Beyond Meat posted a 9.1% year-over-year (YoY) decrease in net sales to $68.7 million in the first quarter of 2025, a “clearly disappointing” backslide after two quarters of YoY growth, CEO Ethan Brown told analysts Wednesday afternoon.
The deteriorating picture was blamed on a variety of factors from macroeconomic uncertainty prompting some shoppers to ‘trade down’ from plant-based meat to [cheaper] animal meat, to a couple of major US food retailers moving plant-based products from the chilled aisle to the frozen aisle (with a delay before the frozen SKUs hit stores).
“As category and macroeconomic headwinds more generally slowed velocities toward the latter half of the quarter, it became harder to overcome the volume implications of these distribution gaps,” said Brown. “Looking forward across the balance of the year, however, we expect to build back much, though not all, of this and other lost distribution.”
Stepping back, however, the biggest challenge facing the brand in the US remains negative consumer sentiment around ‘ultra-processed’ products, he claimed. “The central issue impeding our return to sustained growth is perception, or more accurately, misperception.”
While Beyond Meat is “a very clean source of protein” and many Americans are actively trying to increase their protein intake, “the Beyond value proposition remains obscured in doubt and misinformation,” he claimed. As a result, the firm’s “highest priority is on dispelling misinformation and empowering the consumer to make informed decisions around our products.”
Recent efforts to change the narrative include a 10-minute video ‘Planting Change,’ which has over 2 million views on Youtube, said Brown. “We’re seeing an intensification of interest in the US consumer around protein. We are a very clean source of protein. So how do we continue to chip away at the misconception and drive a more positive perception of our brand?”
Tariffs
As for the macroeconomic climate and tariffs, “There are no guarantees, but we think the direct impact on our business is relatively minimal,” said CFO Lubi Kutua.
“However, the skittish consumer does not help our category. Back in… 2022 when inflation was peaking across various portions of the grocery store, we saw a lot of trading down… from the plant-based meat category into animal protein. And remember that still a vast majority of our consumers are flexitarian.”
$100m financing facility
The loss-making firm, which has debts of $1.1 billion thanks to an offering of convertible notes made in March 2021 that will mature in 2027, is “continuing to evaluate potential transactions to address its existing convertible notes prior to maturity in 2027,” said Brown.
In the meantime, however, it has just closed on a financing facility providing up to $100 million in new senior secured debt from Unprocessed Foods, LLC, an affiliate of the Ahimsa Foundation, a nonprofit focused on advocating for plant-based diets.
Under the deal, Unprocessed Foods will receive warrants in proportion to the amount drawn down on the facility, giving them the right to purchase up to 12.5% of Beyond Meat’s currently outstanding shares at an exercise price of 115% of the average of daily volume weighted average prices for the 30-day period beginning May 8, 2025, with a minimum and maximum exercise price of $2.00 and $3.75, respectively.
“Our concerns about the capital structure remain high as the March 2027 maturity date of their convertible notes approaches.” TD Cowen
Q1 2025 by the numbers:
- Net revenue: -9.1% year over year (YoY) to $68.7 million, volumes -11.2%
- Net loss: $52.9 million
- Gross margins: -1.5%,
- US retail revenue: -15.4% YoY to $31.4 million; volumes -23.2%
- US foodservice revenue: -23.5% YoY to $9.4 million; volumes -22%
- International retail revenue: +0.8% YoY to $12.7 million; volumes -8.6%
- International foodservice revenue: +12.1% to $15.3 million YoY; volumes +13.5%
- Full year 2025 outlook: Not given, owing to an “elevated level of uncertainty.”
- Balance sheet: As of March 29, 2025, Beyond Meat’s cash and cash equivalents balance was $115.8 million and total outstanding debt was $1.1 billion
Grim though some of the numbers above may look, “It’s important to distinguish between ongoing opex and extraordinary transient expenses” incurred during the quarter, noted the firm, citing legal expenses relating to its dispute with former co-manufacturer Don Lee Farms, expenses related to the suspension of operational activities in China, and severance payments related to its staff cuts in February.
