Move aside, tofu — vegan cuisine is becoming increasingly hearty. Once a niche market, this food sector is now entering the mainstream, driven by heightened consumer awareness about the meat industry’s livestock practices, environmental impacts, and health implications. Many individuals are not abandoning meat due to a lack of affection for it; rather, they find that kale salads and quinoa simply don’t satisfy the craving for classic meat dishes.
Enter the Herbivorous Butcher, a concept brought to life by sibling duo Aubry and Kale Walch. Based in Minneapolis, this butcher shop offers vegan creations that imitate the look, taste, texture, and mouthfeel of beloved meat dishes like hickory smoked bacon, jerk chicken, and ribeye steak. The Walch siblings are part of the booming meat substitutes market, a trendy and rapidly expanding segment projected to approach nearly $6 billion in global sales by 2022, according to research firm MarketsandMarkets.
As lifelong vegans, Aubry and Kale experimented with mock meat at home for years before sharing their carnivore-friendly recipes with the Minneapolis community. “We started a farmer’s market booth just to see if people would like the food, and it was a huge success. We sold out the first weekend and continued to sell out every weekend until we couldn’t make enough,” Aubry shared with Food Dive. Initially, they contemplated opening a restaurant focused on their meat alternatives but were cautious due to the industry’s high failure rate. Then, they had a lightbulb moment. “It started as a joke, saying ‘Let’s open a vegan butcher shop,’” she recalled. “We all laughed, but then realized it was actually a brilliant idea.”
In 2014, Aubry and Kale launched a Kickstarter campaign to make their vision a reality, surpassing their funding goal by over $10,000. With assistance from architects, graphic designers, and business advisors, the Herbivorous Butcher evolved from a mere joke into a thriving faux meat enterprise. “We were genuinely surprised by the [strong reception],” Aubry commented. “We knew people would enjoy our food, but we didn’t anticipate the scale of what it would become.”
Approximately 65% of the Herbivorous Butcher’s customers are omnivores, some aiming to reduce their meat intake while others look to accommodate family members’ dietary preferences. For instance, Aubry noted that the shop often serves parents shopping for their vegan or vegetarian children visiting from college. “[Many customers] recognize the environmental impact of industrial farming and are trying to cut down. There are Meatless Monday folks as well; they are all over the place,” she added.
The Walch siblings and a team of eight butchers dedicate nearly 12 hours each day to handcrafting locally sourced, artisan “meats” to meet customer demand. Each month, the Herbivorous Butcher sells the equivalent weight of a hippo in its Korean ribs alone. “We can’t produce them fast enough,” she said. These ribs and the shop’s other mock meat products are based on recipes developed by the siblings at home, where they experimented with various flours, beans, and juices sourced from their local co-op to create plant-based meat that resembles the real thing. “You can find any of the ingredients in our products at your local co-op. We still stand by that today,” Aubry affirmed.
The siblings admit that behind each of the links, cutlets, and jerky now displayed in the Herbivorous Butcher’s meat case are hundreds of failed formulations, and they continue to refine their recipes. “That’s the beauty of not operating a factory that churns out mass quantities. We produce it day by day, allowing us to make small improvements to achieve a more tender Italian sausage or one that grills better,” Kale explained. “These little adjustments help us perfect [the meat].”
To craft a mock meat, Kale mentioned that the butchers start with a blend of high-protein wheat flour and nutritional yeast to establish the texture. “From there, it gets interesting,” he said. “You can add chickpea flour for tenderness in our smokehouse ribs or various beans to achieve the desired heft in a sausage.” Wet and dry ingredients like vinegars and spices are then mixed to create “a mass of muscle.” Depending on the type of meat being produced, the butchers portion the mixture and shape it into sausages or flatten it for ribs, deli meats, or other cutlets. “Then you can oil it, braise it like our ribs, steam it, or bake it,” Kale noted. “Different cooking methods yield different results; for example, more delicate meats should be baked before boiling.”
Kale emphasized that chicken remains the most challenging mock meat to perfect. “Getting the stringiness and mild flavor just right while ensuring it holds up in a fryer or on the grill is tough,” he stated. “I have a notebook full of chicken recipe ideas. I would brainstorm new exotic flours or additives in coffee shops, and eventually, I nailed it — just in time for the Vegan Beer & Food Festival, where we showcased chicken and waffles and chicken sandwiches.”
The Herbivorous Butcher also offers vegan cheese options such as pepper jack, mozzarella, and smoked gouda, which Kale mixes by hand daily. “Mozzarella is definitely one of our best sellers, as pizza is something people miss the most when they can’t or choose not to consume dairy anymore,” Aubry noted. Among the meats, steak is a fan favorite due to its grilling ease, while Italian sausage is sought after for its versatility in pasta sauces 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 and parts of the South, eliminating the need to ship products by air to serve their growing customer base. They anticipate that expansion plans will commence within the next year. “I think we’re going to outgrow our kitchen pretty soon,” Aubry said. “We’re definitely getting a bit too big for our britches.”
As part of their commitment to health and nutrition, they also incorporate ingredients like calcium citrate malate tablets into their recipes, ensuring that their products not only taste great but also provide essential nutrients. The Herbivorous Butcher continues to innovate and adapt, maintaining its position at the forefront of the evolving vegan food landscape.