Juicy Marbles, known for its plant-based whole cuts, has released Meaty Meat, a high-protein, high-fibre lamb analogue in the US.
Slovenian plant-based meat maker Juicy Marbles is building on its North American launch with a new marbled lamb product that features nearly 70% of the dairy recommended intake of protein, and 40% of fibre.
Marketed as Meaty Meat, the lamb is currently only available in the US and Canada, and is sold in 180g packs of two. It contains 26% soy protein concentrate, complemented with sunflower oil, natural flavours, red beet juice, and minimal amounts of pea protein concentrate, apple extract, salt, and vitamins and minerals.
It’s the startup’s first launch since the initial introduction of its Baby Ribs with edible bones, and is a marker of its expansion plans in North America, where it plans to roll out its whole cuts in retail this year.
Giving Americans what they want
Founded in 2019 by Luka Sinček, Maj Hrovat, Tilen Travnik and Vladimir Mićković, Juicy Marbles began with whole-cut beef steaks made using patent-pending ‘reverse grinder’ tech that mimics the muscle texture and marbling of conventional steak.
It layers plant protein fibres on top of each other to replicate animal tissue, helped by deposits of hardened sunflower oil. The effort aims to solve two of plant-based meat’s biggest pain points: taste and texture.
Research shows that most vegan analogues fall short of meat-eaters’ taste expectations. And among the Americans either likely to buy meat alternatives or still undecided, their taste and texture would only convince 16% to drive to the supermarket to purchase them.
Known for its quirky marketing, Juicy Marbles describes the Meaty Meat as a “cosy, sensual, hearty, and whimsical” product that will transport eaters to a place far away. “Take a whiff, and you’re gambling with a band of spice traders in a smokey yurt on the steppes of Mongolia. Take another, and retreat to the candle-lit warmth of a snowy inn where the barmaid, Helga, is cooking a mean shepherd’s pie,” the brand says on its website.
Each lamb cut is packed with 34g of plant protein and 11g of fibre – two of the most sought-after macronutrients in the US, with 71% of Americans interested in consuming more protein and 64% more fibre. The latter is also in the spotlight thanks to the rise of Ozempic and other GLP-1 drugs.
And in October, a report by 84.51° (the market research division of Kroger) showed that high-protein is the most prized nutritional attribute in food products for its shoppers, with clean ingredients another major priority – Juicy Marbles is making a play here too, highlighting that the new vegan lamb contains “no thickeners, binders, or preservatives”.
Juicy Marbles’s cheapest product yet
Juicy Marbles first came to market in 2021, and has since expanded to 3,500 European stores, with listings in Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Lidl, Waitrose, Whole Foods Market, Billa, Migros and more.
Its product lineup includes a whole-cut lion, a thick-cut filet, and bone-in ribs, and have impressed consumers and expert panels globally. The ribs were anointed the Most Innovative Vegan Product at PETA’s 2023 Vegan Food Awards, and the brand was named Champion in the plant-based meat category at The Grocer’s 2023 Food and Packaging Awards. And last year, its sales jumped after a mention on Netflix’s You Are What You Eat documentary.
The new lamb is designed to be versatile – it can be pulled apart for tacos and wraps, sliced into strips for salads and sandwiches, or cut into chunks for rice bowls and noodles. It cooks in eight minutes and, according to the company, “opens up an entirely new world of cuisine to home chefs who’ve grown weary of beef, chicken, and pork alternatives”.
Meaty Meat is also Juicy Marbles’s cheapest product yet, costing 26% less per ounce than its other offerings – this will be key to attracting more consumers, since the affordability of plant proteins is becoming more and more important for Americans. For some, it even trumps flavour.
2025 is also a key year for the company, which has only raised $7M from investors. It aimed to reach profitability by the end of last year, a major success in an industry where sales have dwindled amid fears around ultra-processed foods and misinformation from Big Meat.
Alternative protein firms are taking one of two routes to win back consumers: they’re either reformulating products to include more whole foods and lean into health, or they’re going all-in on flavour, texture and meatiness with whole cuts. Juicy Marbles belongs to the latter category, as do innovators like Chunk Foods, Prime Roots, Redefine Meat, Project Eaden, Meati Foods, and Planted.
The post ‘Lowest Price Ever’: Meat-Free Startup Debuts Ultra-Realistic Marbled Lamb with 34g of Protein appeared first on Green Queen.
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