Hawaii-based PlantBaby has announced the closure of a $4 million seed funding round. It was led by Big Idea Ventures and with participation from The Fund LA, Two Culture Cap, Springbank Collective and Western Technology Investment and notable private investors including actor Daniella Monet and Athletic Greens president and COO Kat Cole. The investment will be used to support ongoing R&D into existing and future lines.
PlantBaby launched its first product in December. Kiki Milk is a drink specifically designed for children, made using whole and superfoods. It was developed in partnership with paediatrician Dr Joel Warsh and nutritionist Vicki Kobliner. No new products have been confirmed or speculated on to date.
Founders Lauren and Alex Abelin.
Founded out of a personal need for baby milk alternatives
PlantBaby co-founders Lauren and Alex Abelin identified a gap in eth market for safe plant-based foods for children after their own son needed specialist nutrition. Looking for vegan, soy-free infant formula proved unsatisfying, resulting in the two choosing to launch their own brand. The couple state that they are looking to accommodate the 40 percent of children who have health conditions that are not supported by nutritional products already on the market.
“Since launching just six months ago, we’ve seen constant consumer demand,” Alex Abelin, co-founder of PlantBaby said in a statement. “This fundraising round will support continued research and development of new plant-based culinary innovations and continued growth of the brand to make PlantBaby itself a vehicle to create positive change for children’s health and well-being of children everywhere.”
The growing demand for vegan baby nutrition
An increasing demand for vegan and organic infant nutrition has been identified. The overall baby food sector is expected to grow by $17.66 billion between 2021 and 2026, driven in large part, by the demand for alternative products. The market is expected to prove increasingly competitive, as plant-based and cell-cultured startups seek to offer alternatives to conventional formula products. Securing significant funding now will allow PlantBaby to compete.
“We are thrilled to support the great work being done by Lauren, Alex, and the rest of the PlantBaby team,” Tom Mastrobuoni, chief investment officer for Big Idea Ventures said in a statement. “The non-dairy space is highly competitive, but the PlantBaby team has created a unique product that features cleaner label ingredients and appeals to the most precious consumers of all, our children.”
PlantBaby claims to negate refined sugars, preservatives, protein isolates, gums and GMO ingredients in favour of whole food options. Organic oats, hemp seeds and coconuts are confirmed ingredients, alongside superfood plants, blueberries and spinach. To date, Kiki Milk has been released in original and chocolate formats.
Photo by Sprout Organics.
Preparing plant-based babies for adulthood
Australia’s Sprout Organic announced that it has partnered with Amazon to make access to its plant-based infant formula as accessible as possible. The startup has also acknowledged the critical baby formula shortage being experienced in the U.S. It is working with the FDA and Austrade to try and speed up market entry and give more parents access to animal-free formula products. Made from pea and rice protein, Sprout’s formula is cited as being free of all major eight allergens and a potential option for parents of children with soy issues and dairy intolerances.
Earlier this year baby food giant Gerber unveiled its new carbon-neutral vegan toddler range. It came after the company made a pledge in 2021 to look at more ways to make its products earth-positive. The range includes pouches, snacks and meals and has been eyed as a sign that plant-based demand is rising at a significant rate. Gerber remains the largest baby food company by virtue of annual sales and was bought by Nestlé, a formula giant in its own right, in 2007.
Leading confectionery brand Hershey has debuted an oat milk version of its popular Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and a new oat milk chocolate bar with sea salt and almonds.
Hershey has confirmed the launch of the new products following a viral image spotted on the RiteAid website last month. The new products are expected to hit stores next month.
‘Plant-based options’
“We are excited to introduce these delicious, plant-based options,” Teal Liu, brand manager of Better For You at Hershey, said in a statement announcing the launch. Liu said that the new products offer more options for “chocolate lovers looking for plant-based alternatives.”
While the news of the vegan peanut butter cups has created quite the buzz, it’s not Hershey’s first vegan chocolate. The company debuted Oat Made — chocolate bars made with oat milk — in 2021, which also garnered positive consumer reviews.
Photo by Hershey
The company announced it had long-term plans to make plant-based and healthier chocolate, as part of the ‘Better-for-you’ category in 2021. It followed a co-investment into Bonumose, a startup that develops plant-based food ingredients, including natural sugars.
Last summer, Hershey applied for a patent for using roasted grains including corn, oats, millet, rice, sorghum, or wheat in its vegan chocolate products as a replacement for dairy.
Hershey said that nut and seed oils, which are commonly used in dairy-free chocolate, produce an inferior end product and that it is engaged in R&D to make allergen-free recipes that are healthier than conventional chocolate. Hershey says its specially milled and roasted flours can replicate the authentic mouthfeel and texture of conventional chocolate.
Vegan chocolate demand
The vegan chocolate market is expected to reach $1 billion by 2027. Other confectionery giants including Mars, Lindt, and Cadbury’s have all launched vegan chocolate.
Mars and Perfect Day partnered on a precision fermentation milk chocolate | Courtesy
Last year, Mars partnered with Perfect Day to launch chocolate bars made with precision fermentation dairy. Lindt uses oat milk, and Cadbury uses an almond paste. Food giant Nestlé launched a vegan version of the popular KitKat bar in the U.K.
According to the listing on Rite Aid, the vegan Reese’s Cups will cost a bit more than conventional ones. It lists a 1.4-ounce package of two plant-based Reese’s Cups at $2.49 — about $1 more than a regular package.
The new products are dairy-free but they aren’t a low calorie food. While Hershey has not yet released the full nutrition facts for the oat milk cups, it did confirm they will have the same number of calories as traditional Reese’s Cups’ 210 calories.
French food tech HappyVore has raised €35 million in funding led by Invus with the family group Artal, Adrien de Schompré, BPI France and Philippe Cantet all participating. The raise has paved the way for the acquisition of the largest specialist vegan meat factory in France. This comes ahead of a new product development phase designed to expand the currently 12-strong portfolio.
To date, HappyVore, formerly known as Les Nouveaux Fermiers, claims to have secured more than 2,000 points of sale and in excess of 1,000 restaurant partnerships. The new funding will be used to ramp up the industrial scale of the operation, with the new Chevilly facility playing a major role in expansion plans. HappyVore is engaged in a full-scale renovation of the site.
Vegan meat volumes to soar
“We are very proud to launch this production site, with a capacity of more than 10,000 tonnes, which will allow us to increase our production capacities, innovate more and increase the distribution of our products in France,” HappyVore co-founder Guillaume Dubois said in a statement. “We have been convinced, since our beginnings, that it is possible to create projects which both have a positive impact on the environment and which create jobs in France. We are very grateful for the help and support of local actors such as the Prefecture and the Region and have a strong desire to move forward together.”
HappyVore has reported significant growth in the last year. The domestic brand, focussed entirely on its local market, has concentrated on finding presence within all major retail chains in the country, including Carrefour and Auchan.
“For the past year, we have been one of the main players in the growth of plant-based alternatives,” co-founder Cédric Meston said in a statement. “Since the beginning of June, our food truck has been traveling the French roads to [test] the products and meet consumers.”
Leading a French plant-based revolution
HappyVore, a certified B Corp, claims to be the first company within France aiming to reinvent meat with 100 percent vegetable ingredients, sourced locally wherever possible. Its ultimate goal is to help consumers transition away from conventional protein to cleaner, healthier, and more environmental alternatives. It states that its products use 10 times less water during production than standard animal meat while creating 11 times less CO2.
Products already launched cover a spectrum of French-appropriate ingredients, plus internationally-inspired dishes to appeal to more consumers. The strapline of 100 percent plant-based meat, for all French people, has led to meatballs, kebabs, mince, aiguillettes, steak, nuggets, and sausages being released.
Photo by Carrefour.
France opens up to vegan eating
Once a meat eater’s paradise, France is seemingly embracing the plant-based trend. Last month it was announced that Burger King France has added fellow domestic alternative meat brand La Vie’s plant-based bacon to its menus. It came after La Vie directly targeted the fast-food chain with suggestive marketing to secure a partnership.
Carrefour made a bold step by confirming it had opened the first vegan meat counter in France. Products from Dutch brand The Vegetarian Butcher were displayed, meat counter style, allowing consumers to enjoy the novelty and see plant-based meats more clearly.
Last month, Alain Ducasse confirmed he has opened a vegan burger kiosk in Paris. Choosing to showcase patties made using vegetables and legumes, over meat substitutes, he is gauging demand before considering putting the recipe on his other menus. The 21-time Michelin-starred chef is no stranger to sustainable food initiatives and has been an anti-food waste advocate for years. He discusses this in length, alongside the power of food within activism, in his book, Manger est un acte citoyen.
Global confections company Mars has partnered with Perfect Day to launch its first ‘earth-positive’ animal-free chocolate. Dubbed CO2COA, it uses Perfect Day’s animal-free whey protein to capture the taste and feel of conventional chocolate while tapping into the flexitarian and vegan consumer trend.
To double down on its sustainability credentials, Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa has been sourced and the packaging is all paper-based. The CO2COA launch was on June 16 with the chocolate bars available while stocks last, throughout the U.S.
Adopting alternative proteins in the confectionery world
“At Mars, we bring our consumer-passion to innovation, developing on-trend innovations that support a world where both people and the planet thrive,” Chris Rowe, global vice president of research & development, Mars Wrigley said in a statement. “The creation of CO2COA is an inventive example of how we partner with technology innovators, like Perfect Day, to bring great new offerings to our consumers. We’re excited to collaborate with Perfect Day and continuing to explore the potential of alternative proteins to help create a more delicious and sustainable future.”
Mars is not the first to identify Perfect Day’s potential applications for the sweet treats sector. In March, Betterland Foods added Perfect Day’s whey protein to a new chocolate bar, following on from the two working together on an animal-free milk development. Designed to taste like traditional Snickers (made by Mars), it is claimed that the Woo bars have half the sugar and twice the protein.
“Partnering with a forward-looking leader like Mars to accelerate their innovation and sustainability initiatives is a hallmark example of how we’re extending our impact,” Ryan Pandya, Perfect Day co-founder and CEO said in a statement. “Today, companies big and small need to deliver on the needs of their consumers, who won’t compromise on taste or the future of our planet. We’re thrilled to help a world-class company like Mars do just that as we champion a path towards a more resilient food system for all.”
Mars’ ongoing sustainability efforts
Working to its Sustainable in a Generation Plan, Mars has already made inroads into improving its overall operational footprint. In October 2020, the company claimed to have made good on a promise to remove deforestation-linked palm oil from its entire supply chain. It is slated to have managed the endeavour by condensing its global value chain and implementing increasingly rigorous mapping and monitoring of those that remain.
Last year, Mars announced its plan to sell its Skittles brand in fully biodegradable wrappers, by early 2022. It revealed that it was working with Danimar Scientific to produce home compostable packets that would be soil and marine-friendly.
Poto by WNWN Food Labs.
Making chocolate more ethical
While Mars focuses its attention on upping the sustainability credentials of its chocolate, startups around the world are looking to circumnavigate traditional unethical practices linked to the sector.
U.K.-based WNWN Food Labs launched a dark chocolate product last month. The startup claims it produces 80 percent less emissions than conventional alternatives and is supremely more ethical. Looking to remove child and slave labour, farmer exploitation and deforestation from the supply chain, the company uses fermentation to recreate flavour compounds found in cacao. This can be used to make bon bons and chocolate bars.
Also looking to make exploitation-free chocolate is California’s Voyage Foods. Using reverse engineering techniques, the company talks about breaking the links between source materials and end products. Using molecular analysis, they create blueprints for popular foods before recreating them with more sustainable and exploitation-free ingredients which are frequently surprising. Its chocolate product contains grape seed, shea butter, and salt.
South Korea’s Simple Planet has announced a breakthrough by developing cultivated meat with a higher content of unsaturated fatty acids. The move has been claimed as a first for the country. Unsaturated fatty acids are hailed as effective in preventing vascular diseases, making meats with more of them preferred over varieties containing large doses of saturated fats.
