Meat alternative brand Squeaky Bean is expanding into the hot pie category with its first plant-based pie range in two recipes: Braised Veggie Pie and Spanish Chorizo Style Pie.
The first-to-market pies feature fermented vegetables and were launched in response to the growing demand for whole foods among health-conscious consumers, with 41% of plant-based shoppers citing natural ingredients as a key purchase driver.
The brand noted that fermentation is used to unlock rich, savoury flavours from the vegetables, delivering the kind of umami depth typically associated with meat.
Squeaky Bean Braised Veggie Pie and Squeaky Bean Spanish Chorizo Style Pie (209g, £3.75 RRP) are rolling in Tesco.
Yvonne Adam, Chief Marketing Officer at brand owner The Compleat Food Group, said: “At Squeaky Bean, we’re always looking for ways to inject plant-based excitement into other categories, and we identified an opportunity with pies. The hot pie category is now worth £424m and vegan pies are growing at over 14% in value, so it’s the perfect time for us to bring something new to the table.
“We’ve taken inspiration from the growing consumer appetite for natural ingredients and veg-focused products, utilising incredibly flavoursome fermented ingredients to create something truly craveable. At The Compleat Food Group, we’re proud to be innovating food to feel good.”
The launch will be supported by a social media campaign, influencer collaborations, and in-store tasting activations.
