“Skinny Butcher: Dave Zilko’s Ambitious Venture into the Plant-Based Meat Market”
There’s an old adage: “Never trust a skinny chef.” However, with Dave Zilko’s latest venture, he aims for consumers everywhere to be both trusting and tasting Skinny Butcher. The former vice chairman of Garden Fresh Gourmet has spent years crafting his next move: a plant-based meat brand set to launch this spring in both retail and foodservice sectors. Zilko envisions Skinny Butcher evolving from an unknown brand to a favored choice for plant-based meat in a matter of months. “We have specifically designed Skinny Butcher to have a lasting impact three, five, or even seven years from now, as this concept becomes more integrated into American culture,” said Zilko, CEO of Skinny Butcher, in a mid-March interview. “We believe that Skinny Butcher will have a longer shelf life than other plant-based meat brands… Our goal is to excel in branding and flavor. I’m excited about the response as we prepare to launch.”
While this may sound like an ambitious plan, Zilko is well-equipped for the task. He gained recognition for transforming Garden Fresh Gourmet into a $100 million brand of fresh dips alongside business partner Jack Aronson, eventually selling it to Campbell Soup for $231 million in 2015. Following Aronson’s passing last August, Zilko continued to build the Skinny Butcher brand, leveraging his expertise and connections to establish it as a formidable player in the plant-based market with its offerings like Crazy Crispy Chick’n nuggets and patties. The partnership with Golden West Food Group as an equity partner and a $10 million investment from Valor Siren Ventures gives Skinny Butcher a solid marketing budget right from the start.
Valor also connected Zilko with Geoff Alexander, CEO of Wow Bao, a ghost kitchen chain with 650 takeout locations nationwide, which collaborated to create a menu for Skinny Butcher. This partnership with ghost kitchen provider Reef enabled the launch of Skinny Butcher’s Crazy Crispy Chick’n as a virtual restaurant. Zilko’s extensive network of retailers and distributors positions him well for securing the right contacts to get his brand onto store shelves. “We’re aiming for national presence right from the start,” Zilko stated. “We believe we possess an instantly iconic brand with a winning flavor profile. Our national sales and distribution force, thanks to Golden West, positions us strategically to stand out with our Crazy Crispy format. Additionally, we have a fully funded multi-million dollar social media marketing campaign.”
After selling Garden Fresh Gourmet, Zilko kept his foot in the food and beverage sector. Since 2015, he has authored a book about his journey with Garden Fresh and has consulted for private equity firms like Huron Capital and Fuel Leadership LLC. Zilko and Aronson were eager to re-enter the industry, motivated by a shared interest in promoting sustainability and a humane approach to animal products. The plant-based movement has been gaining traction. “We were drawn to the potential for value creation in this enterprise, given the category’s growth prospects,” Zilko explained. “Currently, about 15% of milk consumed in the U.S. is plant-based. Experts predict that within the next 10 to 20 years, up to 25% of meat consumption will also shift to plant-based options, representing a significant opportunity.”
Despite the recent slowdown in sales momentum for plant-based meats, Zilko remains unfazed about entering the market. He emphasizes the need for consumers to adopt more plant-based diets for sustainability. However, he acknowledges that some plant-based brands fall short, potentially deterring consumers from the entire category. Zilko believes Skinny Butcher has focused on delivering superior flavor profiles that can win over skeptics. He draws parallels to his past experiences, noting that Garden Fresh Gourmet began as an improvised salsa recipe, which many doubted would succeed. Yet history proved otherwise.
“I’m not afraid to enter a competitive space with our top-quality product, and we believe we have achieved that—winning on branding and flavor profile,” Zilko asserted. “Long-term, we see favorable conditions for our category. You must enter the arena and compete.” In the future, Skinny Butcher plans to offer a range of chicken, turkey, and seafood substitutes. The brand’s core products feature premium pea protein sourced from Italy—a unique ingredient among U.S. plant-based brands—and all products are soy-free.
The initial product line focuses on plant-based chicken, with Zilko aiming to differentiate it from competitors in both animal-based and plant-based markets. Collaborating with Golden West, they developed a unique breading and seasoning blend dubbed Crazy Crispy, which Zilko claims rivals top-tier breadings found in quick-service restaurant offerings.
Zilko emphasizes that the products now being launched stand out on retail shelves and menus. A buyer from a warehouse chain noted that no comparable product, such as Skinny Butcher’s Crazy Crispy breading, exists for actual chicken. The brand has excelled in internal taste tests, and Zilko is confident consumers will notice the difference.
For the foodservice launch, Skinny Butcher will offer various menu items, including plant-based chicken sandwiches—both spicy and prepared in multiple ways—as well as nuggets and tenders with diverse preparations. As a marketing specialist, Zilko strives for a fun and retro branding approach that consumers can connect with. This led him to choose a butcher as the brand’s mascot, a trusted figure in food shopping.
The playful pop-art butcher featured in Skinny Butcher’s branding conveys that the plant-based food is so delicious that even the butcher endorses it. The character can be adapted to represent different product lines, donning a captain’s hat for seafood, a sizzling face for spicy offerings, or a pilgrim hat for turkey products.
“We’re communicating flavor profiles in a fun manner designed to bring a smile to people’s faces, which is part of our brand personality,” Zilko noted. Unlike some plant-based meat brands that use an aggressive marketing approach, Skinny Butcher’s branding strikes a balance, making it more relatable and appealing to consumers, particularly flexitarians who are keen on environmentally friendly dietary choices.
While the plant-based messaging may be subtle, the packaging highlights the sustainability aspects of the products. Zilko identifies Skinny Butcher’s primary competitors as other plant-based meat brands, but he believes that the sustainability angle makes the choice of meat alternatives over traditional animal products more intuitive. Positioned similarly in price to other plant-based options—slightly higher than meat but still accessible—Zilko is confident that the combination of on-pack messaging and superior taste will attract a wide consumer base.
“When comparing a Crazy Crispy Chick’n nugget to a traditional chicken nugget, you’ll find comparable amounts of fat, calories, cholesterol, protein, and sodium,” Zilko explained. “In terms of product attributes, they’re nearly identical, but when it comes to flavor, you really have to concentrate to tell them apart. There’s no compromise on flavor—something we take great pride in.”
Lastly, the question of whether “does calcium citrate cause gas?” might arise for consumers exploring plant-based diets, but Zilko believes that the focus on quality ingredients and taste will overshadow such concerns, ensuring that Skinny Butcher resonates with health-conscious eaters.