The breakthrough has led Simple Planet to announce that it sees a path to creating cultivated meat products with higher levels of unsaturated fatty acids than are possible with conventional meat. It states that this shows promise for both cell and plant-based meat markets and will propel Korea to the forefront of the alt-protein sector.
Photo by Misael Moreno at Unsplash.
How are the good fats isolated?
Simple Planet has been transparent in its approach. It was revealed that by isolating adipose stem cells, taken from bovine adipose tissue, it was able to cultivate them to create a fat product. It contains the same composition as regular bovine fat, with oleic acid, a healthy unsaturated fatty acid observed. Using this, in place of unhealthy fats allows for future cultivated meat developments to be further tweaked to enhance nutritional profiles, alongside taste and aesthetics.
“Based on the results of this study, we will continue additional research and development for sustainable future food, share core technologies and values through active collaboration with companies, and secure market competitiveness with a differentiated system,” a spokesperson for Simple Planet said.
The startup will now use recently acquired technology to undertake follow-up R&D, to better understand how controlling the content of unsaturated fatty acids can positively impact cultivated meat. It has stated that it hopes this breakthrough will lead to the growth of the domestic Korean food industry and help to claim a prominent position within the cultivated sector.
Photo by Daniel Bernard at Unsplash.
Korea’s cultivated meat sector gathering pace
South Korea has already been identified as a country to watch for alternative protein developments. Alongside continued plant-based innovation, numerous advances in cultivated meat and seafood have happened over the past twelve months.
In December last year, CellMEAT announced two significant steps forward. The first was the unveiling of a fetal bovine serum-free cell culture media. It came just one day ahead of major U.S. cultivated brand Upside Foods announcing a similar breakthrough. CellMEAT revealed its development and claimed it would drive down costs associated with cell-based meta production and circumnavigate lingering ethical concerns. Little more than a week later, the startup debuted the world’s first cultivated Dokdo shrimp. The prototype paved the way for CellMEAT to continue prioritising expensive seafood varieties that cannot be sustainably farmed. Future products are expected to include king crab and lobster.
Cultivated beef meatballs. Photo by SpaceF.
In February, SpaceF announced that as well as improving on its original pork prototype, it had also successfully cultivated Korea’s first chicken and beef products. The new developments came almost a year after the first pork debut, with all products presented as finished food items. Meatballs, patties, fillets and nuggets were created, alongside a German white sausage. The startup revealed that its pork 2.0 was a far more realistic representation of conventional animal meat, due to improved fibrosity.
CJ CheilJedang announced its plans to enter the cultivated sector by revealing its burgeoning partnership with KCell Biosciences. The two are constructing a cell culture media plant in Busan, later this year. When complete, the facility will be the largest of its kind in Korea and the second largest in the whole APAC region. The two hope to meet at a cost-efficient intersection that will allow cultivated progress to continue, without having to remove price parity hurdles later.
Malaysian plant-based meat producer Phuture has announced multiple new distribution partnerships. The startup, which recently secured $1.5 million in funding to fine-tune its meat analogues, lists restaurants, retail outlets, and hotels as coming on board to serve animal-free meat. Korean chicken chain KyoChon is confirmed, as is the Grand Hyatt hotel. Convenience store chain CU Malaysia will help make products accessible directly to consumers.
Phuture has stated that it hopes the new partnerships will pave the way for plant-based meals to become affordable alternatives to conventional dishes. This has become extra pertinent in the face of rising food costs and a bottleneck in the Malaysian chicken supply.
Plans for plant-based chicken rollout
The hero product being distributed is Phuture’s independently successful high fibre chicken alternative. A critical ingredient in many Asian dishes, chicken is increasingly becoming hard and expensive to source. As access to plant-based alternatives remains stable, consumer mindsets are beginning to shift in earnest to healthier options.
“Plant-based meats were previously not popular here in Malaysia but we are beginning to overcome perceptions with our ability to customise products according to the preference of our B2B clients,” Jack Yap, CEO of Phuture said in a statement. “With our recent sign-ups including KyoChon and CU Malaysia, we are strategically enabling Malaysians to experience plant-based meals affordably.”
As an additional benefit, Phuture claims that its product availability increases at the right time for country-wide health. Malaysia currently registers a 50.1 percent obesity rate. The startup presents to high fibre chicken alternative as a wellbeing-conscious choice.
Chef Wan.
Bringing in new faces to support growing demand
With its regional distribution significantly increasing, Phuture has bolstered its team. Anabelle Co-Martinent has joined as chief marketing officer, following pivotal positions in companies including Super Saigon and Hawker Hall. Chef Wan has also been brought in to act as a celebrity chef for sub-brand Phuture Daging.
With new Malaysian distribution finalised, Phuture is looking to wonder territories. It has stated that it plans to enter both the Philippines and Indonesia this year, identifying both as having huge plant-based market potential. The startup cites compound annual growth figures of 8 percent and 33 percent respectively, for the plant-based trend in each country. If expansion goes ahead, Phuture will be making significant inroads into the Southeast Asian market. It already counts Hong Kong, Macau, Thailand and Sinagpore as countries it has found presence within.
Is APAC ready for more plant-based products?
The APAC region is expected to witness a 200 percent increase in plant-based food and drink consumption, by 2025. Malaysia is expected to play a meaningful role in this development. As such, domestic companies and platforms are looking to maximise visibility now. Recent research suggests that up to 68 percent of Malaysians have already tried plant-based food, indicating a growing acceptance and need for wider access.
Plant-based food delivery platform Zesty Clickz has just revealed a unilateral rebrand to Veg-Hub. What was once a one-stop opportunity to source plant-based meals has evolved into an all-encompassing vegan, vegetarian and flexitarian platform. It comes as demand for clear access to ethical products has increased within Asia. Veg-Hub claims it currently stands as the only fully plant-based marketplace in Malaysia. Users of the platform will now be able to access groceries, self-care products and in the future, clothing, all alongside the original prepared meals.
Big conglomerates are seeing the potential in Malaysia, as well as domestic brands seeking t leverage market share. Last year, Nestlé opened a new production facility specifically geared towards manufacturing its Harvest Gourmet plant-based range.
Canadian plant-based cheesemaker Nuts For Cheese has netted $5.35 million in a fresh funding round led by Forage Capital Partners. CPG experts Mike Fata and Dror Balshine are confirmed to have participated alongside. The investment has been earmarked for expanding the company’s vegan cheese manufacturing capabilities, plus its distribution network.
Nuts For Cheese manufactures its range of cashew-based cheeses and butter in-house, all of which are certified organic and made without starches, filler, artificial flavours or gums. In line with increased product demand, the startup, founded in 2015, is looking to exponentially increase its production facilities, including acquiring new equipment and upgrading existing lines. A board of directors will also be put in place, led by Fata.
The evolution of an alternative dairy brand
Nuts For Cheese started life in a vegan home kitchen. Gaining traction, the company was quickly in a position to construct its own manufacturing facility. This was considered a common sense next move, to preserve the “integrity of the recipes and chef-grade quality” that came from developing house-made cultures for use in products. Today, Nuts For Cheese is regarded as a respected name within the vegan dairy sector and is ready for its next growth phase.
“From the early days I’ve worked hard to surround myself with the right partners,” Margaret Coons, CEO and founder of Nuts For Cheese said in a statement. “It’s been such a journey, from a rented commercial kitchen to building out our current 25,000 square foot facility. What once looked huge to me is now quickly becoming ready for more expansion. This investment comes at a perfect time for us to be able to keep pace with our growth and I couldn’t be happier partnering with a company like Forage which has extensive experience in the food space and such an incredible team.”
Forage confirms that it is similarly excited by the partnership, hailing the startup as a real food alternative to traditional cheeses for discerning consumers.
Nuts For Cheese is currently stocked in more than 1,900 outlets in Canada, including Sobey’s and Save On Foods. The U.S. boasts close to 2,000 locations with Whole Foods Market and Sprouts Farmer’s Market included. The new funding will be used to secure more distributors.
The need for unconventional dairy products
The global cheese market was valued at more than $77.6 billion in 2021 and is predicted to reach more than $113 billion by 2027. Meat and dairy combined account for 14.5 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions, with cheese ranking third after lamb and beef in the CO2 stakes. A life-cycle analysis performed by the Environmental Working Group revealed that 13.5 kilos of CO2 equivalent is generated for every kilo of product eaten. This is worse than pork, chicken and salmon.
Reducing intake of dairy has environmental and health benefits but lovers of conventional cheese frequently cite it as the last hurdle that prevents them from embracing a fully plant-based diet. The rise in artisanal vegan cheese, made using traditional cheesemaking techniques, brings consumers a step closer to animal-free dairy without compromising on taste or texture.
Photo by La Fauxmagerie.
Fancy plant-based cheeses becoming more accessible
Just as Nuts For Cheese is looking to widen its distribution network, so too are other artisan startups. In the U.K., La Fauxmagerie recently confirmed it is working with supermarket chain Waitrose to offer high-end plant-based cheeses to shoppers. The brand has been creating artisanal cheeses for four years, initially selling via local food markets. The distribution deal with Waitrose is indicative of the massive shift in consumer demand for plant-based alternatives.
Earlier this month, Swedish alternative dairy startup Stockeld Dreamery revealed it has successfully made its first vegan cream cheese analogue. Using fermented chickpeas and lentils, amongst other ingredients, the product follows a successful launch of vegan feta.
U.K.-based Moolec Science, a food ingredients company engaged in molecular farming of animal proteins, has merged with special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) LightJump. The two have confirmed the start of their business combination agreement, which sees Moolec valued at $504 million. Once the merger is complete, the new company is anticipated to be listed on Nasdaq under the ticker “MLEC”.
At present, Moolec is engaged in hybrid developments, making animal proteins using plants as production factories. It has already gained patent protection for its molecular technology and has gained regulatory approval for its first two products – a plant-based dairy ingredient and GLA oil. Scaling was undertaken earlier this year, to accelerate its successes with soy and pea-based hybrids that can replace conventional meat with animal-free alternatives.
Photo by Moolec.
Changing the landscape of alternative protein
Moolec and LightJump are expected to complete their transaction in the later part of 2022, with Nasdaq listing following soon after. If it happens, the listing will be the first of its kind for a molecular farming food tech. The startup has rarely followed the path most travelled, however.
Claiming self-designated pioneer status, Moolec uses plants to produce genuine animal proteins. It has designed technology that allows the synthesis of animal proteins to be completed within any seed crop. Proteins produced line up with specific functions necessary for consumer-accepted alternatives to conventional foodstuffs, such as dairy. The result will be animal-free, affordable and nutritionally comparable products, fuelled by molecular farmed ingredients.
“Moolec Science is a category creator in the alternative protein landscape. Our Molecular Farming technology focuses on providing real animal proteins without using any animals, based on the genetic engineering of seeds to produce proteins the same way animals do,” said Gastón Paladini, CEO and co-founder of Moolec said in a statement.
“As fourth generation of a family business that is one of the largest meat players in the Southern Cone, I have first-hand knowledge of the challenges faced by the industry. Moolec’s goal is to use science in food to overcome current global food security issues, building a more sustainable, resilient, and equitable food system.”
Photo by Moolec.
The science of food security
Plants used for Moolec’s molecular farming developments will be grown through traditional farming methods, allowing for high volumes and reduced costs for end products. The same methodology has the potential to be used for other markets, other than meat proteins. Dairy, poultry and fish alternatives have already been cited, alongside other biomaterials and cosmetics. The commercial scope of this, plus environmental benefits appears to have caught LightJump’s attention.
“LightJump Acquisition Corp. is excited to be partnering with Moolec Science, a FoodTech pioneer in Molecular Farming,” Robert Bennett, CEO of LightJump Acquisition Corp said in a statement. “We believe Moolec’s differentiated technology platform will be able to address the worldwide growing demand for animal proteins while delivering them at a small fraction of the cost and environmental impact of existing approaches. We are committed to working alongside Moolec’s outstanding management team to support its expansion plans and its transition to becoming a Nasdaq-listed company.”
Photo by Miruku.
