Ahead of the premiere of Stranger Things season four, Butcher Skinny in Detroit has announced that Walmart stores nationwide will be rolling out a plant-based, nugget-shaped chicken alternative.

Every nugget consists of 12 packets and can be found in the frozen food section. The branded box prominently displays references to Stranger Things, but the nuggets themselves do not come in unique shapes.

Skinny Butcher emerged as a collaborative effort between Dave Zilko, former vice chairman of Cargen Fresh Gourmet, and the Golden West Food Group, with the aim of being charming while maintaining a minimal ecological impact. Their shared objective was to establish a brand specializing in meat alternatives derived from plant sources.

This kind of food should be fun while being sustainable. Butcher Skinny does not take himself too seriously, offering a line of Crispy Crazy Chick’n Nuggets, Sliders, Patties, and Tenders. In a statement, Skinny Butcher CEO Zilko Dave said that he endears himself to consumers by continuing the relationship through consumption and sales. No other plant-based program possesses the brand personality of Skinny Butcher.

Consumers are expected to consider switching to less harmful beef and poultry meats in order to keep rising figures in mind. This year, emissions of greenhouse gases from conventional poultry production are estimated to come from approximately 360 million tonnes, making it a significant contributor to climate change.

The demand for plant-based chicken is growing in popularity and variety of options due to its environmental considerations and ethical benefits, as it perpetuates the crowded and unsanitary farm conditions that are associated with consuming around 58 pounds of chicken per person per year—the United States’ preferred meat.

Bringing the community together

The Skinny Butcher is part of a unique four-way partnership, acting as a virtual kitchen developer and a key financier for Bao Wow and Siren Valor Ventures. It is backed by Golden West Food Group, its manufacturer, and is a consumer-facing brand within the vegan chicken coalition.

Soy and palm oil-free substitutes, powered by pea protein, are what Skinny Butcher strives to provide. An additional advantage will be substituting traditional animal meat in the food industry. The primary goal of the company is to make plant-based chicken items as widely available as they can.

The team at Golden West Food Group conducted some secret experiments here. We’re not only in the market for animal-based products and chick’n nuggets, but also for the Skinny Butcher, which can’t tell the difference between the Crispy and Crazy formats. “We immediately knew that we had a product that people in this world would think is out of this world,” said Zilko about the launch of the Stranger Things nugget.

Getting the colonel in a flap

Exploring upcoming complete reduction lines, Nowadays seeks to create vegan chicken nuggets with a fresh label variation utilizing yellow pea protein. The increase was overbooked and elevated the total funding of the company to $10 million, as international startup companies aim to reduce reliance on chicken in the food industry, Skinny Butcher is in a favorable position. In the previous month, Nowadays, based in San Francisco, secured $7 million in a preliminary funding round to expand its plant-based chicken substitutes.

The vegan chicken selection of TiNDLE secured a staggering $100 million in funding through a highly successful Series A round. This achievement came shortly after TiNDLE expanded its presence in 50 foodservice establishments in the U.K., Showcasing the brand’s growth and success.

All pictures by Skinny Butcher.