The Herbivorous Butcher
Minneapolis vegan butcher shop, opened in 2016 by siblings Kale and Aubry Walch, one of the first dedicated plant-based butcher shops in the United States.
The Herbivorous Butcher is an American vegan butcher shop, opened in January 2016 in northeast Minneapolis by siblings Kale and Aubry Walch. The shop produces and sells a broad range of plant-based deli meats, sausages, jerkies, and cheeses made in-house from seitan, tofu, and legume bases, sold over a traditional butcher-style counter.
Why it matters
The Herbivorous Butcher is one of the earliest and most prominent U.S. examples of a full-service plant-based butcher shop. The Walches’ decision to borrow the format, vocabulary, and counter-service model of a neighborhood butcher, rather than branding themselves as a health-food store, framed vegan meat as a mainstream product category rather than a dietary alternative. The shop holds a U.S. trademark for the term “vegan butcher” registered in 2016.
Product range
Sliced deli meats (pepperoni, Italian sausage, salami, smokehouse ham, maple bacon), whole sausages, ribs, jerkies, burger patties, and a line of plant- based cheeses. The company sells at its Minneapolis retail shop, through its online store, and in select grocery chains.
Expansion
The company operates the original Minneapolis shop, a second Minneapolis kitchen for wholesale production, and a kiosk at U.S. Bank Stadium, home of the Minnesota Vikings — a foodservice footprint unusual for a vegan brand at the time it was signed.