Tech-Food Startup Hampton Creek Being Accused Of Buying Its Own Products (HBO) 

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In Japan, when Sapporo beer was first made and marketed, I was told the company told all of it's employee to order a Sapporo when they go out drinking. If a bar didn't have it, they'd begin ordering it because the requests were huge. Marketing worked.

Almost all food start-ups buy their own goods, it's the only way to get shelf spaces when competing with billion dollar companies (who also do shady shit). At least this one openly admits to it, and has a goal other than making money and selling out. Good luck to them. I hope they succeed in making our food market more sustainable and healthy

LOL SO MANY START UPS DO EXACTLY THAT. I literally just watched an interview with the owner of the 'hundreds' brand admit that he paid friends to go into stores and buy shirts to pretend like they are popular. It's smart.

Anyone know the story of how Spanx turned into a billion dollar company? Sarah Blakely pitched her product to one store and paid her friends to guy buy out the inventory and they were swindled into thinking it was a hot product. But it took off and worked for her

They do this in the music industry all the time and it's never a problem

0:20 never trust a guys that can´t walk down a hill

I love when people complain about small company's breaking the 'rules' while completely forgetting the fact that any large business today has all broken rules or laws to get where they are today

I’m not a vegan or vegetarian but I buy their “just mayo”, it really good.

I really like the way it ends. "It's all bullshit" Director: "aaaannndddd CUT!!!"

This is more an ad for Hampton Creek than an overview of the scandal

Startups such as these should be encouraged. Who cares if they're buying their own products as long as the product is legit.

How is this any different then all the FAKE reviews on Amazon and other company sites. I don't see anything wrong in what he did. Actually, some would be angry simply because they didn't think of it first.

Food science, a fast growing major that will be needed in the future

Tactics like this are also HEAVILY utilized by Chinese shops on their grand opening. Coupons for free product are given to people and they come and add to the number count.

Instead of depending on supermarket shelves, they should take advantage of the Amazon/Whole Foods buyout and get their products sold through Amazon and Whole Foods where health conscious food shoppers congregate.

That was a 7 Minute ad

Board members never leave because of ethical issues. They usually leave if they don't think that they can make good returns from it.

A lot of businesses strongly recommend their worker bees also be consumers. They even offer discount towards those purchases but still count the sales.

A lot of cloth brands started by using this same strategy and you can find some of the founders admitting this openly and proudly.

I respect the hell out of this man for his honesty. Hes just playing the game just like any other company.

The apostrophe in the title is killing me.

I'll happily bye these products. I hope they can find shelf space and availability.

I really wanted this product down here in Cayman. We were quite excited.

0:20 Forrest Gump needs to loan him his magical legs

I don't know why, but the CEO looks really untrustworthy.

"Not Really Connected" but still connected

Just found this video, and I would like to point out that not only is it no longer Hampton Creek, it's now Just Inc., but none of their products are available anymore. There is a story of this company trying to get more financing, but the products have all disappeared from the shelves and online. How about a follow up to this story?

I love this stuff....but now can't find it in my small town. Lame. Sadly, it seems to be disappearing from the stores that carried it.

Interesting but i wonder what is the over-under in terms of resources used to make the food.

The CEO seems like guy that would go out of his way to tell you he does Jiu Jitsu and is really confident fighting from his back.

I thought the title said "This Tech-food Startup Is Being Accused Of Bullying"

$220 million dollars and all they have come up with is some condiments and cookie dough?!?!

Title should read *its.* Not *it's*.

Hey as my grand papi use to say life is a competition do whatever you gotta do to win

This happens all the time... even huge retailers do it. Recently, NewEgg has been the center of the same type if investigation.

Thanks a hundred times for the english subtitles

Even if he did do this, I like the idea behind the company. Who cares.

00:21 why is he walking like that lol., at first i thought it was due to the incline but his girl is walking pretty normal..? Lol

Where are they now? I haven't seen their products anywhere.

Its*** Own Products come on guys. you're a professional channel. learn some proper grammar.

Are you required to speak in a deep voice like Elizabeth Holmes to be a tech bs star?

Lol at 3:45 that tongue said it all

So disgusting how people actually think this is okay.

That dude needs to look in the camera and just say "WERE COMING FOR YOU" to all those other companies... This is a great idea and I wish i could buy their products now lol

CEO seems like a sociopath

5:50 - "This is the latest," said Crake. What they were looking at was a large bulblike object that seemed to be covered with stippled whitish-yellow skin. Out of it came twenty thick fleshy tubes, and at the end of each tube another bulb was growing. "What the hell is it?" said Jimmy. "Those are chickens," said Crake. "Chicken parts. Just the breasts, on this one. They've got ones that specialize in drumsticks too, twelve to a growth unit. "But there aren't any heads..." "That's the head in the middle," said the woman. "There's a mouth opening at the top, they dump nutrients in there. No eyes or beak or anything, they don't need those." From Oryx and Crake, by Margaret Atwood. Published by Nan A. Talese in 2003

this video sounds like a paid press release for a company board change

"Buying It's Own Products " It's Buying it is own products. Great job VICE.

