The Phytosphere: Why Beyond Meat Launched Plant-Based Protein Powders, Jerky & Veggie Burgers
Beyond Meat has introduced a slate of plant-based products under the Phytosphere portfolio, including its first protein powders, a line of jerky, and veggie burgers. The company explains its thinking in an interview with Green Queen.
The poster child of plant-based meat is now selling protein powders and veggie burgers.
Beyond Meat’s evolution into Beyond The Plant Protein Company has taken its most radical form yet, as it unveils a new line of nutrition-first products to complement its signature meat alternatives.
The Nasdaq-listed firm has already been selling Beyond Immerse, a line of fizzy protein drinks, in New York and Los Angeles, and these now form part of the new Phytosphere range.
Beyond calls it an “integrated nutrition platform” that introduces new formats for different occasions, including its first-ever protein powders and whole-food veggie burgers, as well as a second-coming for its jerky lineup.
The products are available at the direct-to-consumer Beyond Plant Protein website (a revamp of the Beyond Test Kitchen hub launched last year), where people can also find the company’s fava-bean-based mince and whole-cut mycelium steak.
“The name ‘Phytosphere’ comes from the Greek words ‘phyton’, meaning ‘plant’, and ‘sphaira’, meaning ‘sphere’ or ‘world’,” a Beyond spokesperson tells Green Queen.
“It represents a world where people can access the extraordinary nutrition of plants to support uncommon strength, health, and resilience. That idea is captured in a simple promise: Plants have superpowers. We deliver them.”
Protein powders and fizzy drinks offer ‘different ways’ to tap plant-based nutrition
Two of the new entries are part of what the company calls the Beyond Star Series. Starmatter is its line of protein powders, which deliver 20g of pea protein and 5g of fibre per 37g scoop, along with an extensive range of probiotics, extracts with polyphenols, plant sterols, biotin, adaptogenic mushrooms, vitamins, and minerals. They come in plain, vanilla, strawberry-banana, salted caramel, and golden latte flavours.
The launch of a protein powder is curious, given that the recently launched Beyond Immerse range has been positioned as a “light and refreshing” functional option. The entire idea of a sparkling drink is that it offers an easier-on-the-stomach option to dense, often bloat-inducing protein shakes.
The company explains that each product offers people a “different way to incorporate the benefits of plant-based nutrition” into their daily routines. “Beyond Immerse is a ready-to-drink, light and refreshing sparkling protein beverage, while Beyond Starmatter is a nutrient-boosted protein powder that blends seamlessly into smoothies, shakes, and your favourite recipes,” says its representative.
“We see an opportunity to offer something more to the consumer. Beyond Starmatter is designed to deliver not only plant protein, but also fibre, probiotics, extracts with polyphenols, plant sterols, biotin, adaptogens, vitamins, minerals and more. At meaningful levels, these nutrients do meaningful work,” they note.
“For example, protein builds and repairs muscle, fibre supports digestive health, plant sterols help maintain cholesterol levels already within the healthy range, and electrolytes and carbohydrates support performance and recovery.
“Yet these nutrients are often left behind in the modern Western diet. That’s why we built the Phytosphere – a place where all are welcome and the superpowers of plants are abundant and convenient.”
Beyond has been reformulating its clear protein drinks since their initial launch in January, and it refreshed the packaging ahead of the brick-and-mortar rollout, with the all-green sugar-free line now joined by new blue- and green-shaded agave-sweetened beverages.
“We are known for rapid and relentless innovation, and listening closely to consumer feedback is central to that process,” the representative highlights. “In response, we developed this latest version of Beyond Immerse made with organic agave, giving people another way to enjoy the product while maintaining the light, refreshing experience and strong nutritional profile. “
A return to jerky-land
The other innovation in Beyond’s Star Series is Starcut, which marks its return to the jerky world – sorry, sphere. The company’s first foray here, named Beyond Jerky, came in 2022 via a partnership with PepsiCo, but it failed to take off into the mainstream despite being the category’s top-selling product, and was discontinued two years later.
The new iteration isn’t intended to mimic beef, but acts as a nutrition-focused savoury protein bar built on peas, fava beans, and mycelium. It’s available in six- or 12-packs in asada-style, spicy Southwest BBQ, and classic dill flavours, and contains zero cholesterol, antibiotics, nitrites or nitrates.
