Rival Foods
Rival Foods is a Dutch B2B food tech scale-up that uses patented Shear Cell Technology to produce plant-based whole-cut chicken, beef, and steak alternatives with clean-label ingredients, selling to foodservice operators, care institutions, and private-label retail brand partners across Europe.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersAmersfoort, Netherlands
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Rival Foods does
Rival Foods is a Dutch food tech scale-up founded in 2019 as a spin-off from Wageningen University & Research, specializing in the development and B2B commercialization of plant-based whole-cut meat alternatives. Its core differentiator is proprietary Shear Cell Technology — a patented, mild production process that uses temperature and mechanical rotation to deform and align plant-based proteins into fiber-rich structures that replicate the bite, juiciness, and mouthfeel of whole muscle meat. The product portfolio includes Chicken Filet, Chicken Cubes, and Pulled Chicken (7 clean-label ingredients, 28g protein per serving), Beef Chunks and Pulled Beef (6 ingredients, 25g+ protein), and a 100% Plant Steak launched in April 2026 in partnership with UK brand THIS™. The company operates from headquarters in Amersfoort and a dedicated production facility in Geldrop, Netherlands (operational since summer 2024, capacity doubled June 2025), certified to FSSC 22000 food safety standard.
The business model is exclusively B2B across three revenue streams: (1) direct foodservice sales to restaurants, canteens, caterers, and care facilities in the Netherlands and Germany; (2) private label / white-label manufacturing for retail and brand partners, exemplified by the THIS™ UK supermarket launch in Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, and Ocado; and (3) wholesale distribution across Europe. Pricing is quote-based and positioned at parity with animal protein — a milestone highlighted by investors as commercially critical. The company is venture-backed (€16M total raised across Series A in 2022 and Series B in 2025), led by APG on behalf of ABP, with PeakBridge, PYMWYMIC, and ROM Utrecht Region. Geographic footprint spans Netherlands, Germany, UK, and France, with retail expansion underway and additional protein categories (red meat, fish) under development.
Rival Foods firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rival Foods
- Legal name
- Rival Foods
- Website
- https://rival-foods.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Rival Foods is a Dutch B2B food tech scale-up that uses patented Shear Cell Technology to produce plant-based whole-cut chicken, beef, and steak alternatives with clean-label ingredients, selling to foodservice operators, care institutions, and private-label retail brand partners across Europe.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rival Foods industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plant-Based Meat Alternatives
- NAICS
- Food Manufacturing (311), Other Food Manufacturing (3119)
- SIC
- Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Food And Kindred Products (2000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Plant-Based Meat & Seafood Analogues Manufacturing (AFAKAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Texturization & Structuring Technologies (Extrusion, Shear-Cell, Spinning, 3D Printing) (AFANAKAI), Plant-Based Beef/Pork Alternatives (Analog Red Meat) (AFANAKAM), Plant-Based Meat Manufacturers (End-to-End Brands) (AFANAKAA)
Keywords
Where Rival Foods is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Amersfoort
- HQ country
- Netherlands
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Rival Foods business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- B2B Product Sales (Foodservice): Direct sales of plant-based whole-cut chicken and beef products to foodservice operators including restaurants, canteens, and catering companies in the Netherlands and Germany. Products include Chicken Filet, Chicken Cubes, Pulled Chicken, Beef Chunks, and Pulled Beef. Sales are conducted through the company's commercial team and sample request process.
- Private Label / White-label Partnerships: Custom plant-based products developed and manufactured for retail and brand partners under their own private label brands. Tailored solutions are created by Rival Foods' product development team to meet brand and market requirements. The THIS™ steak launch in the UK exemplifies this model.
