Jake Herren used to be a burger junkie.
We’re talking one a day.
As he transitioned into his 20s, Herren realized his appetite for the handheld meaty goodness was not sustainable for his long-term health.
“I was like ‘Hey, we got to get ahold of this buddy,’” he said. “So, I decided I would give up red meat.”
Herren sought a vegetarian option, but everything he sampled on the market was unsatisfying. Some of them were good, but they didn’t taste like burgers. This was about 15 years ago, and Herren notes this was before the Impossible Burger.
With a history in the restaurant industry — doing everything from bartending to being a line cook — Herren started experimenting in the kitchen. He dabbled some more over the course of a few years, until one day he created a vegan patty that his dad — a diehard carnivore — said was good enough that he would “eat it on occasion.”
That was a big compliment.
“I knew I was on to something,” Herren said. “You don’t know if your friends are being nice (when they try your product) but I knew if he would eat it, it was good.”
After years of trial and error, Jake’s Burgers became a business. He launched in 2018 and since 2019, this has been his full-time job.
“I am passionate about food,” Herren said. “I love to eat and cook. I didn’t like working in restaurants after a while. I have a creative outlet for my culinary passions without having to work in a restaurant.”
Expanding his product line and footprint
The vegan patties are crafted in a commercial kitchen on College Street. While Herren has expanded his product line beyond vegan burgers, the name of the business stuck. He sells breakfast sausage, taco grounds, Italian sausage grounds and breakfast sausage grounds.
“The breakfast sausage grounds are perfect for biscuits and gravy — breakfast burritos. I put them in waffles and pancakes,” Herren said.
The burgers are made from beans and grains, which is the base of his entire product line. Herren also has a vegan butter that he may discontinue and a cream cheese.
Herren has been developing a shredded chicken that he’s nearly ready to launch. He has tested it several times, giving away free samples. It works well as shredded chicken for tacos or gyros. Herren said it takes a lot of trial and error to get a product just right.
His breakthrough came when Homegrown Foods — which has since closed its doors — was the first to sell his frozen burgers. And his footprint kept expanding. You can find his frozen burgers in all three Springfield locations of Mama Jean’s Natural Market; both Hy-Vee stores; Price Cutter at East Battlefield and U.S. Highway 65, South Republic Road, St. Louis Street (near the Missouri State University campus) and in Nixa.
Herren says he is looking to expand into Northwest Arkansas, specifically Fayetteville and Bentonville, because he’s expanded as much as he can in Springfield.
Nationwide, the annual retail sales of plant-based foods have risen to more than $5 billion, representing an annual growth rate of 18.4%. There are more than 9.7 million vegans in the United States, according to Strategic Market Research, a research company in New York.
Herren had to turn himself into a salesman
While coming up with a delicious product took time, sales is a bigger challenge. Herren is confident in his line, but says he’s not a natural salesman. When it comes to restaurants, he knows the industry and understands that many restauranteurs are not interested in hearing a sales pitch.
“Restaurants are busy from when they open until they are closed,” he said. “I’ve been in the situation where someone comes in and talks to you and it is less than ideal and I am thinking ‘I am busy and I don’t want to talk to that guy.’ Now I am that guy, talking to someone who may or may not have any say in the menu.”
One successful sales approach has been popup events at restaurants and grocery stores, offering samples of his products. Sometimes he will craft a dish — like faux Springfield cashew chicken — and sell it for one night at a restaurant. One aspect he loves about working with restaurants is the creativity to make something different or encourage restaurants to host a Meatless Monday meal or buy his Italian sausage for vegetarian customers.
“It’s exciting when you get a restaurant who says, ‘This is maybe something we want to tap into,’” he said.
Springfield restaurants are serving Jake’s Vegan products
Different restaurants in town incorporate his products on a regular basis, not just popup events. Gailey’s uses his breakfast sausage grounds in its Heady Skillet and Crunchy Burrito. Druff’s sells his burgers in its vegan melt. Golden Girl Rum Club also carries Herren’s Italian sausage and has hosted some of his popup events featuring his fake chicken on tacos.
Cassie D’Arpino, one of the owners of Piccolo in Nixa, said they have partnered with Herren for years and use his vegan crumbles in their vegan spaghetti Bolognese, lasagna, pizza and more.
“Our vegan and alpha-gal guests love Jake’s product,” D’Arpino said. “Those trying it for the first time usually can’t believe it’s actually vegan because it’s so savory and delicious. We at Piccolo are proud to be able to support a fellow small local business like Jake’s. Not only is Jake a talented chef and creator, he’s also a passionate and good-hearted person.”
People with alpha-gal are an emerging market
Outside of willing vegans, Herren has discovered a new emerging market for his products: People with alpha-gal.
Alpha-gal is an allergy to mammal meat triggered by a tick bite. It’s a growing problem in southwest Missouri, where people love the outdoors and ticks are prevalent.
“There are a lot of people who can be helped by a business like mine who have alpha-gal,” Herren said. “I didn’t think about it until recently I was doing samples and some people came up and said they had alpha-gal. They were happy to have (a meat substitution).”
While people with alpha-gal can eat chicken, they are often hungry for a realistic beef or pork product that isn’t real meat. When people taste Jake’s products, they are often shocked that it’s meatless.
“A lot of people don’t believe it. You have to show them it tastes good,” Herren said.
The key to getting a meat eater to buy a vegan product is you have to get them to try it first. They aren’t likely to seek out vegan sausages or burgers, so that is where the popup events come in.
From beef burger lover to vegan
While Jake’s Burgers started because he was going to give up red meat, Herren has adopted a vegan lifestyle. It was a slow transition: He gave up pork, then chicken, eventually became a pescatarian and finally went vegan. Concerns over the environment and the role meat plays in climate change, coupled with his desire to lead a healthier life led him to this decision.
“I feel great. I’m in the best shape of my adult life,” he said.
Find it: Follow Jake’s Vegan on Facebook or visit his newly launched website.
