Tofurky Launches New Burger For Veganuary

American company Tofurky is launching a vegan beef-style burger this month. 

The burger is made from non-GMO ingredients such as soy protein, vegetable protein and wheat gluten. It is seasoned with salt, onion, garlic and black pepper. Tofurky patties will use recyclable cartons that offer 23% less paperboard material and inner packaging that has 69% less plastic film waste than others in the segment. The new product will be available in more than 600 Target stores in the U.S. 

Jaime Athos, president and CEO of Tofurky, said that the company decided to debut the new burger now because "many flexitarians resolve to go completely plant-based for the month of January."

Tofurky is one of the oldest and largest vegan companies.The brand which is known for its turkey replacement originally debuted in 1995. The company has been a private and family-owned business ever since. Despite the growing competition on the plant-based market, the brand is trying to keep up their product portfolio, offering innovative meat alternatives such as vegan sausages, ham and deli slices, plant-based roasts, tempeh, meat-free chorizo and chicken shreds. 

The company launched a plant-based ground beef product earlier last year but decided to roll out a burger. 

"We had a DIY product, but we rushed to market with it," Athos told Forbes. "You could shape it into a burger patty, but I think what happened with that one was we were never able to fully realize the quality we can get within our own kitchen. So, we scrapped that plan and pulled it from the market and started over."

This new plant-based burger comes after Tofurky recently accepted $7 million in private funding — the first-ever investment in the company.