Why is Beyond confident that the second coming of its jerky will be successful? “Beyond Starcut is an all-new product with a distinct formulation, format, and nutritional proposition,” outlines the spokesperson.
“It combines plant protein and mycelium in a savoury bar that delivers 17g of protein and 3g of fibre, with no added sugar. We created Beyond Starcut for today’s consumer, with a strong focus on nutrition and convenience.”
The Starmatter and Starcut lines mark a departure from both Beyond’s existing formulations as well as packaging. Instead of the signature green design, the protein powders and jerky bars don a midnight blue tint and a gradated ‘Beyond’ logo.
“The Beyond Star Series reflects the idea that the elements underlying phytonutrition originated in exploding stars and are transformed by plants into nutrients available to us today,” the company says. “The dark blue packaging, inspired by the night sky, brings that story to life and creates a distinct visual identity for Beyond Starmatter and Beyond Starcut within the broader Phytosphere portfolio.”
Veggie burgers are ‘an expansion, not a departure’
Beyond is now also rolling out its first veggie burgers, aiming to capture a whole-food plant-based category that is booming in popularity amid the ultra-processed food (UPF) fallout.
You only have to look at Actual Veggies, which recorded a 561% hike in revenues between 2022 and 2025, and is expecting $30M in revenue this year (after surpassing $20M last year) on the back of its veg-led burgers.
Is Beyond’s introduction of a veggie burger line a recognition that meat alternatives aren’t working – that, in founder and CEO Ethan Brown’s words, it indeed is “just not” their moment right now?
“Beyond Veggie is an expansion of our portfolio, not a departure,” insists the Beyond Burger maker. “Consumers come to plants with different tastes, nutritional priorities, and meal occasions in mind, and we see an opportunity to serve that broader spectrum.”
These new patties combine more than 10 fruits and vegetables, legumes, and seeds with pea and potato protein, offered in chipotle black bean and spiced chickpea variants. Like the other Phytosphere products, they also have polyphenol-rich extracts and plant sterols, which the company says could, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, reduce the risk of heart disease.
Each 100g burger delivers 12g of protein and 6g of fibre, alongside iron, potassium, and magnesium. “Beyond Veggie joins a broad range of centre-of-plate products available on the Phytosphere, including Beyond Steak Filet and Beyond Ground Faba,” says the spokesperson.
It isn’t Beyond’s first attempt at a whole-food range. In 2024, it launched the Sun Sausage range, comprising veggie links made from a base of yellow peas, brown rice, red lentils and fava beans.
“Beyond Sun Sausage remains part of our centre-of-plate portfolio,” the company confirms. “It offers a vegetable-forward eating experience inspired by plants, complementing both our core products and newer Phytosphere offerings.”
Beyond Meat bets on Phytosphere to get its groove back
The new Phytosphere portfolio is Beyond’s attempt to leap into as many consumer categories as possible, since each product line hits on different needs (as evidenced by Beyond Immerse and Starmatter).
The common threads, of course, are protein and fibre. Nearly three in five (57%) Americans plan to prioritise protein this year, and virtually all of them want to increase their fibre intake, too. The boom in GLP-1 use has accelerated this demand.
How they plan to increase their consumption of these nutrients, however, varies widely. Only 13% prefer to get their protein from powders or shakes, rising to 19% for food and drink products fortified with it, and 55% for whole foods, according to one survey.
But a quarter of Americans regularly consume protein powders, whose growth has outpaced all other protein products between 2021 and 2025, when the number of households purchasing these jumped by 47%. For these consumers, Beyond’s Starmatter line is ideal.
On the other hand, 44% of people say they don’t consume protein powders because they prefer whole-food sources instead. Another poll shows that 85% of adults believe whole-food protein is healthier than processed formats, with 65% drawn to minimally processed options over protein shakes. This is the consumer set Beyond is targeting with its veggie burgers.
Meanwhile, for another set of consumers, nothing matters more than the sensory aspect – two in five feel a protein product is high in quality if it tastes good. That flavour-first philosophy is the focus of the Starcut line of jerky.
None of Beyond’s products meets the needs of every single consumer. No product can. But by expanding from meat alternatives into a wider set of nutrition-first protein products, the company is aiming to target consumers who previously may have been out of its reach.
All that is an effort to return to growth after six consecutive quarters of falling revenue and a record-low share price that needed an artificial boost just to stay afloat on the public market.
Armed with new products and partnerships with sports stars, famed restaurants, and doctors, can Beyond rediscover its edge?