A Cattle Sanctuary, New Products, and a Bold Rebrand: A Look at the Next Era of Impossible Foods

Written by: Annie Taranshansky

Plant-based meat pioneer, and PBFA member, Impossible Foods has had a busy couple of months: In just the past few weeks, the company debuted their “meatier” red rebrand, launched Impossible Chicken in Whole Foods Markets nationwide, announced the Impossible Hot Dog, and opened Impossible Ranch, a 70-acre cattle sanctuary in South Carolina. What appears to be a bold sign of the company’s next chapter, the excitement and curiosity swirling around the Impossible brand and what its future looks like is palpable. We got a chance to speak with the Impossible team to learn more about their self-described “restart,” what they hope consumers take away from this new campaign, and how the Impossible Ranch came to be.

Meat-Lovers: This One’s for You

In March of this year, Impossible unveiled a new, eye-catching brand identity, boasting bright red packaging with a slogan sure to grasp the average shopper’s attention: Meat From Plants. “We see this as an opportunity for a restart – not just for our brand, but for the entire category. We want to be inclusive to anyone who enjoys great-tasting food whether you’re vegan, a meat lover or somewhere in between. This has always been our goal, but now we’re speaking more clearly and directly to meat-eating consumers who might have felt like they weren’t welcomed here,” the Impossible team shared with us.

Impossible isn’t looking to overhaul its loyal plant-based consumer base, but instead eager to pull more seats up to the table, especially for meat-lovers who are increasingly becoming more plant-curious. The team added, “There’s a popular misconception that products like ours are designed for vegans and vegetarians, but the reality is we strive to make great-tasting, nutrient-dense meat from plants capable of satisfying meat lovers’ cravings.”

The company has always made meat from plants since its inception in 2011, but as the team shared “now, we’re making an effort to align our branding and messaging with our exemplary product experience in a way that feels meatier and more food-forward.” First impressions can determine the trajectory of a consumer’s journey with a brand or even a product, and Impossible – from first look to first bite – is making sure the road leads back to them, regardless of any one individual’s diet or lifestyle.

How Impossible is Furthering Their Sustainability Potential

While the messaging focus for now has shifted to taste and health, the team made it clear: sustainability is and always will be the north star guiding the company in every next step it takes: “We’re not backing away from the sustainability message. This is and always will be our reason for being.” Impossible emphasized, continuing, “when consumers are offered a product that is as delicious and nutrient-dense as the animal equivalent, while also being better for the planet, it’s hard to say no.” Consumer data from PBFA’s Plant-Based State of the Marketplace 2023 report further supports this; while consumers engage with plant-based foods for a variety of reasons, health, taste/flavor, and sustainability polled within the top six reasons that consumers increased their spend in the plant-based category.

By all accounts, Impossible is checking all three boxes. A quick look at their website leads us to their Impact Calculator, proudly displaying a Life Cycle Analysis that shows – along with similar data accompanying all Impossible products – that Impossible Beef alone uses 92% less water than animal-based beef, 90% fewer greenhouse gas emissions, and 96% less land.

The ‘Why’ Behind the Impossible Ranch

Pushing their impact potential even further, this past Earth Day, the Impossible team unveiled the Impossible Ranch, a 70-acre cattle sanctuary in South Carolina that also serves as a unique and up-close consumer education experience, or as the team said, “a living and breathing educational resource that offers a tangible connection between the simplicity of our plant ingredients and our positive impact on planetary health.” The ranch’s purpose is to rescue and provide safe haven to cattle, while growing the same crops used in Impossible products, such as soybeans, coconut trees, and sunflowers.

When asked why the Impossible team felt compelled to devote resources into the sanctuary, they stated, “people are paying closer attention to what's in their food and the impact it has on the planet… As a leader in this space, we felt an urgent responsibility to demystify the ingredients in our products in a way that felt approachable and fun.”

And fun it certainly is: Interested consumers can follow along with the ranch’s progress via social media in an opportunity to engage with the Impossible brand and products in a way they haven’t been able to before. As an an example, just recently, Impossible’s TikTok account sourced names for their rescue cows straight from energized commenters, and we’d be remiss to not share a few of our favorites: Tiramoosu, Timothée Chalamóo, and Moodonna.

Impossible Foods 2.0 is Here

As for the future of Impossible Foods, it’s now. The company is broadening their horizons, looking to appeal to a more diverse consumer base, boldening their messaging, and stepping up their sustainability game. We’re looking forward to keeping up with the Ranch on Impossible’s social media, and seeing what’s in store for this new chapter of Impossible – if one thing’s for sure, it’s going to be a meaty one.

You can follow along with Impossible Foods at @impossible_foods on Instagram, @impossiblefoods on TikTok, or check out their website at www.impossiblefoods.com