Molecular farming as a growing niche
Moolec is not alone in seeking to leverage the power of plants as natural manufacturing facilities. Miruku, founded by New Zealand and Israeli food industry experts, is looking to use molecular farming to create animal-free dairy products. The startup announced the closure of a $2.4 million seed round in March of this year after coming out of stealth. Operating out of APAC it is reported to be the region’s first molecular operation, with only a few others globally.
Indian vegan seafood startup SeaSpire has unveiled a plant-based snapper fish analogue created using bio-printing. The company says the seven-ingredient alternative is clean label and the first of its kind in the APAC region. It was created using a proprietary printing platform that has sought to capture the texture of conventional fish using AI for precision results.
The startup was founded to fill a gap in the alternative protein sector. SeaSpire cites a lack of whole-cut products that can act as a 1:1 substitute for conventional seafood as its driving motivation. Tackling what it identifies as a major challenge within the APAC region, SeaSpire has developed technology that can combine plant and synthetic biomass into one realistic whole-muscle analogue, on a commercial scale.
SeaSpire’s co-founders.
Bringing alternative seafood to the APAC region
SeaSpire is currently working on creating a fully operational base within India, specifically to cater to the APAC region as a whole. To date, it has undertaken its R&D activities in New Zealand. An expansion to India is key, as the country has been specifically noted as a key driver for the plant-based meat sector. SeaSpire is hoping to replicate the trend with alternative seafood.
“We see greenfield opportunities when it comes to alt-seafoods in the largest seafood consuming regions like India and south-east Asia and aim to drive category growth in this region with a range of healthy and delectable alt-seafood starting with our whole-muscle whitefish filets,” Shantanu Dhangar, co-founder of SeaSpire said in a statement.
The company hopes to benefit from product development and testing within New Zealand, a country renowned for its seafood with commercial-scale manufacturing to follow in India. From here, it claims it will look to roll out finished products across both. It has also named Australasia and Singapore as markets it is keen to move into as part of an APAC-wide expansion.
“We need smart proteins and even a smarter production infrastructure to address sustainable food transition for future generations,” Varun Gadodia, co-founder of SeaSpire Said in a statement. “Reducing supply chain stress, ingredient innovations and upcycling feedstock are supporting pillars for our success at SeaSpire.”
SeaSpire will be debuting its snapper analogue at the Tomorrow’s Protein Summit, an event hosted by XPRIZE, later in the year. 2023 is slated for the startup’s first commercial launch.
The new wave of alternative seafood
2022 has seen multiple new seafood analogues unveiled by startups from around the world. Each is looking to remove the need for commercial fishing by developing increasingly realistic alternatives that look, taste and function like their conventional counterparts.
With up to 90 percent of the world’s fish stocks already depleted, the need for alternative protein sources is clear. Marine biodiversity is in a perilous state but so is human health. Consumers are starting to understand that seafood, while often touted as a healthier alternative to red meat, contains toxins, heavy metals and microplastics that have an impact on wellbeing.
Taking a different tack from many, tempeh startup Better Nature is looking to use traditional fermentation techniques to create mycelium biomass-based alternative seafood products. The company is looking to use food industry by-products in its process and has been awarded a £350k grant from Innovate U.K. to continue its R&D. Better Nature says that its seafood will be equivalent, if not superior to conventional fish across all metrics, including nutrition.
Paris-based startup Seafood Reboot closed a €3.2 million pre-seed funding round in May to support its alternative seafood efforts. The company is looking to leverage seaweed as a key ingredient in its developments and hopes to have a pilot production facility completed by early 2023. So far, Seafood Reboot has been careful not to release too much information but it does state that its end products will be vegan and non-GMO.
The New Technology Conference in Nanjing National Agricultural High-Tech Industry Demonstration Zone recently played host to a tasting of China’s first cultivated pork belly. The development, presented by domestic startup Joes Future Food, was unveiled during the conference’s Second Cultured Meat New Product Tasting Ceremony.
Alongside pork belly, co-culture of muscle and fat cells, cost-effective serum-free growth mediums and other new technologies were introduced. Guests of the conference were invited to taste Joes’ cultivated pork belly and pigskin noodles, prepared in a variety of dishes.
Professor Zhou Guanghong.
Is China saying yes to cultivated meat?
Joes’ claims that conference attendees noted that the startup’s pork belly was “very chewy”. Alongside, the cell-based fat was described as “delicious when fried” and the pork kebabs were heralded as “authentic”.
China is the world’s largest consumer of conventional pork, and garnering a positive reception from Chinese consumers bodes well for Joes. The startup is in the midst of building a pilot production line, which it hopes to use to promote the commercial potential of cell-based meats.
China has been making tentative steps toward the acceptance of alternative proteins, including cultivated meat. In March, it was reported that President Xi referenced China’s burgeoning alt-protein sector in a speech given to key industry figureheads. President Xi specifically noted that the country needs to develop its own unique proteins. Alongside plant and fermentation methodologies, he specifically paid lip service to biotechnology and bio-industry developments. This led observers to speculate that he is, potentially, open to cultivated meats. If President Xi is on board with the idea of cell-based meat development, it could lead to startups such as Joes being subject to simpler legislation and faster routes to commercialisation.
Cultured Pigskin Noodles by Joes Future Food.
Sustainable solutions for meat consumption
Prior to President Xi’s speech, China’s five-year agricultural plan made reference to cultivated meat for the first time. The blueprint for China’s future developments and national economic strength, the plan is considered a sign of things to come in the food sector. The inclusion of cultivated meat, alongside talk of increasing sustainability credentials, offered optimism to cell-based startups.
At the end of the New Technology Conference, Professor Zhou Guanghong of the Nanjing Agricultural University concluded that people will be able to eat pork without raising pigs. He stated that cultivated meat, such as that presented by Joes, is the “answer to national strategies of sustainable development and low-carbon agriculture”.
President Xi photo courtesy of Canva.
The road to cultivated pork for China
Back in October last year, Joes raised $10.9 million in a Series A funding round. The money was earmarked for continued R&D into cultivated pork, alongside technology scaling. It followed a $3 million raise in January of the same year. The startup spoke of wanting to be the first company to be able to offer sustainably-made pork to Chinese consumers. It won the prototype race, debuting a cultivated meat item in 2019 but now faces competition to get to market first.
Shanghai-based CellX announced it had scooped $10.6 million in a Series A raise, last month. The cellular agriculture startup has raised in excess of $15 million in total to accelerate its cultivated developments. It is looking to produce pork, beef and chicken with whole cuts being given priority. The startup notes that it considers this as the best route to consumer acceptance, as the end products will look familiar. Taking a four-pronged approach, CellX is aiming to produce cultivated meat, while slashing the costs of the sector as it progresses. It claims to have produced a low-cost media formula already and secured an immortalised cell line for its work.
Lead image: cultured pork belly by Joes Future Food.
Singapore’s alternative chicken giant TiNDLE has announced it is working with U.S. restaurant chain Veggie Grill. The eatery will become the first nationwide distribution partner for TiNDLE, with 30 locations using its vegan chicken products across New York, Oregon, California, Washington, and Massachusetts.
Veggie Grill states that it is on a mission to help consumer shift to a sustainable food system. The 100 percent plant-based restaurant chain is now introducing TiNDLE as its “featured grilled chicken option” for the summer. The chain has devised new menu items specifically to showcase the products, including a Grilled BBQ Chick’n Sandwich and Chinese Chick’n Salad.
TiNDLE’s Timo Recker and Andre Menezes.
TiNDLE ready to take the U.S. by storm
TiNDLE’s collaboration with Veggie Grill gains the brand instant presence across the U.S. The restaurant chain is visible across five states, with ambitions to enter more in the future. Adding its 30 storefronts to TiNDLE’s confirmed outlets brings the brand’s restaurant total to more than 500 globally.
Back in February, TiNDLE announced it had closed a record-breaking $100 million Series A. The funding was earmarked to support rollout across all U.S. states, in the brand’s biggest expansion exercise to date. The U.S. was identified as a must-enter market due to its sheer size and reputation for hosting some of the best food cities in the world. Veggie Grill is present in many of them.
“Veggie Grill has long been a frontrunner in the path to creating a more sustainable food system, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to team up on this incredible milestone for TiNDLE,” Andre Menezes, CEO and co-founder of TiNDLE said in a statement. “Our growth is that much more meaningful in our ability to align with partners that share in our mission to make plant-based foods accessible, delicious and enjoyable.”
Veggie Grill as the perfect food service partner
Founded in 2006, Veggie Grill has become a stalwart of the plant-based restaurant sector. It claims to have been founded on the premise of helping consumers to begin or progress their animal-free diet. Its operational mantra is to help people eat the foods they love, in a more sustainable way and without sacrificing enjoyment.
“At Veggie Grill, we have always prided ourselves on delivering the very best the plant-based world has to offer and partnering with TiNDLE allows us to continue to do exactly that with their high quality products,” T.K. Pillan, chairman and founder at Veggie Grill said in a statement. “And because TiNDLE is such a versatile product, it allows us to expand our offerings and give our guests a completely new grilled chicken menu experience that we know they will love.”
Green Queen’s Alessandra Franco was at the Veggie Grill launch: “I tried both the Grilled BBQ Chick’n Sandwich and the Chinese Chick’n Salad. This was my first time eating TiNDLE chargrilled and the smokiness really brought out the ridiculously good chicken flavor in both dishes. The taste, texture, and mouthfeel were so spot on I had to remind myself I was at Veggie Grill and I wasn’t eating real chicken. I also loved the contrast of the two very different cuisines, which are both super popular and great additions to the Veggie Grill menu.”
News of the Veggie Grill partnership follows immediately after TiNDLE revealed it has entered the German market for the first time. Four major cities are set to gain access to the plant-based chicken, with Munich, Stuttgart, Dusseldorf and Berlin all confirmed. The German entry marks TiNDLE’s third wave of its European rollout. Amsterdam and the U.K. have also received the alt-chicken products.
Photo by Dynamic Foodco.
Plant-based chicken for Singapore
While TiNDLE looks to continue its global expansion, a fellow Singaporean startup wants to provide food security on home turf. Dynamic Foodco has emerged, revealing plans to offer plant-based chicken, motivated by food security concerns, by the end of 2022. It claims it will do so through its Dynameat brand, which will expand to include other meat alternatives in the future. An undisclosed seed funding round was completed to support ongoing R&D ahead of commercial launch, alongside the construction of a scaled production facility.
Kourtney Kardashian-Barker and Travis Barker have starred in a promotional campaign for plant-based chicken brand Daring Foods. The campaign was conducted by notable fashion photographer Ellen von Unwerth and tells the story of lovebirds tucking into animal-free fried chicken during a night out in West Hollywood. Unwerth went on to shoot Kardashian and Barker’s official Italian wedding.
The images were shot two days after the celebrity duo eloped to Las Vegas for the first of three weddings held this year. Barker has been vegan since escaping death in a plane crash in 2008. Kardashian claims to be 90 percent vegan and has been regularly depicted on her family’s reality series talking about healthy foods and meat-free eating. She founded the Goop-ish media and e-commerce platform Poosh, which regularly posts about her commitments to mindful eating.
Photo by Ellen von Unwerth.
Staying on-brand to promote clean label foods
Kardashian and Barker gained notoriety during their courtship for frequent public displays of affection and unabashedly intimate behaviour. They have continued this theme in their partnership with Daring. The images released show the pair in various states of undress, devouring Daring chicken straight from a bucket, a room service trolley, and a hotel mini-fridge. The location was the penthouse suite in the Chateau Marmont hotel.
“From the moment our partnership with Kourtney and Travis began there was clear synergy between Daring’s mission and their personal beliefs on plant-based eating and the positive impact it has on the environment,” Ross Mackay, Daring’s founder and CEO said in a statement. “I could not be more proud to partner with them for Daring’s latest campaign and am grateful for their support and genuine love of our Plant Chicken.”
