Beyond Meat puts protein drinks at the center of turnaround plan

CEO Ethan Brown said it’s been acting as a “beverage company in hiding,” with a board of executives from Coke, Boston Beer and more.

What happened

Beyond Meat is betting that a move into protein drinks will turn around sales and bring consumers back to plant-based meat.

President and CEO Ethan Brown said in an earnings call last week that the company is uniquely positioned to compete in the rapidly expanding functional beverage market because of its experience with formulating plant-based protein.

Why it matters

Earlier this year, the company announced Beyond Immerse, a protein-packed sparkling beverage, which was made available for a limited time through Beyond’s e-commerce site. Immerse is launching across New York this summer, through Beyond’s partnership with distributor Big Geyser.

On the call last week, Brown said the beverage is meant to tap into consumer demand for drinks with added fiber, vitamins and electrolytes in addition to the high-protein content.

Beyond Immerse is the first product to launch under Beyond’s broadened scope, with the company recently changing its name to Beyond The Plant Protein Company to reflect its ambitions outside of alternative meat. After early success, the company expanded Immerse to include more flavors.

This news brief is based on reporting published by Food Dive on 2026-05-13. The original report is linked below.