Case Study | 21 July 2025
The Plant-Based Power Play: A Food Conglomerate's Winning Strategy in the Booming Vegan Meal Market
Posted by : Dhruv Bhatia
There is an ongoing transition towards a plant-based dietary concept, which has revolutionized the food and beverage sector. Even customers are increasingly demanding vegan alternative options, owing to ethical, environmental, and health concerns. Identifying this trend, a France-based food and beverage firm expanded its market share by successfully acquiring a nutritious vegan meal firm. However, improper valuation insights and poor market intelligence posed effective challenges. But with the partnership with Research Nester, the company efficiently conducted an in-depth analysis of consumer behavior, market trends, and financial performance to undertake an informed acquisition decision. This tactical move diversified the product portfolio and positioned the firm as one of the dominant players in the bolstered vegan food market.
An overview:
The French company, being the dominant force in the EU food and beverage industry, rapidly identified the exclusive development of the vegan food market, which is anticipated to reach USD 48 billion by 2037, as the ultimate pivotal opportunity for revenue growth and diversification. With customers increasingly prioritizing ethical, sustainable, and healthy consumption, the organization seemed to gain a notable nutritious vegan meal manufacturer to strengthen its portfolio and effectively solidify its position in the fast-evolving plant-based industry. Besides, the ruthless objective was to achieve distribution across more than 10,250 retail outlets as well as spanning e-commerce platforms, hypermarkets, and supermarkets, while fueling revenue to USD 450 million by 2037.
But there was a lack of a wide-ranging operational and financial evaluation of probable acquisition targets, which constitutes a huge obstacle. Without probable insights, the company took the challenge to select or overpay an incompatible partner. However, to overcome this, the firm consulted with Research Nester by leveraging expert opinion in risk assessment, market trend analysis, and financial due diligence. The market consulting firm, through customer demand forecasting, competitor benchmarking, and discounted cash flow, offered the vital intelligence, which is required to recognize the actual acquisition target, which is a German-based vegan food innovator with strong research and development capabilities, along with an established retail footprint. Therefore, this data-powered approach ensured a tactically sound investment as well as positioned the organization to achieve 30% of the vegan market in Europe by the end of 2037 by shifting it from a conventional food player to a plant-specific sector leader.
The Story
The international packaged vegan food market is emerging as one of the fastest-developing segments in the FMCG industry, which is effectively driven by an influential convergence of ethical consumption demands, environmental consciousness, and health awareness. Besides, the comprehensive analysis of Research Nester revealed that the market is boosting at a remarkable 12.8% growth rate, and is on track to reach a USD 47.5 billion industry by the end of 2037. This upliftment is further propelled by three major categories, including:
- Ready-to-cook vegan meals, which is the fastest-growing segment with a growth rate of 18.5%.
- Dairy-free products, which are highly attributed to a 14.5% growth rate yearly.
- Plant-based meat alternatives, which are effectively projected to garner at least 45% of the overall market share.
Moreover, the aspect of scientific validation has further bolstered customer implementation, with the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition issuing studies that have demonstrated approximately 30% lower cardiovascular disorders, as well as 38% diminished diabetes cases, particularly among plant-based diet followers. Meanwhile, the commercial feasibility has been underscored when the EU Plant-Based Foods Association noted that the 2023 sales have skyrocketed by 38% year-over-year (YoY), with France and Germany evolving as the biggest economies.
However, deliberately capitalizing on this unique opportunity requires navigating complicated initiative obstacles. The acquired company provided a three-fold challenge, which included the lack of a strong valuation methodology that can target assessment precarious concerning brand positioning and supply chain harmonization in the advanced-driven industry. Secondly, adoption challenges largely existed, especially in a competitive vegan scenario. Thirdly, the company risked selecting a suboptimal target or overpayment, owing to the absence of precise competitive benchmarking.
Furthermore, Research Nester’s intervention-based approach has proved transformation by adopting a 360-degree evaluation policy that readily combined financial due diligence, competitive mapping, and consumer sentiment analysis, which can track more than 15,500 social data points. Besides, the proprietary valuation model has implemented sector-based multiples and boosted adjacencies, while risk assessment matrices tested over 16 notable integration pain points. This multidimensional strategy identified the correct acquisition target and also developed a blueprint for sustainable market leadership in the plant-driven revolution. This, in turn, eventually permitted the client to vigorously outperform category development by 9.5%, severely in the first year after the acquisition.
Our Solution:
Research Nester’s analysis team conducted a 360-degree framework for the packaged vegan food market by evaluating regulatory factors, including compliance with labeling regulations and the EU food safety standards. Then there was a competitive landscape, wherein leading players such as Impossible Foods, Oatly, and Beyond Meat dominated the market. Lastly, there was a focus on customer preferences with the rising need for sustainable packaging, organic ingredients, and protein-rich plant-based meals.
Moreover, the team minutely scrutinized the targeted firm’s liabilities and debt, supply chain efficiency, and revenue streams. Besides, with the utilization of comparable company analysis and discounted cash flow, Research Nester provided a fair acquisition price strategy. In addition, potential challenges, including modification in consumer preference, supply chain disruptions, and fluctuating raw material expenditure, were recognized and mitigated with developed strategies.
Results
Research Nester’s analysis team conducted a 360-degree framework for the packaged vegan food market by evaluating regulatory factors, including compliance with labeling regulations and the EU food safety standards. Then there was a competitive landscape, wherein leading players such as Impossible Foods, Oatly, and Beyond Meat dominated the market. Lastly, there was a focus on customer preferences with the rising need for sustainable packaging, organic ingredients, and protein-rich plant-based meals.
Moreover, the team minutely scrutinized the targeted firm’s liabilities and debt, supply chain efficiency, and revenue streams. Besides, with the utilization of comparable company analysis and discounted cash flow, Research Nester provided a fair acquisition price strategy. In addition, potential challenges, including modification in consumer preference, supply chain disruptions, and fluctuating raw material expenditure, were recognized and mitigated with developed strategies.
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