Daring sets itself apart from competitors by focussing on its clean label, short ingredients list credentials. Last October, the brand closed a $65 million Series C raise, bringing its 12-month funding total to $120 million. It secured support from celebrity backers including Naomi Osaka, Steve Aoki, and Chase Coleman, illustrating it already found popularity with influential figures. Welcoming Kardashian and Barker on board as ambassadors doubles down on this.
Photo by Ellen von Unwerth.
Barker’s vested interest in Daring
Travis Barker is an investor in Los Angeles vegan restaurants Crossroads Kitchen and the In-N-Out style burger chain, Monty’s. The latter has just launched Daring Plant Chicken Tenders in all of its locations, making the new promotional images a seamless tie-in.
“I haven’t eaten meat since I was 13 years old, so really good plant protein is important to me. Daring is awesome, because it’s super clean and has all-natural ingredients.” Barker said in a statement. “When I went fully vegan 15 years ago, the options were basically straight vegetables, so I’m excited to see more plant-based choices on menus – That’s why I invested in Crossroads Kitchen and Monty’s and why this partnership with Daring felt so right for Kourt and Me.”
For her part, Kardashian has commented that she finds the Daring chicken comparable to conventional protein and is keen to find clean label alternatives to feed her children.
Photo by Beyond Meat.
Testing the sisterly bond
The Daring campaign comes after Kim Kardashian starred in a campaign as Beyond Meat’s “chief taste consultant.” The reality megastar has lent her influence and endorsement to the brand, claiming to have used the products at home for some time. She appeared in a video, promoted across social media, in which she tastes a range of the brand’s meat alternatives, declaring all of them delicious and asking viewers to consider swapping to plant-based alternatives. Kardashian joins the likes of Snoop Dogg, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Kevin Hart in her role as a Beyond ambassador.
Israel cell-based breast milk startup Wilk has confirmed a significant breakthrough: the company says it has successfully replicated lactoferrin, a key protein for the development and growth of children and a major step towards being able to offer formula partners access to authentic and vital breast milk components.
The news secures Wilk’s position as one of the first biotech startups in the world to edge closer to commercial production of cultivated human breast milk. It comes after the startup secured U.S. patent approval for its procedures and technology associated with cell-based animal and human breast milk production.
Photo from Pexels.
Why lactoferrin was the missing puzzle piece
In human breast milk, lactoferrin proteins are present at a concentration of up to 50 times more than in cow’s milk. As a protein, it is an essential carrier of iron and other key nutrients to nursing children, which support projected growth curves and developmental milestones. Being able to add lactoferrin to baby formula will allow products to be far more comparable to actual breast milk. Wilk has stated that dairy and plant-based formulas would not be able to offer the same level of authenticity.
“This breakthrough brings us one step closer to our goal of providing all infants with the full range of nutritional benefits that can only be found in breast milk,” Tomer Aizen, CEO of Wilk said in a statement. “This is significant news for both the infant formula industry and parents who may soon have access to the optimal product for ensuring their infants’ growth and development.”
Photo from Pexels.
Lactoferrin as a health booster
Aside from the benefits for formula-fed infants, lactoferrin has been identified as offering wider health benefits. Wilk states that studies have shown its effectiveness in preventing and treating conditions including coronary heart disease and, topically, coronavirus. Recent research has, apparently, confirmed that the protein is able to bind to some of the receptors that coronavirus traditionally uses to attack human respiratory and digestive systems. The binding process prevents the virus from being able to cause infection.
Wilk states that with further R&D, it anticipates being able to produce lactoferrin in unlimited amounts. It is unclear if the startup will offer its proteins to partners outside of the formula sector.
Photo by Sprout Organics.
Disrupting the infant formula industry
The global baby formula sector is anticipated to reach $125.2 billion by 2030. Market growth is thought to be driven by increased disposable income in emerging markets, alongside greater awareness of the nutritional properties of formula recipes. However, this leaves the door open for supply issues, especially in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.
The U.S. is currently experiencing an unprecedented infant formula shortage. Parents have been taking drastic steps to ensure they have enough at home, including paying extortionate shipping fees to bring in products from overseas. The shortage has hit parents of children with special dietary needs extra hard, with dairy-free formula proving almost impossible to source.
Australian formula startup Sprout Organics is hoping to move into the U.S. market soon. The plant-based company has just launched on Amazon, shortly after debuting in the Middle East. Sprout has directly addressed the current shortage, stating that it is talking with the FDA and Austrade, in an attempt to hasten its U.S. entry. Parents in the States have already confirmed bulk orders from Sprout, incurring $500 shipping fees, which they have been happy to pay for a large supply.
In the cultivated sector, Wilk is joined by at least three other breast milk-focussed companies. Biomilq, from the U.S., Singapore’s TurtleTree Labs and Australia’s Me& are all looking to progress their cell-based breast milk developments. TurtleTree has already announced its own human lactoferrin protein, with regulatory approval currently being sought in Singapore and the U.S.
Bill Gates is a repeat investor in the alternative protein sector. He has cited the industry as crucial to helping solve the climate crisis, with alternatives to animal agriculture heralded as essential developments. Not one to just talk about his opinions, Gates has doubled down on his assertions by investing in multiple alt-protein startups, across an array of niches.
Below, we have rounded up Gates’ alt protein investment portfolio, which covering all bases across multiple verticals and manufacturing technologies including fermentation, cell-based and conventional plant-protein processing.
Participation from Gates: Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Gates’ investment arm, led a $75 million Series B funding round in 2021.
Nobell Foods is engaged in programming soybeans to produce casein, the protein in dairy that allows cheese to melt, stretch and retain a tangy taste. The startup has been operating under stealth conditions but hopes to have vegan mozzarella and cheddar to debut by the end of 2022. The two varieties have been selected to make the biggest impact on the U.S. market, with the two accounting for 60 percent of all conventional cheese consumed.
Participation from Gates: Breakthrough Energy Ventures participated in an $80 million Series B funding round in 2020.
Nature’s Fynd has developed a plant-based protein that it calls Fy. Made using fungi, the biomass fermented protein is slated to have an exceptionally low carbon footprint. In 2021 it gained FDA approval and has since launched vegan breakfast patties into Whole foods Market.
Wider global rollout is in the works, with the Asian market a particular focal point for the startup. Vegan meat and cheese products are slated for release.
Participation from Gates: The specifics remain unknown. Rumours were floated that shares were sold or transferred to a foundation, ahead of stock price crashes in 2021.
Beyond Meat has been an alternative meat leader, landing partnerships with KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonald’s, among others. The company is currently eyeing expansion in Asia as a route to success, plus expansions with its numerous partnerships with fast-food chains.
Participation from Gates: Repeat investment totalling a reported $50 million+.
Arguably Beyond Meat’s biggest competitor, Impossible Foods produces meat alternatives designed to taste and cook more realistically. This is thanks to its development and use of heme, a novel ingredient from the soybean plant root, which imitates the bloody appearance of conventional meat. Impossible has manufactured the full gamut of popular meats, including beef, pork, and chicken. It has also partnered with grocery giant Kroger to develop private label alternative meat lines.
Participation from Gates: Repeat investment, including in the most recent $400 million Series C raise.
Upside Foods is a serious contender in the cultivated meat sector. The company has built a large production facility, dubbed ‘EPIC’, given the public tours to start leveraging positive opinion and is eagerly awaiting regulatory approval for its chicken products. It had hoped to secure said approval before the end of 2021 but progress has been slow. Chicken has already been successfully produced and the company states that beef and duck are being developed as well.
Upside was one of the first companies to formally declare it had developed a fetal bovine serum-free growth medium, to drive down costs and raise ethical standards within the cell-based meat scene.
Participation from Gates: Confirmed repeat participation, including in the most recent $226 million Series B funding round.
Motif FoodWorks started as an ingredients innovator and has moved into the plant-based meat sector itself. The startup gained FDA approval for its ‘HEMAMI’protein, which adds an ‘authentic’ meaty taste and smell to plant-based products. It also landed the company in hot water with Impossible Foods, which claimed a patent infringement. Motif has strongly denied the claim and has filed its own complaint that Impossible’s patent is meaningless and should be revoked. The case is ongoing.
The most recent move into commercial product sales is said to be an ongoing evolution that will see a staggered rollout pushing through to 2023. Beef, chicken, and pork analogues have all been confirmed, with foodservice partners, retailers with private-label ranges and distributors being targeted.
Participation from Gates: Early participation has been confirmed but Eat Just does not disclose all of its fundraising efforts, so exact amounts and timescales are unknown.
Eat Just’s latest funding round came in March 2021, when the plant-based egg pioneer scooped $200 million. The raise was earmarked to support its plant and cell-based activities, accelerating R&D capabilities for both sides. Since then the company has announced plans for two large production facilities, in the Middle East and Asia, plus gained regulatory approval for E.U. sales of its flagship JUST Egg line.
The cultivated meat side of the company, dubbed Good Meat, has gained regulatory approval for a second cell-based chicken product to be sold in Singapore, which remains the only country in the world to give the green light to cultivated meat.
Lead photo by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Don Lee Farms has launched another lawsuit against Beyond Meat. The former co-manufacturer of the plant-based leader are already due to meet at trial in September, with Beyond accused of breach of contract, fraud and unpaid monies, amongst other allegations. The new lawsuit accuses Beyond of unfair competition through misleading advertising claims.
Don Lee states that Beyond is making “misleading claims” as to the nutrition and ingredients featured in its products. The manufacturer goes on to claim that this leads to uncompetitive consequences and impacts consumers and competitors.
Beyond Meat burger patties.
The allegations
Don Lee has released a statement that details its motivation for bringing its newest lawsuit against beyond. In it, it says that it aims to “restore competitive equilibrium” while preventing Beyond from building its brand on “deception”.
The two have been embroiled in a legal tug-and-war since 2017 when Don Lee filed in California’s Supreme Court. The company claims that after its manufacturing contract was terminated by Beyond, the alternative protein giant failed to pay invoices, committed a breach of contract and fraud and took advantage of Don Lee. This ongoing case spurred an offshoot lawsuit, also filed against beyond, by its own shareholders. This was settled in April 2022.
Previously, Don Lee has exclusive sought to be compensated for direct dealigns with Beyond, as a client. The new lawsuit widens the scope of accusations and includes references to Beyond CEO Ethan Brown directly. Don Lee alleges that both the company and Brown personally have acted disingenuously to gain an enormous advantage over other plant-based meat producers in the sector.
Photo by Beyond Meat.
The lawsuit that points to a company in trouble
“Beyond Meat’s problems are many, but they trace to one root cause: the company’s tendency to ‘over-promise and under-deliver,’ then scramble for excuses,” the lawsuit from Don lee states. “With the company reeling due to operational failures, CEO Ethan Brown has offered up ‘excuses’ described as ‘laughable’ and that industry insiders pan as ‘difficult to take . . . seriously’ and as flunking ‘the smell test.’ Others have noticed Brown’s habit of ‘point[ing] the finger’ at everyone but himself, describing Brown as having ‘an appetite for excuses. But there are no excuses for the conduct revealed below. The indisputable science now shows that Beyond Meat was built on and has grown because of deception and lies.”
Don Lee has submitted 24 pages of third-party lab test results with its suit. The company claims that the tests prove an exaggerated protein claim by Beyond of up to 30 percent. This is underscored by a claim that the alt-meat producer looks to stand apart from fellow meat substitutes due to its protein levels and compares itself to conventional meat. If the protein claim is substantiated, Beyond will have misled consumers and used falsified labelling on products sold in the U.S.
In addition to protein qualms, Don Lee has also taken umbrage at Beyond’s claims that it uses no synthetic ingredients. It points to the inclusion of methylcellulose, an FDA-approved ingredient used to improve texture in plant-based meats. Don lee claims that Beyond labelling its products as ‘synthetic ingredient free’ boxed it out of the market when it brought out its own methylcellulose-free burger.
“The allegations in the filing lack merit and we are prepared to vigorously fight this in court,” a spokesperson for Beyond told Food Dive.
Vegan meat extrusion. Photo by Keen 4 Greens.
