Canadian company Wamame Foods, a Top Tier Foods subsidiary and the producer of the world’s first plant-based Wagyu beef, announced the addition of Teja Foods and Sierra Meat and Seafood to its consortium.

The consortium with its new partners will leverage the early success of Wamame’s Waygu brand and invest in R&D partnerships with the University of British Columbia and the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Center. Along with the consortium’s investment and industry expertise, Wamame plans to further scale its production and expand its distribution network.

Wamame Foods aims to use R&D to create a suite of alternative beef products—which would be sold both as Waygu brand and private-label products—that are capable of competing with the best beef brands in the world.

Analyst QuickTake: The Wamame Foods consortium began in 2021 along with Merit Functional Foods, Wismettac Asian Foods, and Crush Dynamics, along with a co-investment from Protein Industries Canada. They secured CAD 7.6 million (~USD 6 million) and planned to develop, manufacture, and distribute plant-based, non-soy alternative Wagyu beef and pork products.