Press Release 18th January 2023

Largest plant-based tasting in Europe: BILLA greatly expands its plant-based range

January is "Veganuary" and is dedicated to purely plant-based enjoyment worldwide. A plant-based diet is already gaining in importance among many people for a wide variety of reasons and is anchoring itself in society as a sustainable development.

Klaudia Atzmüller, Ja! Natürlich Managing Director, and Verena Wiederkehr, BILLA Head of Plant-Based Business Development, are pleased about the expansion of the plant-based range of BILLA own brands.

Klaudia Atzmüller, Ja! Natürlich Managing Director, and Verena Wiederkehr, BILLA Head of Plant-Based Business Development, are pleased about the expansion of the plant-based range of BILLA own brands. / Copyright: BILLA AG / Robert Harson, Reproduction for PR purposes free of charge

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According to a survey by marketmind*, two out of ten respondents already buy purely plant-based products such as milk, desserts or meat and sausage at least once a week. Among 18- to 25-year-olds, one third of respondents already pay special attention to plant-based products when shopping.

As one of Austria's largest grocery retailers, BILLA takes a close look at the wishes of its customers and therefore relies on a comprehensive plant-based strategy. A variety of plant-based foods can already be found on BILLA and BILLA PLUS shelves throughout Austria. In line with customer needs, this selection is constantly being expanded. Last autumn, for example, around 3,000 plant-based products in the area of meat, sausage and fish were tasted as part of a large-scale tasting by the BILLA plant-based focus team. "On the basis of this comprehensive tasting, new products are continuously added to the range that are convincing in terms of quality, taste and price. This 'Veganuary' alone already has 160 new listings with a focus on the dry range at PFLANZILLA," says Verena Wiederkehr, BILLA Head of Plant-Based Business Development.

At the same time, the company is aware of current challenges such as inflation in all areas of life, as food prices play a decisive role due to this and also have an impact on purchasing. Therefore, BILLA continues to call for equal tax treatment of animal milk and its plant-based counterparts. Milk from domestic soy or oats is considered a beverage in Austria and, unlike the animal product, is subject to a tax rate of 20 percent. This is twice as high a tax and therefore puts customers who choose plant-based milk at a clear disadvantage.

Ja! Natürlich enables purely plant-based enjoyment in the highest organic quality

For years, BILLA has been introducing more plant-based products to its own brands in order to offer customers a growing variety.

As Austria's largest organic brand, Ja! Natürlich currently offers around 1,100 products of the highest organic quality and is focusing on expanding its purely plant-based range. With 400 products in the vegetable & fruit range, Ja! Natürlich creates a perfect basis for plant-based dishes. Klaudia Atzmüller, Ja! Natürlich Managing Director says: "At Ja! Natürlich we have been increasingly focusing on more plant-based products in our assortment for years. In addition, we take care to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in all our products. Thus, the Ja! Natürlich organic tofu in the natural and smoked varieties has seven times less impact on our climate, as the soybeans used for it come 100 per cent from Vienna."

To become even more climate-friendly, the organic pioneer offers its Ja! Natürlich organic oat drink in a reusable glass bottle that can be refilled up to 15 times. A new addition to the plant milk range from February is the Ja! Natürlich organic rice drink. "Rice is not traditionally grown in Austria, but for some years now it has been grown by our organic partner farmer in the Seewinkel region of Burgenland. Now we have taken the next step and developed the first organic rice drink from Austria with this farmer who is keen to experiment. This remarkable innovation comes in the sustainable reusable glass bottle and is thus particularly climate-friendly," Klaudia Atzmüller is pleased about the upcoming addition to the Ja! Natürlich plant drink range. The new organic rice drink will be available in the reusable glass bottle at BILLA and BILLA PLUS from February, just like the organic oat drink.

Vegavita starts the new year with brand relaunch and new products

Launched in 2002, Vegavita has offered an exclusively plant-based product variety since the beginning. The own brand now has a new design and promises even more enjoyment and joie de vivre with its modern packaging. The range currently includes around 80 products - for all those who want to include plant-based products in their diet. The popular Vegavita tofu varieties, which customers can discover in all BILLA and BILLA PLUS stores throughout Austria, kick off the range. The diverse assortment is constantly being expanded with product innovations - such as plant-based sausage dumplings, which are now available in a new packaging design.

All Vegavita products are 100 percent plant-based and meet strict quality criteria: The products are free of palm oil, labelled with the V-label and contain no hydrogenated fats. In addition, emphasis is placed on sustainable and recyclable packaging materials.

Billa Bio stands for reliable organic quality at an attractive price.

With Billa Bio, cost-conscious customers will find another organic own brand in the BILLA and BILLA PLUS stores, which perfectly complements the range and promises enjoyment in the best organic quality. The Billa organic assortment currently comprises 214 items, 48 of which are purely vegetable - this corresponds to a share of 22 percent of the total assortment. This year, customers can expect numerous new products such as canned jackfruit, but also baby and children's products such as porridge, fruit jars and tea-based drinks. The BILLA own brand stands for reliable and enjoyable organic quality at an attractive price, which offers customers an even wider selection for a conscious and enjoyable diet in everyday life. The food is GMO-free and certified with the EU organic seal.

First results: BILLA PFLANZILLA a complete success

Last September, BILLA PFLANZILLA was opened in the heart of Vienna as a lighthouse project. The concept store with a purely plant-based assortment is the first of its kind in Austria. More than 2,500 purely vegetable products and services can be found on an area of over 200 m2 - 800 of the products that can be discovered in PFLANZILLA are actually only available here in the store.

"The demand at PFLANZILLA is unbroken. Since opening, more than 50,000 customers have visited the store and are inspired by our colourful and innovative assortment. Our nougat croissant has turned out to be an absolute top seller. An average of 200 of these are sold per week - due to its success, it will soon be available in all BILLA and BILLA PLUS markets," says Verena Wiederkehr and adds: "In addition, chilled meat and milk products based on plants, handmade specialities from the market confectionery and freshly prepared snacks are in particular demand at PFLANZILLA. Customers can also look forward to the steady expansion of the plant-based range at BILLA and BILLA PLUS throughout Austria."

BILLA event tip!

BILLA invites you to the PFLANZILLA VEGANUARY EVENTS from 19 to 21 January 2023 and offers exciting book presentations and influencer meet & greets as well as new products to discover and taste in order to experience the whole variety of plant-based nutrition. experience. See: www.billa.at/sortiment-und-marken/pflanzlich-gluecklich/pflanzilla

Study info:

*The market and opinion research institute marketmind surveyed a total of 2026 women and men aged 18 and over on various topics and also on plant-based nutrition on behalf of Rewe in the period from 27.10.to 10.11. 2021.