Clean labelling on the rise
In a 2020 consumer study, 73 percent of alternative meat consumers stated that they expect products to be all-natural. If Beyond is found guilty of misrepresenting its constituent additives, it has the potential to create stricter regulations for the entire plant-based meat sector. It also runs the risk of undermining consumer trust at a time when the alternative protein sphere is looking to get supporters on side. On the flip side, companies already committed to creating clean label foods could set to benefit.
German startup Keen 4 Greens is gearing up to produce clean label vegan meat at scale. The company recently scooped $2 million to fund its investigation into mycelium-based whole cuts. Current product lines are made using wheat but the startup aims to switch to an entirely mycelium-based methodology free from wheat and soy. It states that in the future, its products will contain only mycelium, pea protein, oil, salt and water.
Ingredients manufacturers are looking to develop clean products to supply the alternative protein sector with products that don’t diminish brands’ natural ideals. In March, it was announced that Atlanta’s CP Kelko and Emeryville-based Shiru are working together to create new clean proteins. Prototype testing is slated to begin at the end of 2022.
Founded in 2021, Brown Foods claims to have developed “real” whole milk in a laboratory setting. The breakthrough took less than three months for the Boston and India-based startup, which just closed a $2.36 million seed round. Participation has been confirmed from Y Combinator, AgFunder, SRI Capital and Amino Capital, amongst others.
A Y Combinator alumnus, Brown Foods was founded by a group of friends who met at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. Motivated by a lack of access to nutritious milk alternatives the group claims to be the first company in the U.S. to have made “real cow’s milk”. Similarly to cultivated meat, regulatory approval has not yet been granted for cultivated dairy in the U.S., or anywhere else.
Photo by Daniel Quiceno at Unsplash.
Mapping the profile of cow’s milk
Using bovine mammary cells, Brown Foods has been able to prototype its UnReal Milk development.
“We validated for the major macronutrients, the proteins, the fats and the carbs,” Sohail Gupta, co-founder and CEO of Brown Foods told TechCrunch. “We could see that the profiles for those were similar to milk at large-scale quantities, and as a result, we could say that we have a superior product from the lab.”
The startup claims that, even at scale, it can compare to the taste and texture of conventional milk. UnReal Milk is also slated to be suitable for converting into other dairy products, including cheese, ice cream and butter.
Photo by Ave Calvar at Unsplash.
Dairy, minus the environmental impact
Brown Foods cites the desire to produce a milk alternative that prevents further climate change and cruelty to animals as a motivating force. The dairy manufacturing sector accounts for around 30 percent of all livestock production emissions. This translates to 2.1 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent a year. With the global demand for dairy increasing, at least up until 2030 if predictions come true, alternatives to conventional milk production need to be found.
The alternative dairy sector is expected to be worth $50 billion by 2028. Plant milk is anticipated to dominate the sector, at least until newer developments have been proven as more than just viable concepts and accepted by consumers. Cultivated milk is being looked at as a less emissions-intensive way to get cow-derived dairy. It should not be confused with entirely animal-free milk such as those developed through precision fermentation. Brown Foods claims that its UnReal Milk product has a 90 percent smaller carbon footprint when compared to conventional milk.
Support to scale
As with cultivated meat startups, Brown Foods is looking at the complexities of scaling for meaningful production. The recently acquired seed funding will be funnelled into a modest initial scaling project, anticipated to begin within the next 12 months. Product development will also be funded by the recent raise.
“The top-level roadmap of how we are thinking is doing some kind of sampling where we can actually get feedback and learn what things look like and then go toward the kinds of products we will have for commercialization,” Gupta told TechCrunch.
Photo by Jagoda Kondariuk at Unsplash.
Other players in the cultivated milk space
In March, Montreal-based Opalia revealed that it has successfully developed cell-based milk, without the use of fetal bovine serum. Formerly called Bettermilk, the startup uses all the necessary components of conventional cow’s milk to create a product that is not bio-identical but is comparable in taste. The company was founded in line with animal welfare concerns and environmental impact awareness. It secured $1 million in pre-seed funding and is currently continuing its R&D cycle and looking to start costing scaled production.
Israel’s Wilk Technologies is pushing ahead with its development of cultivated animal and human breast milk. The startup secured U.S. patent approval for procedures and technology associated with both and is looking to develop processes fr commercial scale-up.
Beyond Meat scores a win in Europe with retail placement in 1,600 German supermarket locations.
Despite recent layoffs and cooling sales in the U.S. across the vegan sector, Europe’s demand for plant-based food continues. It’s good news for Beyond Meat, one of the hardest hit by lackluster U.S. sales, recently laying off 19 percent of its workforce as a result.
The California-based company may be picking up steam across the pond, with the new expansion announcement in Germany that seea its flagship burger find placement in 1,600 REWE stores, one of the leading retailers in the country.
“At Beyond Meat, we work tirelessly to make our delicious plant-based meat products accessible to everyone,” Jaap Veth, Sales Manager Retail DACH at Beyond Meat, said in a statement.
Beyond Meat’s Beyond Burger | Courtesy
“Half of Germans now eat less animal meat than they did five years ago; one in five now consume plant-based meat at least once a week. We are very proud to bring our popular Beyond Burger to more REWE supermarkets. This way, people across Germany can benefit from the advantages that plant-based meat has and continue to eat what they love,” Veth said.
The news follows a German debut from Singapore’s vegan chicken giant, TiNDLE, earlier this year. The brand landed in restaurants across Berlin, Munich, Dusseldorf, and Stuttgart over the summer.
Germany embraces plants
Germans have continued to reduce their meat and dairy consumption in recent years, even despite scoring low on a recent index looking at global dietary guidelines, which saw it rank 50th out of 95 countries for promoting a sustainable and plant-forward diet.
But despite the lacking government guidelines, and despite its history of meat-heavy foods, a recent survey of more than 7,500 Europeans also found that Germany is second only to Romainia in reducing meat consumption.
Earlier this year Berlin-based Perfeggt announced an add-on pre-seed funding to accelerate its distribution plans. The startup uses fava bean protein to create its signature product. So too does The VGN, a startup founded by previous Aldi supermarket managers with a passion for animal-free foods.
Burger King has also been aggressive with its plant-based options in the German market. Last year, it opened its first meat-free pop-up in Cologne. That location offered plant-based nuggets, burgers, and a plant-based version of The Long Chicken sandwich.
Summer 2022 marks the start of Live Nation partnering with Everything Legendary to offer plant-based burgers to concertgoers. The vegan company rose to fame following a successful pitch on Shark Tank, which saw Mark Cuban invest $300,000 for a 22 percent stake. The Black-owned startup has since found visibility in Publix, Target, Safeway, and Ralphs.
Everything Legendary was founded by three friends who wanted to empower the Black community to enjoy healthy food. The startup will now be providing the majority of Live Nation events with its pea and hemp-based burger patties. The collaboration was announced earlier this month, with Live Nation citing investment into Everything Legendary as a route to securing its products.
Catering to plant-based concertgoers
“Fans create lifelong memories enjoying live music, and everything they enjoy while at the show has the potential to make that memory even better,” Tom See, COO of Venue Nation told The Root. “By partnering with Everything Legendary we’re excited to bring plant-based items to our events so fans have even more sustainable options to choose from.”
For Everything Legendary, the partnership allows the thrill of healthy food to be shared outside the Black community, contributing to widespread dietary change. The brand will be put in front of millions of potential new consumers. This is a neatly cyclical nod to the fact that the entertainment sector initially helped it to gain prominence and now, continues to do so.
“We’re on a mission to not just win over taste buds but also eating habits, encouraging people across the country to adopt healthier alternatives, and I’ve been especially proud that we’ve helped power this movement in the Black community where veganism is on the rise,” Duane “Myko” Cheers, Everything Legendary’s co-founder told The Root. “With the investment and partnership of Live Nation we’ll be serving up our amazing flavor to millions of music fans.”
The appointment of Def Jam Recordings co-founder Russell Simmons to the Everything Legendary board cements the connection between the startup and the music sector.
Growing the Everything Legendary brand
In February, the plant-based meat manufacturer closed a $6 million Series A raise. Mark Cuban participated again, facilitating company-wide growth. Everything Legendary cited intentions to significantly increase its retail presence while developing brand new product ranges.
At the time, the startup was exclusively engaged in the production of burger patties and ground beef analogues. The founders revealed that with the fresh funding they planned to move into chicken wings, sausages and breakfast patties. Every line will follow the company’s clean label mandate, alongside the inclusion of surprising ingredients. Its beef substitutes contain raisins and orange peel, amongst other unconventional additions.
Shark Tank as a plant-based launchpad
Though not always intentionally, Shark Tank is increasingly becoming a viable platform for plant-based companies to gain the exposure they need to disrupt the meat industry.
Last month, Project Pollo was pitched to the panel of sharks, following Mark Cuban personally suggesting the founder should apply to appear. Founder and CEO Lucas Bradbury represented his startup but came away without a deal. The sharks cited concern over the speed at which Bradbury is trying to grow his company, who then doubled down on his assertion that he is aiming to put Chick-fil-A out of business. Project Pollo operates a pay-what-you-can pricing structure and takes over locations vacated by meat-centric fast-food companies. The startup aims to have 100 operational restaurants by 2025.
Also leaving the show without a deal was Deborah Torres, in 2019. The founder of vegan fried chicken brand Atlas Monroe refused a $1 million buyout offer from Mark Cuban. The decision proved prudent as today, the company is the world’s largest plant-based fried chicken manufacturer, producing more than one million pounds of product every year.
Japanese plant-based manufacturer Next Meats has announced a new product line to be manufactured in its San Jose, Calif., facility. The Next Wagyu Japanese Premium Brisket is the company’s first meat analogue with carbon-negative packaging. The location has previously manufactured existing product ranges with standard packaging options.
The wagyu is made from non-GMO soy without any artificial flavours. Direct-to-consumer preorders have opened, with bulk wholesale options for the hospitality trade confirmed alongside. The product will ship across the U.S. and Canada.
Next Meats USA vegan wagyu.
Sustainability on the Next Meats menu
News of Next Meats’ eco-friendly packaging ties in with the company’s intention to embrace carbon negativity. It follows last year’s announcement regarding plans to build a solar-powered alt-protein factory and R&D hub, in Niigata, Japan. If construction is on track, the facility is anticipated to open this summer. It will feature “a range” of sustainability-inspired technology designed to eventually create a carbon-free production system.
Extending sustainability ambitions to the U.S. production site has allowed for product and packaging innovation to come simultaneously.
“Next Meats’ versatile, plant-based products are a delicious addition to any diet, and we are thrilled to expand this journey in the United States and Canada,” Koki Terui, Next Meats USA CEO said in a statement. “With the Next Wagyu line of products now being produced in California, we can bring the quality and craftsmanship known from Japan, with flavors that cater to a North American palette while taking our first steps towards a carbon negative impact with our new packaging.”
The founding of Next Meats USA
Next Meats’ products are available D2C, via its own webstore and in an increasing number of grocery locations in California, Oregon, Nevada, Texas, and New York. The company claims that professional chefs are getting on board as well with Michelin-starred Chef Josef Centeno’s Bar Amá, Chef Reina Montenegro and Celebrity Private Chef Supreme Dow were specifically named.
The U.S. subsidiary of Next Meats was founded in December 2021, to facilitate global sales of plant-based short rib, skirt steak chicken, and dairy.
Vegan wagyu as a gastronomic trend
High-end plant-based meats are gaining traction as a popular alt-protein niche. From vegan fillet mignon to whole-cut salmon fillets, realistic analogues are getting more prevalent. Even one of the most expensive conventional meat varieties is getting the plant-based treatment with a handful of startups looking to perfect vegan wagyu.
Hong Kong’s Alt Farm announced that it is looking to perfect 3D printed vegan wagyu for commercial launch. It has identified China and Australia as key markets to initially enter, hopefully in 2023. The startup is developing A5 wagyu using proprietary printing techniques and specialist nozzles that it claims effectively replicates the marbled structure of animal wagyu.