- Wholesale Distribution: Rival Foods products are listed at several wholesalers across Europe, enabling broader distribution to foodservice operators who procure through wholesale channels. The company also offers direct distribution from its production facility in the Netherlands.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | B2B pricing — quote-based, not publicly listed |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Rival Foods product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rival Foods manufactures and sells plant-based whole-cut meat alternatives — including chicken products (Filet, Cubes, Pulled Chicken), beef products (Chunks, Pulled Beef), and a 100% Plant Steak — produced using the company's patented Shear Cell Technology. Products are formulated with fewer than 7 clean-label ingredients, contain 25–30g of protein per serving, and are sold B2B to foodservice operators, institutional caterers, retail/private-label brand partners, and European wholesalers across the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, and France.
Product overview
Rival Foods is a Dutch food tech scale-up offering a portfolio of plant-based whole-cut meat alternatives using proprietary Shear Cell Technology. The product lineup includes Chicken products (Filet, Cubes, Pulled Chicken with 7 clean-label ingredients and 28g protein) and Beef products (Chunks, Pulled Beef with 6 ingredients and 25g+ protein). A 100% Plant Steak was launched in partnership with UK brand THIS™ in April 2026. Products are targeted at B2B foodservice, retail, and brand partners across Europe, with current availability in Netherlands, Germany, and UK markets. The company operates from production facilities in Geldrop and offices in Amersfoort, Netherlands.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Chicken Filet Plant-based chicken filet with firm, chicken-like texture, made with 7 clean-label ingredients and 28g of protein per serving; designed for foodservice and retail channels and versatile for salads, burgers, wraps, and other dishes.
- Chicken Cubes Plant-based chicken cubes with firm texture, made with 7 clean-label ingredients and 28g of protein per serving, versatile for various culinary applications including skewers and prepared dishes.
- Pulled Chicken Plant-based pulled chicken made with 7 clean-label ingredients and 28g of protein per serving, suitable for tacos, sandwiches, and a range of professional kitchen and retail applications.
- Beef Chunks Plant-based beef chunks with juicy, meat-like texture, made with 6 clean-label ingredients and over 25g of protein per serving; ideal for tacos, stews, stir-fries, and other dishes targeted at professional kitchens, foodservice, restaurants, caterers, and canteens.
- Pulled Beef Plant-based pulled beef with savory, nutritious taste comparable to animal-derived beef, made with 6 clean-label ingredients and over 25g of protein per serving, suitable for professional foodservice applications.
- 100% Plant Steak 100% plant-based steak developed in partnership with British brand THIS™. Contains 30g of protein per 100g and features fibrous texture comparable to beef through patented shear-cell technology; sold under the THIS™ brand at UK retailers Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, and Ocado, and available in the Netherlands for B2B and foodservice markets.
Quantifiable outcome
- FSSC 22000 food safety certification achieved (December 2024), enabling partnerships with foodservice, institutional catering, and retail clients domestically and internationally.
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Rival Foods
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Rival Foods technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Rival Foods partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- HupicominorProduction partner collaborating with Rival Foods on post-processing automation as part of the Food Pioneers Accelerator program. Hupico supports Rival Foods' innovation in scaling up production processes for next-generation whole-cut plant-based products.
- Food Pioneers Accelerator (FPA)minorCross-border accelerator program supporting food businesses in Flanders and southern Netherlands to scale products and production processes. Rival Foods selected as one of 15 innovative companies. The program provides technical support, facilitates partnerships with cross-border production partners, and co-finances scaling challenges.
- THIS™coreLeading British plant-based brand partnering with Rival Foods to launch a 100% plant-based steak in UK supermarkets (Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Ocado). The steak uses Rival Foods' patented shear-cell technology and is sold under the THIS™ brand. THIS™ supports the launch with a multi-media campaign as its most important launch of the year. In the Netherlands, the product is available for B2B and foodservice markets.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Rival Foods competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Redefine Meat: Israeli food-tech company producing plant-based whole-cut meat alternatives (steaks, lamb, kebab, ground) using 3D-printing technology. Closest direct competitor to Rival Foods as both target the same underserved whole-muscle segment of the plant-based category for foodservice and retail.
