Abbot’s Records 2-Year Revenue Growth of 86%

Abbot’s, a maker of plant-based proteins backed by celebrities Owen Wilson and Woody Harrelson, has nearly doubled in sales over the last two years – a jump driven by its move from natural grocers to mainstream retailers like Target and Publix. 

“Retail sales is the vast majority of our business,” founder and Chief Executive Kerry Song told the Business Journal. “Retail is really the main revenue driver, and it’s been very steady, solid, consistent growth over the years.” 

Costa Mesa-based Abbot’s reported revenue of $16 million for the 12 months ended June 30, an 86% increase from the same period ended June 2024. Founded in 2017, Abbot’s has also raised $15 million in funds to date with backers such as Wilson and Harrelson. 

After building a foundation in natural grocers like

After building a foundation in natural grocers like Sprouts and Whole Foods Market, Abbot’s made its way into traditional stores, including Target and Publix – exposing the brand to new customers. 

This year, its veggie burgers and plant-based chorizo, chicken and Italian sausage are launching in 800 Kroger-owned stores such as Ralphs, H-E-Bs in Texas and the Wegmans chain. 

The company is in 8,000 retail locations as of August—double from 4,000 in 2024. 

Song said that there’s still more room to grow. 

“We’re profitable now and we’re focused on saying yes to the right accounts where it makes sense for the brand,” Song said. 

The company makes eight different products,

The company makes eight different products, and is still working to land all eight proteins in every store it works with. Last year, Song was focused on organic growth in key existing accounts such as Albertsons. 

“We’re continuing to not just grow by number of door count, but also by velocities and getting more shelf space” in the store, Song said. 

Abbot’s ranks No. 4 on this year’s list of Fastest-Growing Midsize Private Companies in Orange County, based on two-year revenue growth (see list). 

Coming from a background in corporate finance, Song

Coming from a background in corporate finance, Song said there was a steep learning curve when she started Abbot’s in 2017. 

She previously worked as a financial analyst at Citi and a derivatives analyst at Morgan Stanley. She also did content and brand strategy at Tony Robbins for five years. 

The company was born out of Song’s own frustration with the lack of healthy meat alternatives—products she sought after being diagnosed with a serious autoimmune disorder in 2010. 

I couldn’t find any plant-based products that satisfied

“I couldn’t find any plant-based products that satisfied my cravings for comfort dishes that were made with ingredients I could feel good about, and that is how the idea for Abbot’s Butcher was born,” she said in a 2022 Medium interview. 

When researching the immune system, she said she learned the importance of gut health and noticed how many existing meat alternatives used inflammatory ingredients such as maltodextrin and canola oil. 

Song, a vegetarian since college, set out to make not only plant-based alternatives but a wellness product that was “gut-friendly.” 

We weren’t trying to mimic meat, Song said

“We weren’t trying to mimic meat,” Song said. “We were trying to create something super craveable and high protein that also has antioxidants from the spices and biofunctional ingredients, and that also aligns with people’s wellness goals.” 

Song named the company after Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice Beach, where she was living at the time. 

“It was a really formative time in both my life and career,” she said. 

Song spent two years at farmers markets before raising her first seed round to enter retail. In 2020, Abbot’s launched in Whole Foods Market. Then four years later, it entered Target and Publix markets. 

The company also supplies its food to local

The company also supplies its food to local restaurants such as Snooze Eatery and Greenleaf Chop Shop at John Wayne Airport, though foodservice is only a small part of its business. 

Abbot’s growth also comes amid a reset in the plant-based foods category, a $7.9 billion industry that includes major plant-based meat brands such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat. 

“Compare this to where it was in 2021, when it was just blowing up and really pissing off the meat industry,” she said. 

Song said Abbot’s has outlasted several smaller brands

Song said Abbot’s has outlasted several smaller brands that “threw the plant-based term around” and “were saying yes to every door.” As those brands disappeared, Abbot’s may have picked up some of their market share, she said. 

Song also pointed to the rise of flexitarians—consumers looking to cut back on meat rather than become fully vegetarian or vegan—as an increasingly important customer base for Abbot’s. 

At the same time, she said consumers are moving away from “ultra processed products” in favor of cleaner alternatives made with whole ingredients, a shift that conventional grocery stores have also recognized. 

We develop our flavors from scratch ingredients, said

“We develop our flavors from scratch ingredients,” said Song, who continues to evaluate new ingredients and flavors for Abbot’s proteins. 

“I think that’s been aligning with this shift towards these mega trends that you’re seeing with protein and with people looking at ingredients and choosing products that align with their health goals,” she said.