Sure is nice to have family connections

Ohhh man I can't wait to pick me up some chickienobs!

every single company does that for shelf placement. a friend in one of the retail giants said they actually hire spotters on some usually suspicious weeks (the couple of months before holiday etc), to curb companies from making their supermarket waste money and prime shelf real estate.

as long as its the same price as normal meat im happy 🤷‍♀️

its*

If they brought their own product can you imagine it’s just sitting their in their break room and let’s say a intern goes in there to eat his pb j and he’s surrounded by jars of mayonnaise.

So, can I purchase their products at walmart yet? I'm curious and want a taste test.

That is so cool! This man's company has a mini Svalbard Seed Vault in their facility.

at 4:00 he's probably lying, you can see, look at his eyes there, versus when he's talking about the "food library".

Haven't book publishers have been doing this forever to get their books to "#1 Best seller" ?

That abrupt ending lol

JUICERO FOOD DOUGH!!!

Who's he kidding.. he doesn't give a crap about kids in West Africa lol

How is this different from stock buy backs by corporations?

He said it taste likes a "falcon egg" 😂😂😂😂😂, crazy lol

Vice got their weird, watered down Louis Theroux

I wish I could find more of their products. Their Just Mayo is amazing.

This is just too bad i totally support coming up with more sustainable options for our dinner plate I hope and pray more companies continue this line of work and continue making products for the consumer that are not so detrimental to our planet and our health

Fake it till you make it. My old boss started a coffee company from scratch and for a few months bought his own product and paid his family and friends to buy them as well just until the store gave them official shelving space

"The campaign against Beyond Eggs, the original name of company behind "Just Mayo", included flirting with an offer from a consultant who bragged he could rid the product from Whole Foods’ shelves “with one phone call,” and jokes among American Egg Board members and affiliates about “pooling our money to put a hit” on the company’s founder, emails show. The investigation, sparked by documents obtained through the Freedom of Information Act by a Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher and his Washington attorney, reveals the lengths the American Egg Board appeared willing to go to crush Just Mayo, its manufacturer, now called Hampton Creek, and the firm’s founder, Josh Tetrick." -LA Times

Target just dropped them

Summed it up right at the end there.

Fantastic ending editors. Thank you.

"Falcon egg". Amazing answer.

Hey, Vice. I love your work. But if you want to be taken seriously, proof-read before posting. It's its.

How do you think General Mills and all these big brands from the 1950s got where they did?

That ending

they are processing the food so much, I've always been told processed food is the problem. gotta eat the greens when they are still green and not in a bottle.

OH MY GOD! They buy their own products!?? Big fucking deal. This fact isn't going to make me stop buying their cookie dough. This shit is crack.

Just dressings are sold at Stop & Shop, non-employees of this company buy the product. But S&S only stock the Just dressings.

The Spice Girls also purchased their own albums; can't say to what extent though.

Uhm, i also do that with my business?! Am im a bad person now? I guess not! It just helps you to get a small popularity and helps to get u known, after that it only will work out if you really got a good idea/ product/ service.

I only heard one side in this story. This makes it a commersial. I mean, really? Is this journalism? Nope, it's marketing. Well, he admits it I guess and I really dont see much wrong with it since everybody does it I guess. As long as those investers realize where their money goes.

Didn't see those guys anywhere nowadays.

What was that end cut?

Remember when Fred Trump bought 3.5 million in Taj Mahal casino chips?

its

this is future interstellar space travel food

4 years ago. today Just can be found in supermarkets all over including here in Central PA

So it's all about feeding the kids in Africa riiight? You don't fool me nah nah nah nah

I know I'm late, but I feel that I need to comment. This part doesn't seem to fit the flow of the conversation, was there a cut placed here? ----------------------- @3:16 Josh: ......We used to have lids falling off and all sorts of QA/QC issues. They would buy those products that had those issues. And, in the process of doing that, they might buy extra jars. Interviewer: Sorry, just to clarify that; what you are saying is if you send people in to buy the product, the supermarket thinks we are selling lots of product, and they want to give you more shelf space. Josh: You got it. -------------------------- The 'just to clarify' part doesn't make sense in this context. (He's claiming to be buying back samples from the supermarket for QA/QC reasons, which is rejecting the accusations). He wouldn't say 'you got it' when he was misunderstood on what he said.

Whats wrong with that buying own product as long as quality is good

It's a very popular start up strategy to buys their on product though...

I really love their products, especially the mayo. I'm not vegan, but I eat it because it's cholesterol free and very tasty! :)

Please correct the typo in the title of this video.

They should have just argued that they were doing testing on how the product holds up once it hits the shelf and consistency honestly

It's spelled its*, VICE :/

their mayo is damn good anyway

Their packaging is misleading. I bought some a while ago thinking it was mayo - because it does have an egg on the front. I am not against vegan food but I was wanting real mayo. Not surprised by this story.

Scary!

They have a ton of vitals vaults