New Report: Plant-Based Buyers and Their Favorite Brands

Woman enjoying plant-based foods.

Today Cultivate Insights published a new report that details the demographics, purchase behavior, shopping habits, motivations, barriers, and perceptions of 15 leading brands.

Plant-Based Buyers and Their Favorite Brands provides an in-depth segmentation of more than 1,000 plant-based consumers and nearly 900 plant-based food buyers. It covers 82 consumer segments based on gender, age, ethnicity, income level, region, purchase behavior, motivations, barriers, shopping habits, and more. The report also includes consumer profiles of seven plant-based product categories and 15 leading plant-based brands.

The information provided in the report can help companies better understand the plant-based market opportunity and the consumers that drive it. The survey oversampled women and millennials to focus in on important consumer groups. The exclusive findings will support strategic planning, audience targeting, new product development, messaging, and more. See below for more details about the report or go here to order now

What’s in the Report? 

The Cultivate Insights report examines plant-based buyers and their purchase habits in general and for specific categories including plant-based beef, chicken, pork, fish/seafood, milk, cheese, and eggs. It also covers plant-based buyers’ motivations and barriers, where they shop, and their willingness to pay a premium.

Additionally, the full version of the report provides in-depth profiles for the 15 leading plant-based brands. Each profile includes brand awareness reputation among plant-based consumers, past and intended purchases, purchaser ratings for taste, value/price, packaging, and availability, and net promoter scores. 

Below is the overview of the report’s contents. Click here to see the full outline (PDF). 

  • Executive Summary
  • The Plant-Based Food Landscape
  • Who Are Plant-Based Buyers?
  • What Drives Purchase Decisions?
  • What Are Consumers Buying?
  • Consumer Profiles for Product Categories
  • Overview of Top Plant-Based Brands
  • How Often Do People Buy Plant-Based Brands?
  • What Do Plant-Based Buyers Think of Brands?
  • Consumer Profiles for Plant-Based Brands 
  • Key Takeaways and Insights

What Did We Find? 

Plant-based eating has become a regular habit for many consumers, with 48% of all respondents in the Cultivate Insights survey consuming plant-based foods in the past three months. Roughly four in ten respondents consumed plant-based milk or dairy products, three in ten consumed plant-based meat, and one in fourteen consumed plant-based eggs.

The main motivation for people buying and eating plant-based foods is to improve their health. About half as many buyers say they are motivated to purchase plant-based foods to help the environment or improve animal welfare. Other motives include partner influence, lower cost, and spiritual reasons. The main barriers to people eating (and buying) more plant-based foods are taste and cost relative to conventional options. Other barriers include concern about nutrition, not knowing how to cook with plant-based foods, and partner influence. 

Note that the Cultivate Insights survey and report are based on oversamples of women and millennials, but there is also strong interest in plant-based foods across most demographic groups. Men and older consumers are somewhat less likely to buy plant-based foods, as indicated in the chart below. 

Plant-Based Buyers by Age and Gender
Proportion of each group that has purchased plant-based foods in past 3 months

Among plant-based buyers, the most popular plant-based categories are milk and beef, followed by chicken, pork, and cheese. The least popular categories are plant-based eggs and fish/seafood. Intended purchases are very similar to actual purchases, but all product categories show more intended buyers than actual buyers. 

The average plant-based buyer has heard of 5.5 of the 15 leading plant-based brands included in the survey and purchased 3.4 brands over the past three months. Over the next three months, the average buyer intends to purchase 3.8 of the 15 brands, indicating a slight increase in brand interest among plant-based consumers.

How to Get the Report

This is just a brief snapshot of the comprehensive data provided in the Cultivate Insights report. The full version of the report includes 95 pages of data, charts, and in-depth analysis as well as complete segment details in a separate spreadsheet. The report provides essential insights at an affordable price. To learn more about this exclusive new report including pricing and payment options, visit our Reports page


If you have questions about the report, please contact us at info@cultivateinsights.com or (206) 852-4848.

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