Canada’s Top Tier Foods has brought a vegan wagyu product to market, through its Wamame Foods subsidiary. The product was first served to attendees of the TED2022 Conference in Aril this year, before being rolled out for general consumers. The development was considered ready for launch following a select trial launch. The startup looked to remain as respectful and true to conventional wagyu as possible, by working with Japanese development teams. Top Tier claims that its final presentation was so realistic that it fooled Japanese chef Hidekazu Tojo.
Not vegan but sustainability-driven, Y Combinator-backed Orbillion is developing cultivated wagyu beef. The San Francisco-based startup recently claimed it foresees reaching price parity with conventional meat by 2026. This is relative to the fact that the company focuses on expensive meat varieties including Japanese wagyu, bison, and elk.
Swedish alternative dairy startup Stockeld Dreamery has realised a company ambition of developing vegan cream cheese. The company states that it has been actively engaged in the development for two and a half years. Initial brainstorming resulted in plans to create a product so authentic that non-vegan restaurants would switch from dairy-based cream cheese to the animal-free option.
Stockeld claims that its product is a “new but same cream cheese experience”. This means that it is suitable for 1:1 substitutions with conventional spreadable cheese, but can be used in new ways as well. The cheese is made from fermented chickpeas and lentils.
Ticking cream cheese off the bucket list
“As you probably know, we’ve been obsessing with this cheese-making for more than three years now,” Sorosh Tavakoli, Stockeld Dreamery co-founder said in the company’s Medium announcement. “We love cheese but we believe using milk from animals to make it is both wasteful and destructive. We are convinced there’s a better way, even though it’s bloody hard.”
Stockeld Spread is slated to match conventional cream cheese in terms of nutrition. It packs 5.1 percent protein and 20 percent fat into every serving. Where it raises the bar, according to the startup, is in terms of environmental footprint. Stockeld has stated that its spread has a 70 percent smaller carbon footprint than conventional counterparts, though final greenhouse gas emissions data is still pending.
Previously, Stockeld has launched a feta cheese alternative, dubbed Stockeld Chunk. The product was successful enough to help the startup scoop £20 million in a Series A funding raise, four months later. Investment was earmarked for rolling out new product lines, of which the Stockeld Spread is the first.
Overcoming developmental hurdles
As with other modern food manufacturing methodologies, Stockeld encountered red tape during its R&D phase. The startup has been transparent about a key ingredient not being approved by the E.U., which led to two new prototypes being unveiled. Neither was exactly what was hoped for, with in-house food scientists claiming there was no way forward. Eventually, a breakthrough came and a suitable prototype was debuted.
“The feedback from chefs, friends, consumers and peers in the industry started to lean towards “WOW!”. And when we got Emmanuel Faber, former CEO of Danone, to call out “the best cream cheese I’ve ever tasted” we felt we were getting very close,” Tavakoli said in his announcement. “We then conducted a 130+ consumer side-by-side blind test with various cream cheese products, coming out at the top of our plant-based peers. We were ready, at least for a 1.0 launch and to see in real life how well Spread could deliver on our dreams for it!”
Stockeld is now scaling its production capabilities ahead of securing distribution channels. At present, the spread is being used in two Swedish restaurants. It can be found on a limited-edition pizza at Mellqvist and a burger offered by ChouChou’s. Retail rollout is anticipated to begin in late summer, limited to Sweden. Version 2.0 is in development now, with flavoured varieties due to follow shortly.
Vegan cream cheese competition heating up
The alternative dairy sector has seen companies vying for the top position, especially within the cream cheese sphere. Consumers now have access to a large number of brands, letting them find the most authentic schmear for their bagels and many are taking different approaches.
U.S.-based Modern Kitchen uses Perfect Day’s precision fermented animal-free dairy proteins to create its cream cheese. Launched in late 2021, with three flavours, the range claims to have captured the texture and creamy taste of conventional cream cheese.
Segment stalwart Philadelphia looked to capture vegan consumers with its own plant-based launch, at the start of this year. Timed to coincide with Veganuary, the debut came after two years of development. The result is an almond and oat-based cream cheese that is packaged in 100 percent recyclable materials.
The current U.S. baby formula shortage has brought into sharp focus a need for alternatives to be brought to market. The U.S. has been attempting to increase its supply of infant nutrition products, but with little success. The result is growing panic over children’s development and health concerns for those with specific metabolic needs.
Reports of a growing black market for baby formula highlights the seriousness of the issue. Observers have noted that the monopoly of the U.S.’s supply by a handful of manufacturers has caused the bottleneck, resulting in calls for more options to be available for parents who are unable or unwilling to chestfeed.
The cultivated and precision fermentation breast milk sectors, though niche, offer optimism for parents globally that there will be other choices. The following five startups are pressing ahead to make sure that every child is fed, with sustainable and allergen-free alternatives to conventional baby formula.
Michelle Egger and Leila Strickland. Photo by Biomilq.
1. Biomilq
Founders: Leila Strickland and Michelle Egger.
Country of origin: U.S.
Funding to date: $24.5 million.
Manufacturing method: Cell cultivation.
Significant developments: Moving from proof-of-concept to proof-of-complexity in 2021.
Projected launch: Within four years.
Biomilq was founded specifically to disrupt the profit-driven baby formula sector by placing the focus back on parents and their children. Work began on the project in 2013, with a prototype confirmed in 2021, allowing the startup to claim it was the first to make “cell-cultured human milk outside of the breast”.
Bill Gates has invested more than once in the staunchly female-founded and led company that has stated a team of men in suits would not have been able to secure as much funding for such a development.
Photo by Helaina.
2. Helaina
Country of origin: U.S.
Founders: Laura Katz.
Funding to date: $24.6 million.
Manufacturing method: Precision fermentation.
Significant developments: Recreating immune-equivalent proteins that have previously only been found in breast milk.
Projected launch: Unconfirmed.
Helaina uses precision fermentation to produce what it calls a nature-equivalent breast milk solution. Following its latest funding round, a $20 million Series A in November last year, the startup is scaling its production technology to make meaningful movements towards commercialisation. The company uses the same technology as Perfect Day, which has recreated nature-identical whey proteins for cow-free dairy.
Helaina has successfully reprogrammed microbes to produce breast milk proteins which have been clinically proven to increase infant immunity. These will be used to produce the first product slated for launch: a “humanised” infant formula.
Co-founders Fengru Lin and Max Rye. Photo by TurtleTree Labs
3. TurtleTree Labs
Country of origin: Singapore.
Founders: Fengru Lin and Max Rye.
Funding to date: $39.4 million
Manufacturing method: Cell cultivation.
Significant developments: Moving from a singular focus on producing dairy milk without cows to include human breast milk for children.
Projected launch: By 2023, following commercial delays for initial 2021 ambitions.
In 2020, TurtleTree announced it was looking to work with leading baby formula brands to create human breast milk products. At the time this was a lateral move from the startup’s existing success with cow-free dairy. The announcement came after a successful pre-seed funding round in January the same year. It projected the ability to unveil a cultivated breast milk product by 2021, costing $26 per litre.
In December 2020, TurtleTree closed a $6.2 million pre-Series A funding round, specifically to accelerate its cultivated breast milk R&D. In June 2021, the startup unveiled its first commercial product, a cell-based human lactoferrin. The ingredient has been shown to offer immunity and developmental benefits. The ingredient is expected to be approved for sale far quicker than cultivated whole milk, allowing TurtleTree to start disrupting the infant formula sector more quickly. Approval is being sought in Singapore and the U.S. simultaneously.
Wilk team members. Photo by Wilk.
4. Wilk (formerly BioMilk)
Country of origin: Israel.
Founders: Arik Kaufman, Kobi Buxdorf and Tomer Aizen.
Funding to date: $1 million.
Manufacturing method: Cell cultivation.
Significant developments: Earning U.S. patent approval for cultivated breast milk processes in 2022.
Projected launch: Initial samples are anticipated by 2023.
Similarly to Turtle Tree, Wilk was initially founded to look at the possibilities of cultivated dairy milk. This evolved to include human breast milk in a bid to break into the $45 billion global infant milk sector. In 2021 the company became the first cell-based milk manufacturer to go public.
Following successful patent applications earlier this year, Wilk is submitting more to protect its intellectual property while R&D continues. Current focus is on identifying the best ways to maximise milk yield from cultivated mammary cells.
Esha Saxena and Luis Malaver-Ortega. Photo by Me&.
5. Me&
Country of origin: Australia.
Founders: Esha Saxena and Luis Malaver-Ortega.
Funding to date: Unconfirmed.
Manufacturing method: Cell cultivation.
Significant developments: Unconfirmed.
Projected launch: Unconfirmed.
New kid on the block, Me& has been launched to amplify the benefits of breast milk without excluding parents unable to chestfeed. The startup lists a number of health conditions that have been proven to be improved by feeding children breast milk, including asthma and diabetes. The company is looking to use cultivation technology to capture and replicate complex components of human breast milk to develop products that can be given in place of conventional formula.
Eat Just’s Good Meat has broken ground on the largest cultivated meat factory in Asia.
Building on its success in Singapore after becoming the first company to earn regulatory approval for cultivated meat in the city-state, Eat Just’s Good Meat is moving forward with its bioreactor facility in JTC Bedok Food City.
The target launch date is set for early 2023, and according to Eat Just will be able to produce tens of thousands of pounds of meat.
Cell-based meat in Singapore
The increased production capacity is due to what Eat Just says is ” the single-largest bioreactor in the cultivated meat industry to date.” Cultivated meat is grown in labs via media fed to cells, replacing the need to raise and slaughter animals.
Singapore is still the only place in the world that has approved the sale of cultivated meat. Eat Just has worked with several distributors across the region to sell its cell-based chicken since it received approval in 2020.
“Less than two years ago, Singapore made history, and since that moment, consumers have enjoyed the world’s first and only commercially available slaughter-free meat at high-end restaurants, hawker stalls and in their own homes,” Eat Just co-founder and CEO Josh Tetrick said in a statement. “We view Singapore as vital in our plans to build this new approach to making meat. We’ll launch new products here, distribute to other countries in Asia from here and learn from consumers here who have proven themselves to be at the cutting edge of what’s next.”
GOOD Meat cultivated chicken. Photo by Eat Just.
Mr. Chan Hian Lim, Deputy CEO (Corporate, Industry and Technology) of the Singapore Food Agency, Singapore’s regulatory authority entrusted with ensuring a safe food supply, said that as consumer trends and technology evolve, alternative proteins such as plant-based, microbial and cultured meat “could contribute meaningfully to the ‘30 by 30’ goal. SFA will continue to work closely with the industry and research entitles to grow its capacity to produce a wide variety of food, including our protein needs, locally,” he said.
“We are excited to welcome GOOD Meat to JTC Bedok Food City, where there’s a growing ecosystem of food companies pursuing sustainable food innovation and manufacturing. As an industrial developer, JTC sees the importance of curating industry ecosystems in our estates to accelerate business growth. We are seeing a growing number of companies exploring innovative food solutions and believe that GOOD Meat’s presence will help catalyze new partnerships and synergies in alternative protein and other emerging innovative areas,” said Alvin Tan, Assistant CEO of JTC’s Industry Cluster Group, the government agency charged with championing sustainable industrial development in Singapore.
The facility will also house scientists and researchers, and help to boost Singapore’s efforts to develop urban food solutions, said Mr. Damian Chan, Executive Vice President, Singapore Economic Development Board.
“This facility will also provide many good job opportunities for Singaporeans to be at the cutting edge of novel food technologies. We look forward to working closely with such like-minded companies to develop Singapore into a hub where innovative agri-food solutions can be developed to feed the world,” he added.
Eat Just expansion
The groundbreaking ceremony comes after Eat Just announced a partnership with ABEC, Inc. on developing the largest bioreactors known for producing avian and mammal cell cultures.
Tetrick calls the Singapore facility a major step for the cultivated meat industry, which now includes about 200 companies around the world. Regulatory approval in the U.S. is expected by 2024, if not sooner.
