EL SEGUNDO, CA - If you told 13-year-old Jessica she’d one day get to write an article about the star of Titanic, I likely would have fully hyperventilated. Leonardo DiCaprio has joined the world of produce, investing in buzz-making, plant-based burger company Beyond Meat. With this investment, Leo joins the likes of Bill Gates, Twitter Co-Founders Biz Stone and Evan Williams, former McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson, the Humane Society, and Tyson Foods.
“Livestock production is a major contributor to carbon emissions,” DiCaprio said in a statement upon his investment. “Shifting from animal meat to the plant-based meats developed by Beyond Meat is one of the most powerful measures someone can take to reduce their impact on our climate.”
DiCaprio is no stranger to philanthropic work, having been a vocal campaigner for climate change awareness for several years, as well as previously donating upwards of $20 million to combat environmental impacts through his own foundation. On Beyond Meat’s website, the company outlines its mission as the following, “To create mass-market solutions that perfectly replace animal protein with plant protein. We are dedicated to improving human health, positively impacting climate change, conserving natural resources, and respecting animal welfare.” Suffice it to say, the duo are a match made in environmentalist heaven.
“Leo is serious about climate change,” Beyond Meat CEO Ethan Brown told Fortune. “He’s a really good ally for us,” adding that “this is not a celebrity deal. He is someone who genuinely believes in what we’re doing and wants to help grow it.”
As we previously reported, Beyond Meat recently increased its distribution seven times over, landing the plant-based patties in Kroger, Albertsons, and Safeway locations, as well as inking an exclusive distribution deal with Sysco.
DiCaprio’s prior investments in the environmentally friendly food space include those with plant-based snack company Hippeas and sustainable seafood company LoveTheWild, according to Fortune.
