SEATTLE – Field Roast Grain Meat Co., a unit of Maple Leaf Foods, announced an exclusive distribution agreement with Melbourne, Australia-based Essen Foods, a leading importer and distributor of American-made food products. Field Roast is a manufacturer of plant-based facsimiles of meat and cheese products.

Field Roast chose Essen Foods following a review of distribution partners in Australia and New Zealand. The company expects to grow its business through Essen Foods’ network of affiliated cold storage, transport and delivery infrastructure partners. Field Roast products currently are available several independently-owned Australian retailers including Vegan Pantry, The Leo’s Fine Food & Wine Network, Supabarn, The Cruelty Free Shop, Chapley’s IGA Drake's IGA, Ritchies IGA and Foodworks.

Essen Foods also will provide Field Roast with regional advertising, instore marketing support, trade show presence, Australian label compliance among other benefits.

“We’re so pleased to expand our relationship with Essen Foods by naming them the exclusive distributor for Field Roast products in Australia and New Zealand,” Dan Curtin, president of Field Roast, said in a statement. “Coming off an incredible first quarter where the brand experienced 81 percent year-over-year sales increase overall, this is a strategic decision we’ve made to create efficiencies supporting our continued growth and look forward to continuing this momentum internationally with the support of Essen Foods.”