America's First Vegan Butcher Shop To Open In Minneapolis

A vegan butcher may sound like a joke, but we assure you that the Herbivorous Butcher takes their meat-free meat very seriously. America's very first vegan butcher will soon be setting up shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota after a successful Kickstarter raised more than $60,000 to bring to brick and mortar life to meat-free ribs, bacon, sausage, chicken, chorizo, and more. Created by siblings Aubrey and Kale Walch (yes, that is his real name), the meat-free meats are handmade in small batches and contain protein-rich ingredients like wheat gluten, yeast, soy, and miso.

The Herbivorous Butcher actually got its start this summer by selling meatless meat at local farmers markets to rave reviews from both vegans and carnivores (seriously, they only have five-star reviews on their Facebook page). The two have combined their vegetable-loving lifestyles with their Guamanian roots as well as other culinary cultures around the world to create meats that (supposedly) have the texture, taste, and overall feel of real meat. The shop itself, which will be opening sometime in spring 2015, will look like a "typical butcher's shop" with cold cases full of fresh "meat," rotating specials, and a section for selling vegan cheeses, deli meats, meat rubs, marinades, and breads.

If you're not in Minneapolis, you can always get your vegan fix at Target, who just started selling a line of meatless meat.

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Joanna Fantozzi is an Associate Editor with The Daily Meal. Follow her on Twitter @JoannaFantozzi