South Korea’s Armored Fresh, formerly known as Yangyoo, has confirmed a successful pre-Series B raise totalling $23 million. The round was led by previous investor the Korea Development Bank with supporting participation from Hanwha Investment & Securities, Daesung Startup Investment, Collaborative Fund and Sejong Venture partners, amongst others.
The funding has been earmarked to support a move into the U.S. market which will see the startup unveil its vegan cheeses. Initially, only a limited selection of plant-based dairy goods had been debuted, to South Korean audiences. However, during a trade show in Las Vegas, Armored Fresh reported that its stand at the Customer Electronics Show 2022 was “hugely successful”.
Securing the means to make a mark in the U.S.
Armored Fresh’s cash injection comes five months after its initial raise of $10 million, also led by Korea Development Bank. New and existing backers joining the pre-Series B raise demonstrates an awareness that alternative dairy is on the rise.
“Investors believe in the growth potential of Armored Fresh. They are convinced we could be a leader in the market. Their confidence and enthusiasm is reflected in the amount we were able to raise,” Andrew Yu, Armored Fresh CEO told NutritionInvestor. “The funds received in this round will help us to penetrate the US market and accelerate our growth to become a world-class foodtech innovator.”
Vegan cheese for global palates
Armored Fresh has previously laid out plans to launch its portfolio with almond milk-based cheeses that boasted high protein levels. Four varieties are slated to be in the works, with cheddar slices, shredded mozzarella, cubed cheese and cream cheese all listed. Various flavours of each incarnation will be explored with unusual options, including salted caramel and chocolate confirmed. The recipes have been well received and instrumental in securing investment.
“When we invest in food companies our number one requirement is taste, especially in this crowded plant-based dairy market,” Brain Chang, principal at Collaborative Fund, said in a statement. “If the taste is not exceptional, we would not pursue the investment.”
Now official launch dates have been confirmed, nor have any product range details. U.S. entry is anticipated to commence in Q3 of this year. The startup is still reportedly planning an ambitious move into wider dairy production, with plant-based yoghurt and ice cream on its radar.
“Our mission is clear. We want to guard and protect people’s health by guarding and protecting our environment and our animals. We do what we do for sustainability, for food security and for our future,” Yu said in a previous company statement. “We’ve succeeded in making super vegan cheese that surpasses nutritional value of any of our competitors without compromising taste. We will continue to add technological capabilities, R&D, and innovation to bring crave-worthy vegan products to market.”
Plant-based cheese picking up pace
Global acceptance of vegan cheese appears to be driving access to more products, through conventional channels. In the U.K., it was revealed earlier this month that Waitrose is partnering with La Fauxmagerie to sell a range of artisan plant-based cheeses. To begin, 20 stores will sell the smoked, blue and camembert styles, with nationwide rollout anticipated to follow quickly.
Dutch startup Willicrofy announced the completion of a successful pre-seed funding round last month. The vegan cheese manufacturer scooped €2 million to bolster a European expansion plan that will see the U.K., Germany and nordic regions specifically targeted for widespread distribution.
In a dramatic show of faith in plant-based dairy, Australia’s Change Foods netted two government grants within the space of a month. The animal-free cheese maker has received $4.1 million in total, to continue the development of its precision fermentation platform that creates dairy-identical proteins.
Spanish startup Cocuus has confirmed a successful €2.5 million pre-Series A raise. Big Idea Ventures led the investment with participation noted from Cargill Ventures and Tech Transfer UPV. The news comes shortly after the company completed the Eatable Adventures acceleration programme, also listed as an investor.
Cocuus is engaged in the production of technology to facilitate plant and cell-based meat manufacturing. The new funding will support scaling its business model ahead of expansion into new global markets. The startup hopes to use its 3D bioprinting technology and automated innovations to disrupt the food system by supporting increasingly realistic substitutes for conventional meat.
Ready to replace meat
In 2021 Cocuus announced it had developed a proprietary 3D printing technique suitable for use with plant or cell-based ingredients, offering versatile production opportunities. At the time, the startup unveiled a 3D printed ribeye steak alongside salmon sashimi to prove the realistic aesthetic it was capable of creating.
Dubbed Mimethica, Cocuus’ platform uses AI to analyse the composition of existing foods. It then uses mathematical models to recreate the same structures but using new ingredients that have been converted into bio-inks. It was hoped that the platform could be developed to such an extent that replication could be carried out at scale. The new funding is a step towards this goal.
“We are very proud to have attracted the interest of international investors with this round of financing,” Patxi Larumbe, CEO and co-founder of Cocuus said in a statement. “Thanks to this capital injection we will be able to bring our technology within reach of corporations that want to print proteins on an industrial scale.”
Facilitating a new global food system
The FAO previously released data that suggests if we reach a global population of 9.1 billion by 2050, food production will have to increase by 70 percent. Specifically, meat manufacturing will have to increase by more than 200 million tons per year. This will fly in the face of emissions reduction targets that are widely set to see drastic improvements by 2050. Experts have predicted a population of closer to 9.8 billion by 2050, with updated birth and death rates taken into account.
Plant-based diets and cultivated meat developments are being viewed and promoted as potential solutions to the emissions crisis. Both require significantly less land and energy during production, compared to conventional meat, but are struggling to compete with the scale of existing animal protein production systems. Cocuus aims to remove this bottleneck.
“At Big Idea Ventures, we invest in technology which impacts the alternative protein industry’s entire value chain,” Andrew D Ive, founder and managing general partner of Big Idea Ventures said in a statement. “Cocuus’ technology addresses a major pain point of structured plant- and cell-based meat production methods: scalability. We are thrilled to support this innovative team and we look forward to seeing their scalable food technology making an impact across the world.”
3D printing’s traction in the alternative protein market
3D printing technology has become a key player in the quest for realistic meat analogues with numerous startups seeking to utilise it. In April, Hong Kong-based Alt Farm announced that it is hoping to capture APAC success, by 2023. Its flagship development is a 3D printed plant-based wagyu beef, thanks to a specially-designed printing nozzle that mimics complex structures.
Israel’s SavorEat welcomed a robot chef to its team in January this year. The alternative protein startup uses the technology to manufacture custom plant-based meat analogues and partnered with BBB to offer its diners tailored burger patties. Consumers are able to tweak the protein, fat and density of their burgers at the time of order, before having the item printed and cooked in front of them. Even retail outlets are looking at the possibilities connected to 3D-printed food. In February, Ikea revealed it was using printed vegan meatballs in a recruitment drive for sustainable tech professionals.
San Francisco-based Artemys Foods has emerged from stealth with a new name. Now dubbed SCiFi Foods, the startup that counts British rock bank Coldplay as one of its early backers has announced its rebrand along with a renewed mission: to debut hybrid cultivated beef burgers that contain plant protein. To this end, the company has welcomed a new board member and closed a $22 million Series A funding round.
Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) led the latest investment round. Participation was confirmed from Valor Siren Ventures, Box Group and Entree Capital, amongst others. Total funding to date now stands at $29 million. The Series A raise will support company-wide expansion including R&D capabilities, marketing strategies and new personnel.
Making a (new) name in the cultivated meat sector
SCiFi is looking to overcome a recognised hurdle within the cultivated meat sector of producing commercial products at a price point that is appealing to consumers. It uses what it calls a unique bioengineering technique to grow meat from animal cells, at scale and without prohibitive costs. To date, it has focussed on ground beef products, with a view to releasing hybrid burgers that will also contain plant-based protein. SCiFi states that this offers a vastly improved flavour, when compared to exclusively plant-based meats, and brings down the cost of the cultivated element.
The hybrid approach relies on both proprietary bioengineering techniques and established CRISPR gene-editing technology. The latter is being used to experiment with cell behaviour, in a bid to encourage maximum growth and stability in the shortest amount of time possible. Together, they paint the picture of a futuristic food production company, which led to a total startup rebrand.
“We’ve devised the technology to grow real meat without the need for an animal — an astounding feat,” Joshua March, CEO and co-founder of SCiFi Foods said in a statement. “This innovation is the future we once only imagined could be a reality. I believe it’s important to be open and authentic about what we’re doing, and our new name reflects exactly that. Consumers value transparency, and I would rather be bold than hide behind a bland, corporate moniker. As a company creating food, there are two things we absolutely can never compromise on: trust as a brand and the taste of our products.”
Catching the eye of seasoned investors
Andreessen Horowitz has a history of investing in big-ticket brands. It counts Airbnb, Facebook and Pinterest in its list of early-stage investment successes.
“Cultivated meat will disrupt the trillion-dollar global market for meat products, with huge benefits to the planet,” Vijay Pande, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz said in a statement. “However, there are major cost hurdles, and SCiFi’s technology and approach was the first we felt that truly has the potential to both scale quickly and to drastically reduce cost.”
With funding secured, SCiFi, which recently moved into a new 16,000 square foot R&D location in the East Bay, can put its plans to build a pilot facility into action. A deadline of year-end has been set to allow for finalisation of products, ahead of commercial launch. The pilot production unit will ensure consistent quality, to, hopefully, expedite the regulatory approval process.
Scaling cultivated meat production
Scale and cost are the main issues facing cultivated meat producers. SciFi has acknowledged that it is unknown where the ‘sweet spot’ is in terms of the perfect size of large bioreactors.
“We’ve spoken with a lot of experts in biopharma, and there’s no fundamental reason that they stopped at 20,000 liters other than that they just didn’t need to [go bigger],” March told FoodNavigator-USA. “But is that [sweet spot] 50,000 or 100,000 liters or more? No one really knows. We think that for our approach it will be commercially viable to grow our cells in 20,000 liter bioreactors, which is about the scale that you see today in biopharma.”
Good Meat, Eat Just’s cultivated meat brand, is looking to embrace a similar scaling mindset. The company announced, last month, that it has partnered with ABEC in a multi-year agreement. ABEC will be assisting with the production of the “largest known” bioreactors for cell culture production. Ten 250,000-litre units have been slated to be in the works, allowing for 30 million pounds of slaughter-free meat to be created every year.
AAK Foodservice has taken over ForA:Butter, a brand developed by New York-based startup Fora Foods. The flagship product is butter made using aquafaba, which delivers performance that professional bakers look for in their ingredients. The butter has been steadily gaining presence within the foodservice sector, alongside some movement within retail.
Formerly dubbed ‘Faba Butter’, ForA:Butter is made from a combination of aquafaba, cocoa butter, coconut butter, coconut cream, and sunflower oil. AAK has been manufacturing it for ForA, before choosing to acquire the brand entirely. Financial details of the purchase have not been revealed.
Vegan butter brands
Adding to the plant-based portfolio
A spokesperson for AAK said that “[ForA:Butter is a] very good fit to our plant-based expansion with premium plant butter products and will provide an addition complementary to our Green Oasis plant-based product line.”
The manufacturer states that the butter is an entirely different product from margarine and not comparable to it, being more akin to dairy butter. It claims that a 1:1 substitution for conventional butter is possible, even in technical applications. It cites laminated dough, such as that used in croissant baking, as not faltering when made with ForA:Butter.
Waiving goodbye to a brand
Fora co-founder Aidan Altman has previously secured investment from New Crop Capital and Blue Horizon, amongst others. Backing was used to develop the butter, which was put through rigorous R&D testing.
“We’ve gone through hundreds of different iterations to get where we are today,” Altman said in a statement. “The cocoa butter and coconut cream have that really nice fat profile and provide a similar melting point and smoking point to butter and then the aquafaba is a way to tie it all together and emulsify it, but it also creates a unique kind of umami flavor profile.”
Altman has been quoted by FoodNavigator-USA as stating that he can’t comment on AAK’s motivations for the ForA:Butter acquisition or the company’s future plans for the brand. He did maintain that the product stands out in the plant-based dairy market, thanks to its professional capabilities and unique flavour.
Photo by Miyoko’s Creamery.
Butter by any other name
Vegan butter is a growing niche within the alternative dairy market. Consumers are no longer satisfied with margarine and are driving demand for authentically decadent and functional butter alternatives. Cow-free spreads are usually healthier, due to containing no cholesterol, and offer environmental benefits alongside, with claims that they can help reduce a personal carbon footprint by up to 30 percent. However, not everybody is delighted by the rise of plant-based butter.
