Tyson Foods, Inc., Springdale, Ark., took a 5% ownership stake in plant-based protein producer Beyond Meat, El Segundo, Calif. The investment, provided through a fundraising initiative by Beyond Meat, will provide additional capital to help the company expand its product portfolio and distribution. Beyond Meat will remain an independent, privately held company led by founder and CEO Ethan Brown.

“This investment by Tyson Foods underscores the growing market for plant protein,” adds Brown. “I’m pleased to welcome Tyson as an investor, and look forward to leveraging this support to broaden availability of plant protein choices to consumers.”

“We’re enthusiastic about this investment, which gives us exposure to a fast-growing segment of the protein market,” says Monica McGurk, executive vice president of strategy and new ventures and president of foodservice for Tyson. “It meets our desire to offer consumers choices and to consider how we can serve an ever-growing and diverse global population, while remaining focused on our core prepared foods and animal protein businesses.”