Squeaky Bean targets sharing platters with vegan ‘cured meat’ slices

Squeaky Bean is targeting sharing platters with a new range of ready-to-eat cured meat-style slices.

The vegan brand has created a trio of SKUs – Spanish Chorizo, Milano Salami and New Yorker Sandwich Duo of Pastrami & Plant-based American Cheese – designed to “make an essential addition to any sharing platter, charcuterie board, starter plate, salad or sandwich”.

The chorizo and salami imitations were “the first of their kind to replicate continental slices in major retailers”, said Squeaky Bean. They are made with wheat and tofu and combined with seasonings it said gave them “realistic texture and high protein content” (rsp: £2.50). 

The sandwich duo, meanwhile, “brings convenience to a new level”, it added, and would be ideal for shoppers looking to make a plant-based Reuben sandwich. The slices (which are already available as a separate SKU) are made from wheat protein and chickpea flour with herbs and spices, while the ‘cheese’ slice is made from coconut oil and chickpea flour (rsp: £3.50).

The trio will hit Tesco from 8 December.

The range was “set to take the plant-based food revolution to a whole new level”, said Squeaky Bean brand manager Sarah Augustine. ”For the first time ever, people can buy plant-based versions of continental cured meat favourites, with all the taste, texture and protein of their meat counterparts.”

It comes as the brand’s owner, Winterbotham Darby, kicked off a £5m investment into Squeaky Bean in August, which will see the supplier open its second dedicated plant-based manufacturing facility in Milton Keynes, giving its production capacity a considerable boost and creating more than 100 jobs.