Beyond Meat announces new Chief Transformation Officer hire and further job reductions after reporting another disappointing financial quarter.
Beyond Meat, a leading plant-based meat company, is making significant changes to navigate the current challenges and achieve profitability. In a recent earnings call, CEO Ethan Brown outlined several key initiatives aimed at cost reduction and margin expansion.
The company is focusing on rebuilding its U.S. retail distribution with targeted pricing adjustments and strategic brand-blocking to stabilize revenue streams. To achieve this, Beyond Meat is reducing its operating expenses by aligning the operational footprint and headcount to current revenue levels. This includes workforce reductions of around 44 employees (approximately 6% of its global workforce), which is expected to save $5-6 million over the next year.
To drive enterprise-wide efficiency improvements and accelerate margin expansion efforts, Beyond Meat has appointed John Boken as interim Chief Transformation Officer from AlixPartners.
Beyond Meat is also shifting its focus beyond just replicating animal protein. The company plans to emphasize whole-food-based, ‘natural’ ingredients like vegetables and legumes in its product lines, moving beyond meat substitutes to capture broader consumer interest.
In a move to reposition the company, Beyond Meat is planning to use “Beyond” as the primary brand name, aiming to redefine plant protein consumption overall. This strategic shift was teased in a recent interview with Fast Company.
Financially, Beyond Meat acknowledged a 19.6% revenue decline Year-over-Year (YoY) to about $75 million in Q2 2025, with a net loss slightly improved but still significant. The company is focusing on stabilizing revenue while substantially cutting costs to target profitability by the second half of 2026.
Despite the challenges, Beyond Meat is not giving up on growth. The company has closed on a financing facility providing up to $100 million in new senior secured debt from Unprocessed Foods. However, Beyond Meat's total outstanding debt stands at $1.2 billion, a factor that the company will need to manage carefully.
As of June 28, 2025, Beyond Meat's cash and cash equivalents balance was $117.3 million. The company's Q2, 2025 net loss was $33.2 million.
In summary, Beyond Meat’s plans involve cost cutting via workforce reductions and operational realignment, pricing and product strategy revisions geared toward margin improvement, and a broader shift in product line approach beyond traditional alternative meats, all driven under the leadership of a new transformation officer. The company is widening its aperture beyond animal protein replicates to meet broader consumer protein needs.
In light of the financial challenges, Beyond Meat is making strategic adjustments to its business, including workforce reductions and operational realignments to reduce operating expenses. The company aims to use the savings, estimated at $5-6 million over the next year, towards cost reduction and margin expansion. Additionally, Beyond Meat is diversifying its product lines beyond meat substitutes, focusing on whole-food-based, 'natural' ingredients like vegetables and legumes to capture broader consumer interest.
