In this new and visually stunning “manifesto”, the people at Hampton Creek, the startup looking to replace eggs by something better, explain how they want to “fundamentally change the world”:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7vf3-sMnJo&w=560&h=315]
“The way we change it isn’t by convincing people to do the right thing. The way we change it is by creating an entirely different system (…). Hampton Creek is about a philosophy, that believes the only way the good thing wins, is when the good thing is so obscenely better than the not so good thing, you can not help but do it.”
In spite of being a very young startup, Hampton Creek has already succeeded in closing huge deals with Compass Group (the biggest caterer in the world) and the 7-11 chain, who both will exclusively rely on Hampton Creek’s eggfree mayonaise for the prepared products. Thanks to the avian flu raging in the US, the company is now being inundated with calls from other businesses who, being short on eggs, want to try out their alternative product.
This is not just about the millions of eggs Hampton Creek is not using or the millions of layer hens saved. It’s about much more than that. The company is starting to wean an entire nation off a certain animal based product (mayonaise with eggs) and is showing them that the alternative is not just as good, but better. Hampton Creek is not talking about animal rights, and is not trying to convert people to veganism – at least not directly or explicitly. This is an example of a behavior-first approach. Behavior change (for whatever reason) can lead to a change in beliefs as soon as the existence of great alternatives helps open hearts and minds.
That is why the importance of the development of alternative products can not be overstated.
See also:
How what you eat determines what you think
Let Beyonce be. About the biggest oversight in our movement
Well put. Thanks for the great post Tobias! I had Hapton Creek mayo today with my lunch 🙂
I also think Beyond Meat is doing a similar thing with their Beast Burgers and other products. It’s great seeing companies like these sampling their foods at Whole Foods and other grocery stores, encouraging people to purchase these healthy (and compassionate) alternatives. The more alternatives, the better!
thanks 🙂
yeah, i was in the US a month or so ago and unfortunately there was a recall of the Beast Burger going on, for optimization, so I didn’t get to taste it 🙂
I love this post so much, Tobias. 🙂
I work for Hampton Creek and our mission amazes and inspires me every day!
I’ve watched that manifesto video so many times, and it gives me chills each time.
It’s incredible to see how mainstream we are becoming. You are right, HC is not here to promote animal rights or even an “alternative lifestyle” at all–we are here to disrupt the system in place and make the right choices easy and inevitable for the everyday consumer. So radical!!
I recently discovered your blog (maybe a couple weeks ago, due to your post about Beyonce–absolutely loved that one too)! I enjoy reading your posts–they are refreshing, informative, and so important to this movement. I look forward to reading all your posts, in time. Keep up the wonderful work! 🙂
Thanks! Good luck with your job at Hampton creek 🙂 you’re in the front lines 🙂