(Bloomberg) -- Starbucks Corp. is adding an Impossible Foods Inc. sandwich to its U.S. breakfast line-up, a blow to rival Beyond Meat Inc. in the battle for plant-based dominance.
The coffee behemoth on Tuesday announced it's adding an Impossible sausage, egg and cheddar sandwich to its summer menu at the majority of its roughly 15,000 U.S. locations.
The news comes just two months after Beyond Meat inked its own partnership in Starbucks' other key market, China, which sent Beyond's stock price on a tear. Starbucks and Beyond Meat already have a deal in Canada as well.
“Starbucks works with a variety of suppliers around the globe,” a spokeswoman said when asked why the company chose Impossible for its U.S. supplier rather than a partner it's already working in other key markets.
Impossible Foods is rapidly expanding its reach. After adding Burger King to a fast-growing roster of restaurant partners last year, the company has also started selling its products in grocery stores across the U.S. The company is also testing direct-to-consumer sales.
Consumers are rapidly adopting plant-based meat substitutes that increasingly taste and feel like food made from beef and pork. This trend appears to have persisted amid the Covid-19 pandemic that has radically altered consumer landscape in a short period of time.
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