Move over, tofu — vegan cuisine is evolving to embrace a heartier approach. What was once a niche market for plant-based food is now entering the mainstream, driven by increasing consumer awareness of the meat industry’s practices, environmental impacts, and effects on human health. Many individuals are not abandoning meat due to a lack of fondness; instead, they find that kale salads and quinoa can’t quite match the satisfaction of a plate of ribs.
Enter the Herbivorous Butcher, a unique butcher shop founded by brother-sister duo Aubry and Kale Walch in Minneapolis. This shop offers vegan creations that replicate the look, taste, texture, and mouthfeel of traditional meat dishes like hickory smoked bacon, jerk chicken, and ribeye steak. The Walch siblings play a significant role in the rapidly growing meat substitutes market, projected to reach nearly $6 billion in global sales by 2022, according to research from MarketsandMarkets.
As vegans themselves, Aubry and Kale experimented with making mock meats at home for years before sharing their recipes with the Minneapolis community. “We started a farmer’s market booth just to test the waters, and it went exceptionally well. We sold out the first weekend and continued to sell out every weekend until we couldn’t keep up,” Aubry recounted to Food Dive. The siblings contemplated launching a restaurant focused on their meat-free offerings but were cautious about the high failure rates in the industry. That’s when the idea struck them: “It began as a sort of joke—‘Let’s open a vegan butcher shop.’ We laughed, but then realized it was actually a brilliant concept,” she said.
In 2014, Aubry and Kale launched a Kickstarter campaign to turn their idea into reality, surpassing their funding goal by over $10,000. With support from a team of architects, graphic designers, and business advisors, the Herbivorous Butcher transformed from a lighthearted notion into a thriving faux meat sensation. “We were incredibly surprised by the positive response,” Aubry said. “We anticipated people would enjoy our food, but we didn’t grasp the full potential of what this could become.”
Approximately 65% of the Herbivorous Butcher’s clientele are omnivores. Some are looking to cut back on meat consumption, while others seek to accommodate the dietary preferences of family members, particularly vegan or vegetarian children visiting from college. “Many customers are aware of the detrimental effects of industrial farming on our climate and aim to reduce their meat intake. We have quite a few Meatless Monday enthusiasts among our patrons,” she explained.
Aubry and Kale, alongside a team of eight butchers, engage in nearly 12 hours of daily production, crafting locally sourced, artisan “meats” by hand to meet customer demand. In fact, the Herbivorous Butcher sells the equivalent weight of a hippo in its Korean ribs every month. “We can’t produce them fast enough,” she noted. The Korean ribs and other products are based on recipes the siblings developed through experimentation with various flours, beans, and juices sourced from their local co-op, ensuring that customers can find all the ingredients in their products right there in the store.
The siblings emphasize that behind every product—links, cutlets, jerky, and more—lies the story of hundreds of failed attempts, yet they continue to innovate with their creations. “That’s the beauty of not operating a factory that just churns out products. We make everything fresh daily, allowing for continuous small improvements, like making an Italian sausage a bit more tender or better suited for grilling,” Kale explained.
To create their mock meats, the butchers at the Herbivorous Butcher start with a blend of high-protein wheat flour and nutritional yeast for texture. “Then it gets interesting,” Kale said. “You might add chickpea flour for tenderness in our smokehouse ribs or different beans to achieve the desired heft in a sausage.” The mixture of wet and dry ingredients, including vinegars and spices, is then combined to form what they refer to as “a mass of muscle.” The butchers shape the mixture into sausages, ribs, deli meats, or cutlets, which can then be boiled, braised, steamed, or baked, depending on the desired outcome.
Of all the mock meats offered, Kale highlights chicken as the most challenging to perfect. “Getting that stringiness and mild flavor just right, while ensuring it holds up in frying or grilling, is tough,” he explained. “I have a notebook filled with chicken recipe ideas, constantly seeking new flours or ingredients to enhance the recipe. 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 variety of vegan cheeses, including pepper jack, mozzarella, and smoked gouda, which Kale mixes by hand daily. “Mozzarella is one of our best sellers because pizza is something people miss the most when they opt out of dairy,” Aubry added. Among their meat products, steak is particularly popular for grilling ease, while Italian sausage is favored for its versatility in various dishes.
Over the years, the Herbivorous Butcher has collaborated with numerous festivals and supplies products to 40 different food retailers across Minnesota, New York, Colorado, Ohio, Washington, and Florida. Aubry and Kale aspire to expand their business to the East and West coasts, as well as parts of the South, to avoid air shipping to their growing customer base. They anticipate that expansion plans will commence within the next year. “We’re likely to outgrow our kitchen pretty soon,” Aubry remarked. “We’re definitely starting to feel like we’re getting a bit too big for our britches.”
Additionally, as they continue to innovate, they remain committed to providing options that meet various nutritional needs, including products that incorporate calcium citrate and vitamin D3 x 60 tab, ensuring that their customers enjoy both delicious and health-conscious choices.