• In a city widely recognized for its concentration of high-caliber restaurants and dining, Tokyo residents are now able to taste TiNDLE, the 'ridiculously good' chicken made from plants, as the TiNDLE Karaage and TiNDLE Hamburg Steak at Schmatz – the popular Modern German Beer restaurant
• Starting 20th July, TiNDLE will be available at Schmatz Nakameguro and Yokohama CIAL ANNEX, followed by the Ark Hills and Shimokitazawa locations at the end of the month, as a seasonal specialty and featured limited time menu item
• In merely one year, TiNDLE has become the culinary world's favored plant-based chicken, working closely with some of the top restaurants and chefs across Asia, Europe, Middle East and the United States

TOKYO, July 20, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- TiNDLE is now offered as a menu special at Schmatz, the popular German beer restaurant group at their Nakameguro and Yokohama locations, followed by the Ark Hills and Shimokitazawa outlets at the end of the month. Schmatz is widely reputed as one of Japan's top casual dining destinations for high-quality cooking and food innovation and beginning today, the popular plant-based chicken is being featured in a range of German and Japanese-inspired favorites for a limited time on their menu.

TiNDLE Karaage at Schmatz (Tokyo, Japan)

From their beginnings as a single Tokyo food truck in 2013 to their current growth as a restaurant group and craft beer brand, Schmatz has consistently been known for their flavorful, inventive take on modern German cuisine and friendly service. Today, Schmatz boasts 40 locations nationwide that serve not only their iconic sausages but seasonal and locally influenced specialties.

The Schmatz locations in Nakameguro and Yokohama are now offering TiNDLE in two dishes: the German-style TiNDLE Karaage that offers a twist on the classic, battered with an original Schmatz seasoning and fried until crispy golden brown, and the TiNDLE Hamburg Steak, which offers a take on the comfort food using the chicken made from plants mixed with onions, a blend of herbs and spices, and baked in the oven with fresh potatoes and melted cheese. Stay tuned for further updates on when both dishes will be available at the Schmatz Ark Hills and Shimokitazawa sites.

Known as the epicenter of food quality and culinary creativity, Japan itself is home to over 1.4 million restaurants. Specifically, Tokyo is a cherished destination given its high concentration of award-winning and sought-after restaurants and eateries – offering everything from the best of Japanese cuisine and techniques to mastering avant-garde and modern fare. TiNDLE works well in a variety of cooking styles and applications, offering limitless possibilities.

"We're looking forward to bringing TiNDLE to Schmatz in Tokyo and introducing that same chicken experience that people know and love to Japanese diners," says Alex Ward, Chief Operating Officer at Next Gen Foods, the company behind TiNDLE. "We are grateful for the opportunity to partner with a celebrated restaurant group like Schmatz – showcasing TiNDLE as a special menu offering – as we work to bring TiNDLE to new parts of the globe and gather deeper intel on what consumers are craving when choosing a plant-based meat over the traditional, animal-based option."

Marc Luetten, CEO and co-founder of Schmatz, shares, "We are always trying to innovate and bring fun, original elements into the dining experience at Schmatz. Our chefs are proud to have created not only delicious menu items using TiNDLE, but also those that are sustainable and inspire new possibilities for creating a better future for our planet."

On the 22nd and 23rd of July, TiNDLE and Schmatz are teaming up to give away free samples of their new signature TiNDLE dishes, including the TiNDLE Karaage, TiNDLE Hamburg Steak and a special for the two days only, the limited-time TiNDLE Wrap made with a griddled TiNDLE wrapped in a tortilla, stuffed with fresh vegetables, cheese, and served with a sweet chili mayonnaise. Tokyo diners can try the complimentary TiNDLE dishes (until supplies run out) on 22-23 July starting from 11 am to 6 pm at the Schmatz Nakameguro outlet.

Made with only nine ingredients, TiNDLE is the first product from Next Gen Foods, a food technology startup helping to make the global food system sustainable by creating delicious food. With no compromise to taste, texture or versatility, TiNDLE also contains no antibiotics, animal hormones, cholesterol, or genetically modified ingredients.

TiNDLE is the first chicken made from plants that was created with chefs and for chefs — a versatile, easy-to-work-with product that has caught the eye of culinary professionals internationally. It is a versatile, easy-to-work-with, plant-based chicken that can take center stage in any dish, from favorites like satay and schnitzel, as well as Döner kebabs or ramen.

In a little more than a year since its launch, TiNDLE has grown from being served in a handful of Singapore-based locations to being offered in more than 500 restaurants across the United States, Asia, Middle East and Europe – including recent launches in the United Kingdom and Germany. The company plans to expand in additional sales channels and markets over the next year, which includes further studying and exploring the appetite for TiNDLE in Japan.

Next Gen Foods was founded in 2020 by Brazilian-born poultry exporter and food industry veteran Andre Menezes, and German native Timo Recker, whose family business made schnitzel and other meat products for three generations. After meeting through an introduction by Rohit Bhattacharya, who is now the start-up's Chief Financial Officer, they decided to work on products that reduce humanity's reliance on animal agriculture. 

The early leadership team – including Chief Operating Officer Alex Ward and Chief Marketing Officer Jean Madden – worked closely with Chief Technology Officer and the brainchild behind TiNDLE, John Seegers, to develop a flagship product through extensive research into what makes chicken taste and perform like chicken. They named their first product TiNDLE as a modern reference to 19th-century Irish physicist John Tyndall, who proved the connection between atmospheric CO2 and the greenhouse effect. 

On average, chicken made from plants requires less land, less water, and produces less CO₂ than chicken from birds. Based on a 2020 Blue Horizon report, choosing plant-based chicken over avian meat uses 82% less water, 74% less land and 88% less greenhouse gas emissions.

To find the full list of restaurants carrying TiNDLE, visit here. Interested chefs and operators looking to add TiNDLE to their menu can contact apmepartners@tindle.com for details and samples.

TiNDLE is a juicy, plant-based chicken that offers mouthwatering taste, texture, and versatility. TiNDLE is made without animals and with a fraction of the land, water, and energy used to produce meat from birds. TiNDLE brings people together for a mind-blowing taste experience that also benefits the planet. TiNDLE is the first brand created by Next Gen Foods, a Singapore-headquartered food tech company developing and commercializing innovative, sustainable foods. For more information, visit www.tindle.com or follow @tindlefoods on Instagram and @tindle.foods on TikTok.

Founded in 2020, Next Gen Foods is a food-tech startup developing and commercializing innovative and sustainable plant-based food products -- including its flagship product, TiNDLE. Next Gen Foods is backed by a team with proven experience in plant-based food technology, global brand development, and global distribution scaleup. For more information, visit nextgenfoods.sg.

Schmatz is a German beer and restaurant brand, originally started by founders Christopher Ax and Marc Luetten with a food truck selling beer and sausages in 2013. In 2015, Schmatz opened its first beer dining restaurant in Akasaka. The concept has become popular all over Tokyo and grown with the opening of many more outlets as well as the retail launch of its own craft beer brand. Currently, Schmatz has 39 restaurants in the Tokyo metropolitan area and Nagoya and sells beers in over 100+ supermarkets all over Japan. For more information, visit www.schmatz.jp or follow @schmatzjp on Instagram.

TiNDLE Hamburg Steak at Schmatz (Tokyo, Japan)