Praveen Paramasivam, Nivedita Balu

(Reuters) – Impossible Foods founder Pat Brown is stepping down as chief executive. Peter McGuinness will take over as chief operating officer for Chobani’s Greek-yogurt manufacturer Chobani. The alternative meat producer continues to expand rapidly and launch new products.

The company said that Brown, who in 2011 founded the plant-based burger brand, will still be a director. He will also continue to hold the title of Chief Visionary Officer, which allows him to devote his time and energy on new projects and research.

An announcement is likely to be made by Impossible later Thursday.

McGuinness is expected to lead the company during a downturn in plant meat demand. This follows a flurry of investments over the past several years as well as the launches by McDonald’s and Burger King.

McGuinness takes the helm on April 4 and plans to launch new products as well as make more of the company’s products accessible at retailers.

McGuinness stated that “we just need more people trying it”, adding that he was “very bullish” about the plant-meat industry.

“We still have a lot to do in the distribution area… we could easily double, or even quadruple, the points of distribution (in the United States at retail).”

Impossible launched a spate of products, including imitations of chicken nuggets,  sausages and  meatballs, last year as it looks to create more demand for its products. Impossible reported that its quarterly retail revenues rose by 85% from the previous year.

However, Rivals Maple Leaf Foods and Beyond Meat (NASDAQ) raised concerns about demand in their most recent quarterly results.

Reuters last year reported that Redwood (NYSE) City, California-based Impossible had explored public options at a $10 billion valuation.

McGuinness indicated that the company had enough capital to support its growth and there wasn’t any urgency.

McGuinness, at Chobani was responsible for research and development as well as the expansion of new product categories like plant-based probiotic beverages and oat milks.