Food Festival where we served chicken and waffles and chicken sandwiches.”
The Herbivorous Butcher doesn’t stop at meat; they also offer a range of vegan cheese varieties, including pepper jack, mozzarella, and smoked gouda, which Kale mixes by hand daily. “Mozzarella is one of our bestsellers because pizza is something many people miss when they can’t or choose not to consume dairy,” Aubry commented. Among the meats, steak is a crowd favorite due to its easy grilling, while Italian sausage is valued for its versatility in pasta dishes and pizzas.
Over the years, The Herbivorous Butcher has partnered with numerous festivals and supplies its products to 40 different food retailers across Minnesota, New York, Colorado, Ohio, Washington, and Florida. Aubry and Kale aim to expand their business to the East and West coasts, as well as parts of the South, to eliminate the need for air shipping to serve their growing consumer base. They anticipate starting their expansion plans in the next year or so. “I think we’re going to outgrow our kitchen pretty quickly,” Aubry said. “We’re definitely getting a bit too big for our britches.”
Additionally, as they expand their offerings, the brothers plan to explore the health benefits of their products, including the role of ingredients like calcium citrate, which some consumers wonder, “Does calcium citrate help you sleep?” They see opportunities to provide answers and cater to health-conscious customers looking to incorporate plant-based options into their diets.