An uncommon alliance: Unilever’s ‘The vegetarian butcher’ meets Singapore’s ‘The social kitchen’

• Main Authors: GOH, Kenneth, BHARDWAJ, Sheetal, MACK, Daniel Z.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2023
• Subjects: creating shared value; partnerships; sustainable business practices; strategic alliances competitive advantage; business and society; Strategic Positioning; Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations; Strategic Management Policy
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cases_coll_all/456; https://smu.sharepoint.com/sites/admin/CMP/cases/SMU-23-BATCH%20%5BPDF-Pic%5D/SMU-23-0004%20%5BUnilever-TSK%5D/SMU-23-0004%20%5BUnilever-TSK%5D.pdf?CT=1683618466530&OR=ItemsView
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Set in 2022, the case describes the partnership between Unilever Food Solutions (UFS) and The Social Kitchen (TSK), a social enterprise, to launch Unilever’s flagship alt-meat brand ‘The Vegetarian Butcher’ (TVB) in Singapore. With a focus on ‘future foods’, Unilever planned to double the number of products that delivered positive nutrition and minimised environmental impact by 2025. Its vegan foods portfolio comprised nearly 700 products, with TVB as its most significant addition in the high-growth space of plant-based nutrition. UFS’s tie up with TSK was driven by its aim to create social impact by helping people make healthier and sustainable lifestyle choices. Furthermore, positioning TVB as a ‘brand with a purpose’ could help it stand out in the highly competitive plant-based food space. TSK, a well-established social enterprise, provided UFS with an appropriate and credible platform to launch TVB in the city-state. The restaurant at Singapore’s Jurong Bird Park, a popular tourist attraction, opened in partnership with TSK, proved to be a cost-effective platform for creating social media impressions, brand awareness and consumer interest. The full menu integration enabled TVB to experiment and develop new products for the taste palate of the locals. However, TSK comprised only one restaurant so far. Was that sufficient to launch TVB successfully in the highly competitive Singapore market? Should the company also look at other alternate food service channels to widen TVB’s visibility? Moreover, did the venture generate adequate returns on the investments made by Unilever? Did the brand partnership with TSK and the related social media buzz generate enough sales leads to justify the collaboration moving forward? Most importantly, were sales and profitability in the short-term good enough criteria to assess the long-term intangibles such as a ‘socially responsible’ brand image and goodwill? Students will learn about the concept of shared value, its application in the context of partnerships between corporates and social enterprises, performance evaluation of such partnerships, and how the social element in a business model can help create sustainable differentiation. The case highlights how collaborative partnerships create shared value and how the adoption of social goals can be tactical, operational, or strategic.