Upton's Naturals is the first American food company that has made jackfruit available as a successful meat substitute throughout the country. The decision to offer the large, nutrient-rich, plant-based meat is a very bold choice and at Upton's Naturals, a vegan company, bold is the standard operating procedure.

Upton's Naturals CEO Daniel Stackmann launched the company in 2006 devoid of any background in business or food service background or any investor. However, he was driven by his vegan faith and self-reliance who wanted to serve the people viable alternatives to meat, Huffington Post reported.

Staackmann early days were spent as a suburban chubby kid who ate only pepperoni pizza, cookies and ice cream. At the age of 15, he became a vegan and continued to long for the big spicy, smoky flavors he'd loved as a kid. According to Staackmann, seitan was his vegan gateway and it has always remained a favorite food, but no one was making it locally.

Since its inception, the small company based in Chicago launched a number of seitan products ranging from barbecue-flavored to bacon. The latest chili-lime and barbecue jackfruit are meant to appeal to people who are seeking comfort food without cruelty.

According to Staackmann, they offer dishes that people can relate to. He adds that they have taken flavors that people have grown up with and match them with seitan and jackfruit, making it easier for people to swallow.

Upton's Naturals harvest, season as well as package the jackfruits in Thailand where it is found in abundance. In fact, Staackmann and company vice-president Nicole Sopko also formulate their jackfruit recipes in the Asian country. Sopko revealed that they actually travel all the way to Thailand to create the recipes with locally available ingredients, Food Business News reported.

The jackfruit products of the vegan company are a shelf-stable meat substitute prepared from young jackfruits harvested in Thailand. They offer a texture similar to that of pulled pork. In fact, one of the latest jackfruit flavors of the company has been inspired by Thailand.

Recently, Upton's Naturals added an original variety to its lineup, which is called "straight jackfruit as nature intended." The latest original and Thai curry varieties find place in the company's already existing Bar-B-Que and Chili Lime Carnitas jackfruit flavors.

Incidentally, Staackman and Sopko tried jackfruit for the first time at a Nepalese restaurant. They liked the dish so much that they decided to include jackfruit to the company's lineup, especially after reading online about the fruit as a meat substitute.