«The Green Mountain» – meatless burger without compromise
Looks like meat, tastes like meat, but is vegetarian: “The Green Mountain” offers the first plant-based burger developed and produced in Switzerland. This new product from the start-up Hilcona Taste Factory is a real alternative for all those who occasionally want to consciously do without meat. It is offered in “The Butcher” burger restaurants as well as in companies of the gastronomy group ZFV.
Not only the name of the new manufactory “The Green Mountain” is inspired by the mountainous surroundings of Landquart, but also the concept: “Green stands for original, healthy and sustainable – mountain symbolises the origin and regional production and is a taste promise”, explains Werner Ott, project manager of “The Green Mountain”.
Look, taste and bite
Since this spring, Swiss restaurant clients have been able to get to know the first result of the intensive work on the start-up’s plant-based products. “The Green Mountain” burger is indistinguishable from its model of minced meat in terms of look, taste and bite. It can also be cooked to several levels, just like a meat burger. The new product is also rich in fibre and protein, while at the same time it can score points with a low fat content. Food technologist Julia Sackers worked on the perfect recipe together with a young team of chefs for over a year. It is based on pea and soy protein. The latter comes 100 per cent from organic farming.
Enjoyable, high quality and manufactured in Switzerland
When selecting the other ingredients, the product developers also paid attention to the highest quality and – in terms of sustainability – also to short delivery routes. The Swiss, for example, source all ingredients from nearby European countries, with the exception of coconut oil. The target group for the new burger are mainly flexitarians who want to eat purely plant-based food from time to time. “With ‘The Green Mountain’ burger, we offer consumers an enjoyable, high-quality alternative to meat produced in Switzerland”, explains Werner Ott.
Since 9 April, the burger has been available in around 130 establishments of the Swiss catering group ZFV. And the first burger restaurant chain is already relying on the veggie variant: guests can order the new product at all “The Butcher” branches in Zurich, Zug and Berne. “The Green Mountain” is an internal start-up of Hilcona Taste Factory in Landquart, Graubünden. As a centre of excellency, the factory promotes the development and production of plant-based foods. The burger premiere will soon be followed by further new meat-free products.
