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Impossible Foods partners with key McDonald's beef supplier to boost production

July 31, 2019

Starting next month, Impossible Foods will begin producing its flagship product, the Impossible Burger, with food producer, OSI Group, which is also one of McDonald's key beef suppliers, according to Crain's Chicago Business. Though the companies did not announce any plans to provide Impossible Foods products to McDonald's, the collaboration will, according to a news release, increase short-term capacity for Impossible Foods' Oakland, California plant, with plans to continue expanding production this year. The company said the deal will allow it to make its products available to even more QSRs, pizza brands and other foodservice purveyors. 

"OSI has already installed equipment to make the Impossible Burger, and we'll start seeing new capacity every week," Impossible Foods Senior Vice President of Product and Operations Sheetal Shah said in the release. 

Impossible Foods said OSI is capable of sourcing, developing, producing and distributing custom food solutions worldwide through its 65-plus facilities in 17 countries.

Impossible Foods said in the release that the co-manufacturing deal comes amid "unprecedented demand" for the plant-based Impossible Burger after its debut at Chef David Chang's Momofuku Nishi in 2016. Since then the number of QSR brands to take on the product or a version of it has grown, beginning with the first fast food version at White Castle last year, and now including brands like Burger King and its Impossible Whopper. 

Impossible Foods said it has tripled the weekly production rate and has doubled headcount hired at its plant in Oakland, California, since March 2019. The 68,000-square-foot plant produced an all-time record volume of product in May 2019, then another record amount of product in June 2019, thanks to increased staffing and operational efficiency improvements.