Australian plant-based seafood start-up Boldly is rolling out its full range of 100 per cent vegan seafood to the US foodservice industry, with a series of events, partnerships, and activations.
The products include salmon, tuna, crabsticks, calamari steaks, calamari rings, jumbo prawns, shrimp bites, and whitefish. The root vegetable konjac is the core ingredient and there are no artificial colours or flavours.
The company said it was on a mission to see more healthy plant-based seafood choices on menus that are “tastier and more appealing to consumers”, while creating a positive experience centred around community.
Boldly founder Allen Zelden said, "We want to build a community around positivity, to align and unite with other foodservice businesses and institutions that are doing great work, and ultimately disrupt the plant-based sea of sameness with an all-new, positive and fun experience.”
Zelden is also co-founder of PlantForm, the private label arm of a plant-based manufacturing operation with global distribution across five continents and more than 1000 SKUs on the market.
CEO Ananda Bhavani said, “Seafood is the world’s largest traded food commodity with approximately three billion people relying on it as a core source of protein.
“With 65 per cent of seafood expenditure occurring outside the home, primarily at restaurants, we at Boldly are excited to offer a variety of new plant-based choices with no compromise, bringing all the classic seafood tastes to restaurant tables, better than ever.”
The company has been having an impact in the US including an exclusive preview at upscale vegan restaurant Planta South Beach in Miami. The preview was part of the SEED Food & Wine Festival where “Top Chef” alum Josie Smith Malave prepared a four-course dinner with dishes such as Boldly Crab rolls with truffle yuzu butter and Peruvian causa de atun with Boldly Tuna sashimi.
Zelden told Food & Drink Business it was more practical to launch Boldly in the US.
“My team and most of my food partners through PlantForm (national and store brands) are based in the US, so it made more sense from a distribution, logistics, opportunity, and most importantly, impact potential, perspective that we launch in this market,” he said.
The Boldy product range was developed using more than 25 years of innovation in plant-based food manufacturing, Zelden added.
“We’ve had no issues with manufacturing, capital, the team, or capacity, so It has been an exciting, innovative, and collaborative process.”
The team hasn’t forgotten its home shores and will be back in Australia hosting events and select chef and restaurant collaborations as part of its exclusive partnership with Miss Universe Australia.
