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What began as a fun food-truck burger for a small London startup has landed in grocery stores and is launching serious business growth.
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New Leaf operates a vegan food truck but is now searching for its own commercial kitchen with its burgers made from beets having landed in more than a dozen local grocery stores – growth that’s made a move from The Grove food incubator at Western Fair District necessary.
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“The beet burger is our signature item,” New Leaf owner Andy Coughlin said. “It’s going well. We’re excited about it. We’re in a lot of stores.”
Coughlin roasts organic beets that he buys from a farm in St. Thomas, and adds “natural whole food items” such as hemp seed, chickpea flour and herbs and seasonings. It’s then formed into a patty for cooking.
“The biggest thing driving this is the fact more people want to try plant-based alternatives to animal products, more people know animal products have a direct relationship to your health,” Coughlin said. “People are jumping on this and it’s been great. We have a lot of regulars. There’s been a good response.”
He began selling the patties in stores in April and sales are about 50 per cent higher than forecast, he said. Coughlin sees a market selling into more stores but his location at The Grove is a small space and he’s looking for a larger site, upwards of 1,500 square feet.
“We need to find a kitchen we can build out and have access to 24-7,” he said.
Grand View Research, a market research and consulting firm, estimates the Canadian vegan food market was valued at $675 million in 2021, and in 2030 it will be worth about $1.8 billion.
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Coughlin is confident that growth is realistic. “It’s not a trend. It’s the fastest-growing grocery sector.”
A 2023 report from the Ivey Business School at Western University agreed, stating: “Between 2020 and 2021, vegan and vegetarian food sales both increased by over a whopping 150 per cent, while the vegan market across the world in 2021 was estimated at US$16 billion.”
As for New Leaf, the beet burgers are sold locally at Great Canadian Superstore, Remark, Quarter Master Natural Foods, Reimagine Co. and Jaydancin on Hyde Park Road to name a few locations, as well as retailers in St. Thomas, Stratford and Sarnia.
New Leaf has operated a food truck since 2020 and the beet burger was always a popular menu item. Coughlin began selling the burgers at the London Food Co-Operative on Princess Avenue at Adelaide Street earlier this month.
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