Beyond Meat, a company known for its non-GMO vegan-friendly imitation meat products - including the Beyond Burger, a burger that claims to be the most meat-like offering on the market - filed for an IPO on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018.
The California startup, which has previously drawn investments from Silicon Valley notables like Bill Gates and Twitter (NYSE: TWTR) co-founder Biz Stone, has filed to list under the ticker "BYND" on Nasdaq. Its initial offer size will be $100 million, though that number is subject to change. Net revenue for the first three quarters of 2018 was $56.4 million, up 167% year over year. Net losses stood at $22.4 million. Sales in the last year were up 70%. JP Morgan (NYSE: JPM), Credit Suisse (NYSE: CS), and Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) will lead the IPO. Twitter's CFO Ned Segal and Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) CFO Kathy Waller will join its board.
As for its IPO plans, the company intends to continue to expand. "Going forward, we intend to continue to invest in innovation, supply chain capabilities, manufacturing, and marketing initiatives," the company said. The company has already expanded rapidly, purchasing a massive facility where it intends to experiment with making alternatives to every cut of meat, including difficult-to-imitate steaks.
Beyond Meat has capitalized on changing consumer tastes. Millennials and other health-conscious consumers are decreasing their red meat consumption. Meanwhile, the percentage of the global population that identifies as vegetarian or vegan continues to rise. The demand for meat alternatives is only expected to grow over the next five years, increasing from its current level of $4.6 billion to $6.4 billion. The US meat alternative industry alone saw sales climb 24% in the past year, according to the Plant Based Foods Association. The Beyond Burger has proven especially popular. It's sold at major grocery chain like Kroger (NYSE: KR) and Whole Foods (NASDAQ: AMZN). It's also served on the menus of major chain restaurants like TGI Fridays. The burger has proved so popular that is has on occasion struggled to meet demand.