UK tofu brand The Tofoo Co has launched two new seitan products in collaboration with London-based vegan restaurant chain Temple of Seitan.

Seitan, a plant-based protein made from wheat gluten, is a popular ingredient across the vegan food category and has seen soaring success in foodservice, well-suited to applications such as plant-based fried chicken.

However, there is a gap in the market for standalone seitan ingredients in retail – Temple of Seitan co-founder Patrick O’Shea believes this demand will drive success for its new brand partnership.

Through the collaboration, Original Seitan, a chicken-flavoured seitan block served in the Temple of Seitan’s restaurants, will hit supermarket shelves alongside a smoky and spicy Pepperoni Seitan NPD this May.

Dave Knibbs, MD at The Tofoo Co, said: “Consumers are looking for products that offer more versatility as to what meals they can cook. The Tofoo Co’s Seitan lines offer shoppers the scratch-based cooking and health benefits they are craving, whilst also providing a meatier texture than tofu and tempeh that will appeal to flexitarians and omnivores.”

He added that the launch represents a “real opportunity in natural, meat-free ingredients” at a time when there has been a “lack of real innovation” within the category, leading to a drop in market penetration to 28% according to NIQ data.

Temple of Seitan’s O’Shea commented: “Over the last year alone we’ve served over 250,000 restaurant customers. There’s a strong demand for seitan as a plant-based protein that delivers a meaty texture and taste. Tofu’s always been a key ingredient in our seitan, and we’re excited to be partnering with The Tofoo Co to bring the product into retail.”

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