A Minneapolis-based vegan deli and specialty shop is chalking up a win following a court battle against Nestlé, the multinational food and drink processing conglomerate.
The dispute began in 2017 after The Herbivorous Butcher, owned by the brother and sister duo of Kale and Aubry Walch, squared off with Nestlé over the phrase, "The Vegan Butcher."
"The US Patent and Trademark Office was pretty quick to deny it for us because they said, 'It was too descriptive," Kale told WCCO Radio's Dave Lee on Thursday morning.
Walch told Dave Lee that Nestlé filed for the same trademark a short time later for their line of plant-based meats sold in supermarkets, which was approved.
That prompted the Walch's to file an opposition in 2019 and "Get into it" with Nestlé.
"It was terrifying [going up against a giant like Nestlé]," Walch said. "Nestlé owns most of the water in the world and you look around the supermarket and almost everything is a subsidiary of Nestlé. We were terrified. We were ready to lose everything."
Good news came in 2020 for The Herbivorous Butcher when Nestlé dropped the legal pursuit.
"I can't help but feel like it's a little like Jaws when it goes out into the deeper ocean and you know it might come back," Walch said. "We're feeling good right now. We got a victory."
Like most businesses, the COVID-19 pandemic has played a major role in how Walch's business operates. Their store has been strictly curbside during the pandemic.
"We've been fortunate to have a very loyal customer base and our staff has been incredible," he said. "We haven't had our front-of-house open since COVID started. We're doing okay."
Walch said that about a month after the pandemic began, they were able to bring back their entire staff and have continued to hire as demand keeps rising.
