The Midas Touch! Seth Goldman and Jonah Goldman
Vegan Boss Seth Goldman and son Jonah Goldman join Elysabeth Alfano on the Awesome Vegans Influencer Series.
Seth Goldman, Former Executive Chairman of Beyond Meat, Founder of Honest Tea and Founder of Eat The Change and Jonah Goldman, Co-Founder of PLNT Burger talk about conscious capitalism, #planetdelicious and price parity with meat. Eat the Change is an organization that was launched in 2020 to help create more plant-friendly diets by educating people about the benefits of plant-based diets. The organization is family run and environmentally and animal welfare focused. Seth and his family want to make sure that plant-based food is available to everyone regardless of their economic standing. In the past people have seen it as something that is more easily available for the wealthy, but they are changing that. Their brand is all about making connections, both between food and each other, as well as each other and the planet.
Beyond Meat burgers, which Seth is mainly known for, have more protein than an animal patty. Protein comes from plants and microbes, which animals then eat and that is how most people get their protein, but vegans like Seth and Jonah argue that it is simpler and better for the environment to obtain the protein from the plants and microbes in the first place. Even during Covid-19, Beyond Meat burger sales have increased and they have expanded their customer base during this time. The Goldmans do not use any GMOs in their Beyond Meat burgers because they believe nature provides all the health benefits of the burger. Seth hadn’t imagined that business would be such a powerful way to create change in people’s diet and the way we impact the planet.
Part of Eat The Change was launching PLNT Burger which is available in Whole Foods stores in Maryland and recently also Washington, D.C. Jonah co-founded PLNT Burger with his father, Seth. Jonah studied food systems in college and saw how Beyond Meat was created by his father and it helped him understand his passion for plant-based diets and options. He and his father envision a food system without meat which they believe is a possibility one day. PLNT Burger is very reasonably priced with different burger flavor options like BBQ and jalapeno. The hope is to undercut the price of meat and provide a product as tasty or tastier than meat. PLNT Burger has been doing very well in blind taste tests compared to real meat burgers.
Seth and Jonah mention how being an entrepreneur isn’t easy, but for them they either succeed or learn. Jonah talks a lot about conscious capitalism and the purchase power that consumers have. You can choose where to spend your money and you can align your dollars with your values. Seth chooses to invest in plant-based products and businesses that care about the environment and will make the world a better place. He does not worry about which offer may be the best financially. Eat the Change is also giving away a million dollars to various non-profits throughout the next year and applications can be filled out through May 15th. Seth says vegan cheese and egg options are more difficult to create and there is plenty of room for improvement. Seth predicts that in the next three to five years, restaurant concepts like PLNT Burger will become more popular in more areas throughout the country. Seth and Jonah Goldman look forward to sharing new plant-based products at the beginning of 2021.
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