LONDON and ROTTERDAM, Netherlands – Burger King became one of the largest restaurant chains in Europe to offer a plant-based menu item with the launch of the Rebel Whopper.
The plant-based patty will be served in more than 2,500 Burger King restaurants across 25 countries in Europe. The chain, a unit of Restaurant Brands International, announced the Vegetarian Butcher as the supplier of the Rebel Whopper plant-based patty. Unilever acquired the company in 2018.
“We are confident that the Rebel Whopper is the sandwich everyone has been waiting for and provides the ultimate plant-based patty alternative with the iconic Whopper build,” said David Shear, president of Burger King EMEA. “I’m excited to let the Rebel Whopper do the talking and see whether our guests can tell the difference.”
Financial terms of the Burger King, Unilever supplier arrangement were not disclosed. But Hanneke Faber, president of Unilever Foods & Refreshment, said “Less than a year after acquiring The Vegetarian Butcher in the Netherlands, we are excited to partner with the iconic Burger King brand across Europe. The new Rebel Whopper powered by The Vegetarian Butcher offers meat lovers a fabulous meat-free experience; and we can’t wait start to realizing founder Jaap Korteweg’s dream of becoming the largest butcher in the world.”
Korteweg founded the Vegetarian Butcher nine years ago to make plant-based proteins. He became a vegetarian following an outbreak of swine flu. He said his goal was to become the biggest butcher in the world and “…to make products for meat lovers, with the ambition of providing the same taste and experience, but plant-based. Working with Burger King on the Rebel Whopper has been amazing, and we can’t wait for all Burger King guests to enjoy it.”