Broad incumbents
- Vivera: Dutch plant-based meat major (now majority-owned by JBS) and one of Europe's largest plant-based brands. Directly comparable geography and B2B/retail channels; new Rival Foods CEO Karin Löwik was previously Vivera's Marketing Director, indicating direct competitive overlap in personnel and positioning.
- The Vegetarian Butcher: Unilever-owned plant-based meat brand offering a broad portfolio of chicken, beef and pork analogues across European retail. A scaled incumbent comparable in channel strategy (retail + foodservice) but with much larger distribution and marketing support.
- Beyond Meat: US-headquartered global plant-based meat incumbent with broad retail and foodservice presence in Europe. Comparable as a category-defining competitor but focused primarily on burgers, mince and sausages rather than whole cuts.
- Impossible Foods: US plant-based meat company with European foodservice and retail expansion. Comparable as a category leader pursuing price parity with animal protein, though its portfolio is centred on burgers and mince rather than whole-muscle cuts.
- Quorn: UK-based mycoprotein-based meat alternative brand owned by Monde Nissin. Comparable as a major European plant-based/meat-alternative incumbent with deep retail and foodservice penetration and a long track record of category leadership.
Emerging players
- THIS: Leading British plant-based brand and Rival Foods' launch partner for the 100% Plant Steak in UK grocers. Operates as both a customer and adjacent competitor in plant-based meat alternatives, with a strong UK retail and foodservice footprint in the same category.
- Moving Mountains: UK-based plant-based company focused on whole-cut alternatives (burgers, hot dogs, meatballs, slices) sold into foodservice and retail. Comparable in targeting premium whole-muscle-style plant-based formats with clean-label positioning.
- Heura Foods: Spanish plant-based brand producing chicken, beef and burger analogues with a clean-label Mediterranean approach. Comparable as a European challenger brand expanding into multiple meat-analogue categories with B2B and retail channels.
- Better Meat Co. US fermentation-based ingredient company producing whole-cut and ground plant-protein alternatives for B2B food manufacturers. Comparable as an enabling/ingredient supplier in the alternative-protein space with similar texturization ambitions for whole-muscle formats.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rival Foods social profiles
Digital presenceRival Foods compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Rival Foods financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rival Foods leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Rival Foods funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors5 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rival Foods M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Rival Foods
What does Rival Foods do?
Rival Foods manufactures and sells plant-based whole-cut meat alternatives — including chicken products (Filet, Cubes, Pulled Chicken), beef products (Chunks, Pulled Beef), and a 100% Plant Steak — produced using the company's patented Shear Cell Technology. Products are formulated with fewer than 7 clean-label ingredients, contain 25–30g of protein per serving, and are sold B2B to foodservice operators, institutional caterers, retail/private-label brand partners, and European wholesalers across the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, and France.
Is Rival Foods a public or private company?
Rival Foods is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Rival Foods founded?
Rival Foods was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Rival Foods based?
Rival Foods is headquartered in Amersfoort, Netherlands, in the Europe region.
How does Rival Foods make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. B2B Product Sales (Foodservice) is the primary driver. The others are private Label / White-label Partnerships and wholesale Distribution.
Who are Rival Foods's main competitors?
Redefine Meat is listed as a direct peer. Broad incumbents are Vivera, The Vegetarian Butcher, Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods and Quorn. Emerging players are THIS, Moving Mountains, Heura Foods and Better Meat Co..
Does Rival Foods have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rival Foods.
What industry is Rival Foods in?
Rival Foods's product category is Plant-Based Meat Alternatives. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFAKAGAA, Plant-Based Meat & Seafood Analogues Manufacturing, with a secondary code of AFANAKAI, Texturization & Structuring Technologies (Extrusion, Shear-Cell, Spinning, 3D Printing). Its NAICS code is 311 and its SIC code is 2090.