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Plant Chat: Dan Staackmann, Upton’s Naturals

Sharon Palmer

I’m so glad to have Dan Staackmann on my Plant Chat today! Dan is the founder and president of Upton’s Naturals, an independently-owned, ethical vegan food company based in Chicago, IL. A 25-year vegan and long-time advocate for animal rights and environmental sustainability, Dan founded Upton’s Naturals in 2006 with a DIY attitude and slow-growth business model. Beginning in a shared kitchen, he created and introduced the first integrally-flavored packaged seitan. The seitan launched in a limited number of natural food stores in the Midwest and reached national distribution by 2011. In 2015, after growing a loyal base of customers, Upton’s Naturals was the first in the world to launch pre-cooked, pre-seasoned young Jackfruit in a retort pouch, which is now available in 20+ countries worldwide. Upton’s Naturals’ latest products are shelf-stable, heat-and-serve Ch’eesy Macs and Thai-inspired Real Meal Kits. In an industry where lab created meat makes headlines, Dan believes in sticking to the basics and clean labels, focusing more on cooking than on science.

It was great fun sitting down with Dan to learn more about his journey. Listen in on our interview.

Tell us about your own journey in the food and nutrition world.

I became a vegan when I was 15 in the early/mid 1990s when there weren’t a lot of vegan options in stores or restaurants. My diet was pretty basic in those early days, but I picked up a copy of The New Farm Vegetarian Cookbook (which I still have!) and learned how to veganize many of my old favorites. Becoming a vegan also helped me discover all kinds of ethnic cuisines like Ethiopian and Indian food that have a ton of accidentally-vegan dishes. It was eye opening to see so many cultures that don’t depend so heavily on meat in their diets and are able to make wonderfully complex meals from simple ingredients.

What was the inspiration behind the creation of Upton’s Naturals?

I knew I wanted to do something that would allow for some activism and food is a great medium for that. Seitan is one of my favorite foods, but in 2005, there was just one national company and no one making it locally. There also weren’t any flavored options. I decided to give it a try and found a shared kitchen to begin experimenting. We got fairly lucky with our first product, Italian Seitan, in just a few weeks and began selling to restaurants in Chicago. 10 years later, and after trying a jackfruit dish in a Nepalese restaurant, my partner Nicole and I were inspired to launch the first pre-seasoned young Jackfruit to American, European, and Australian markets, which we did starting in 2015. We’re taking simple, vegan recipes that have been around for thousands of years and updating them for today’s mainstream palate. Doing what we believe in is the best part of this business, and to us, success is creating 100% vegan products that can inspire meat-free meals.

What is unique about these food products?

Our main goal, since day one, has always been to create vegan products using only simple and real, recognizable ingredients. There’s nothing high-tech about our products. For example, our pre-seasoned Jackfruit is just jackfruit and ingredients you might find in your house, like spices and coconut milk. In regard to our latest product launches, Upton’s Naturals’ Ch’eesy Mac is unique in that it’s the first pre-cooked vegan mac and cheese on the market, and our Thai-inspired Meal Kits feature fresh (never freeze-dried) vegetables, which is hard to find in a shelf-stable product. Upton’s Naturals’ products, including our original seitan lineup, are also free of GMOs, and artificial or “natural” flavors.

What do people love about Upton’s Naturals? What sort of feedback do you get from customers?

We’re first and foremost an ethical vegan company, and I think people respect our values and the innovation we’ve brought to the industry. Customers like how easy it is to incorporate our products into a variety of dishes, which is especially helpful for people who are transitioning to a vegan lifestyle. I also think people appreciate how minimally processed our products are. They can look at the package and understand every ingredient and its purpose.

What are the most popular ways that people are using Upton’s Naturals?

Upton’s Naturals’ Jackfruit is tremendously popular in BBQ sandwiches and tacos, but it’s amazing how creative people can get when cooking with our products, creating everything from jackfruit spring rolls to even pizza. Our Bacon Seitan is another popular item, with people using it in meat-free BLT’s and breakfast dishes.

Do you think that more people are interested in eating a plant-based diet, and why?

Absolutely! Whether it’s for environmental, health, or animal rights reasons, it’s been incredible to see how many people are making positive change in their diets. There are so many new products on the market now, and I think this has made it easier for people to eat vegan food and see how enjoyable and varied the lifestyle and diet can be.

What are some of your own personal favorite ways to use Upton’s Naturals products?

I love all the new meal kits as-is (especially Thai Curry Noodle), BBQ Jackfruit sandwiches with slaw and Bacon Seitan with waffles.

What’s next in store for Upton’s Naturals?

We’re launching a new product in March. They are vegan Jerky Bites, and they are a really fun addition to our current offerings. We recently transitioned to a bigger production facility in Chicago that’s 10 times larger than our previous one, so we have a lot more space for expanding our production capabilities. We’re also continuing to build our international presence and are currently in 15 countries!

Check out one of Dan’s favorite plant-based recipes.

Loaded Sweet & Smoky Biscuits and Gravy

I’m a big fan of seitan too! Check out some of my favorite ways to use seitan in cooking:

Shanghai Snow Pea Seitan Stir-Fry with Brown Rice
Veggie Shepherd’s Pie

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