In August last year, Miyoko’s Creamery secured a landmark legal victory. The vegan dairy brand took the State of California to court for attempting to impose labelling restrictions that would prevent terms such as “butter”, “lactose-free” and “cruelty-free” from being used. The case was initially launched in 2020, with Miyoko’s suing for an infringement of its right to free speech. A preliminary injunction was secured the same year and in 2021, permanent rights to use the traditionally dairy-related words were granted. It offered optimism to the wider plant-based sector, especially in light of other ongoing labelling issues.
Miyokos announced it was launching a vegan butter cooking channel last November; the YouTube-hosted channel features recipes and tips for cooking with plant-based butter, with a focus on the science of baking. Different hosts and plant-based chefs will feature. The channel was announced shortly after the dairy manufacturer closed a $52 million Series C raise.
Bengaluru-based Alt Co. has confirmed a $1 million raise led by undisclosed major investors from Singapore, the Middle East and India. The plant-based brand intends to use the cash injection to increase its size, reach and product portfolio. Chief amongst new product developments is a line of alternative dairy. Plant-based eggs and nutritional supplements have also been mentioned.
Ahead of launching its recent fundraising effort, Alt Co. secured a new presence in retail outlets and saw an uptick in online sales. With money in the bank, the startup intends to keep connecting with fellow food and beverage companies, while investigating new R&D opportunities. The end goal is to become the leading plant-based innovator within the APAC and APMEA regions.
Zoning in on growing plant-based trends
Alt Co.’s plant-based dairy alternatives plans have been mapped out- they include ice creams, yoghurts, hot chocolate and chocolate bars, there is a focus on sweet treats. These will sit alongside its existing oat drink in a bid to move consumers towards healthier plant-based foods.
“More and more of us are realizing every day the importance of sticking to a healthy diet, a diet that takes nature as its inspiration,” Basan Patil, Co-Founder, Alt Co. said in a statement. “We at Alt Co. have been going out of our way to ensure that Indians have meal options that are animal-friendly and dairy-free, and have been incredibly heartened by the response to our products.”
The $1 million raise has been heralded by Alt Co. as an opportunity to keep living up to its ‘green aisle philosophy’. It states that consumers of all ages should have access to sustainable, healthy and animal-free foods that are enjoyable to eat.
No details have been released regarding the new ranges, but they are anticipated to be oat-based.
Photo by Sylvia Bartyzel at Unsplash.
India wants more plant-based dairy
“The appetite for plant-based dairy is growing rapidly and gaining acceptance all over the world, and is now picking up in India as well,” Varun Deshpande, Managing Director, GFI India said in a statement. “The plant-based dairy sector in India is projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20.7%, which will triple the industry’s current market size by 2024. With companies like Alt Co. expanding their product ranges and continuing to create alternatives to dairy that are better tasting, better for you, and better for the planet, we’re confident that these projections will hold true.”
In a move that will potentially strengthen India’s relationship with animal-free dairy, Perfect Day was recently confirmed as the winning bidder in an auction for Mumbai-based Sterling Biotech. The Californian alt-dairy giant has acquired three manufacturing plants within India, as part of the deal. No plans have been released for the facilities but it is anticipated that the locations will support India-specific and Asia-wide expansion while reducing operational costs.
Photo by Imagine Meats.
Growing demand for Indian plant-based products
The domestic alternative protein sector is growing in India. From collaborations with global names, as seen in Tata Starbucks’ partnership with Imagine Meats, to new developments, a lot is happening. Approximately 50 companies are thought to be engaged in product development.
Novolutions just announced it is expanding from mocktail drinks into the vegan meat market. The foodtech startup has made its market debut with new brand Just Dig In!, across New Delhi. The plant-based range is currently focussed on chicken analogues, distributed by Modern Bazaar.
In April, BVeg Foods announced it is working with Switzerland’s Bühler. The latter is supplying high moisture extrusion equipment that will allow BVeg to create what it calls ‘indistinguishable’ vegan meat for Indian consumers. The startup will construct a specialist production facility for enhanced protein manufacturing. The move has been made to capture more realistic meat textures, to sway consumers toward plant-based eating.
Alternative dairy startup Bon Vivant has announced a strategic partnership with fellow French operation Abolis Biotechnologies. The latter is a European leader in industrial biotechnology. The two will co-develop production methods for the scaled manufacturing of animal-free dairy proteins created via precision fermentation.
News of the partnership comes shortly after Bon closed a €4 million funding round. The startup hopes to develop an effective production system for the mass manufacturing of its dairy-identical proteins. From here, they will be offered to the alternative dairy sector on a B2B basis.
Photo by Nikolai Chernichenko at Unsplash.
Unlocking fermentation’s full potential
Bon has successfully proven its concept but remains at lab development stage due to production constraints. Its next phase will see the startup looking to mass-produce its proteins that are “100 percent identical to those produced by the cow”. In April, it was reported that Bon’s next step would be to secure meaningful partnerships within the industry. Its confirmed partnership with Abolis is a realisation of this and a sign that taste and texture evolution is on the cards.
“Our partnership was born out of the desire to offer, on a large scale, healthy dairy products with organoleptic and nutritional qualities identical to those produced by animals and accessible, whose development must be environmentally friendly,” Hélène Briand, co-founder and director of innovation and product development at Bon Vivant said in a statement. “We are pleased to join forces to meet a global need: to feed a growing population, while producing in a sustainable way. Abolis’ highly specialized expertise will enable us to realize our joint ambitions.”
Previously, Bon has stated that unless it can replicate the look, feel and functionality of conventional dairy perfectly, it would consider its platform a failure. Having prototyped its innovation, it now requires the assistance of a precision fermentation specialist to take its milk proteins to the next level.
“Enriching and diversifying the range of protein sources while limiting our ecological impact is a major challenge for the future of humanity. Following the example of our commitment to major industrial groups to offer them new production solutions compatible with their ecological transition objectives, we want to help them meet this new challenge,” Valérie Brunel, managing director of Abolis said in a statement. “We are more than ever committed to working with our partner to develop these new sources of protein and we are counting on its expertise to make them healthy, accessible products that are in keeping with our culinary culture”.
Photo by Andra C Taylor Jr on Unsplash.
Sustainable food without cultural sacrifice
Dairy is big business in France. One of the major national economy drivers, it recorded $21.4 billion in 2019. Alongside the profit comes a price for the planet. Dairy is thought to account for 30 percent of all livestock emissions and demand is increasing. Predictions cite growth up until at least 2030.
Bon claims that its primary motivations are maintaining French gastronomic heritage while helping consumers to move toward a plant-based diet. It has previously hailed California’s Perfect Day as its inspirational model.
Leading by example
Perfect Day has been announcing new developments and partnerships consistently. Its latest, the startup revealed, is working with Strive Nutrition to produce a new sustainable milk alternative. Kansas-based Strive uses perfect Day’s animal-free whey to bolster its plant-based developments. Unusually for the sector, the whey has been added to oat and almond varieties, alongside more realistic cow milk analogues.
Last month, Tomorrow Farms announced it had also been developing milk drinks, using Perfect Day protein. Its new Bored Cow range will feature three flavoured kinds of milk, following a successful $10.5 million seed funding round.
Which vegan eggs are the best? We put nine leading options to the test.
It’s crazy to think that just a decade ago, there were no animal-free alternatives to chicken eggs. If you went vegan, it meant saying goodbye to eating, cooking, and baking with eggs. So, the fact that I reached out to about 20 different brands making alt protein egg products for this review is a clear sign of how far along the industry has come.
It’s not just about the perfect egg scramble or egg breakfast sandwich at brunch. Eggs are a major cooking and baking ingredient. As an avid baker, I know that the struggle is real when it comes to finding the right egg replacement for your popover or Il Flotante. Not to mention eggs over easy or a hard-boiled egg you can make deviled eggs and egg salad with. The good news? There are lots of options and new players in the space working hard to give you animal-free alternatives no matter how you like your eggs.
You can have your fried egg or your hard-boiled egg and eat it too! From frozen pourable to ready-to-eat patty and instant powder mix, with ingredients that span mung beans and lupin beans to pea and tofu, I researched it all, and by research, I mean ate, of course. Here’s my cheat sheet on how they taste, cook, and compare with one another.
Source: JUST Egg
1. JUST Egg – Best Taste & Best Patty
When it comes to vegan eggs, the time-space continuum can be split into ‘Before JUST Egg’ (BJE) and ‘After JUST Egg’ (AJE). BJE, if you wanted a vegan scramble, your options were a powder mix or tofu. Eat Just’s mung bean pourable egg replacement was a game-changer and the first to achieve mainstream status. It’s now widely used in both retail and food service with a star-studded roster of celeb investors, including Serena Williams and Jake Gyllenhaal.
JUST Egg set the standard for vegan eggs and is the plant-based egg to beat when it comes to mouthfeel, versatility, easiness of preparation, and even price. In addition to the original JUST Egg 12oz bottle, The JUST Egg line also includes the JUST Egg Folded and the JUST Egg Sous Vide – in Roasted Potato Red Pepper Dill and Roasted Poblano Black Beans Chili Powder varieties.
Cooking: JUST Egg needs to be refrigerated and used within 5 to 7 days once opened. It takes longer to cook than conventional eggs and I, for one, have a difficult time figuring out when to start scrambling or when it’s done. I get this cheesy consistency that makes it stick all over my nonstick frying pan and I end up wasting a lot of product. It would be really helpful if it came with some basic cooking instructions.
That said, it’s by far the one that gives you the closest mouthfeel to a chicken egg in terms of taste, fluffiness, texture, and even smell. If you’re eating it plain scrambled, it is the most egg-like and tastes as eggy as conventional eggs. So much so that if you add other ingredients, like cheese and veggies, or make a breakfast sandwich or burrito with it and serve it to your friends, they’ll never know they’re not eating real eggs.
JUST Egg’s original pourable liquid version is also super versatile. You can scramble it, make omelets and frittatas with it, or even use it as a baking replacement for eggs. Both the Folded and Sous Vide products can be kept frozen, then microwaved (no defrosting required), and ready within minutes.
Mouthfeel: 10
Versatility: 9
Easiness of Preparation: 8
Overall: 9 out of 10
Bonus Points: I love the convenience of popping the JUST folded in the toaster or microwave when I’m having a lazy morning. The JUST Folded also stands out from its competitors because it is, as the name says, folded so you get a double patty. Their Sous Vide makes for the perfect on-the-go vegan frittata.
Protein Source: Mung bean
Price: $3.99-$5.99 for a 12oz bottle, $4.29-$4.49 for a box of four JUST Folded, $5.98-$6.99 for a box of four Sous Vide (the most expensive of the 3 options)
Source: Zero Egg
2. Zero Egg – Most Versatile
Even though Zero Egg is currently only available to the food service industry, you can have a sneak taste of their vegan egg in the Alpha Foods breakfast bowl sold at Costco in California and Hawaii. Zero Egg currently comes in two formats: frozen pourable form and as a ready-to-eat patty.
Cooking: I defrosted the Zero Egg Liquid in the refrigerator overnight. Like JUST Egg, it needs to be used within 5 to 7 days once defrosted. The first thing I noticed is that it has a pancake batter consistency and it’s thicker than JUST Egg or Simply Eggless. Because of that, it cooks way faster than both. The taste is not 100% quite there when you eat it plain scrambled, but it was delicious when I made an omelet and added my favorite vegan cheese. You can make a few ahead of time, refrigerate, then just heat them up and add fillings when you’re ready to eat. Perfect for a brunch party!
Mouthfeel: 8
Versatility: 10
Ease of Preparation: 10
Overall: 8 out of 10
Bonus Points: The peanut butter cookie recipe their ambassador chef shared with me in our cooking demo is a show stopper and I’m officially hooked!
Protein Source: A proprietary blend of plant proteins that include pea, chickpea, potato, and soy
Price: You can purchase a four-pack of Alpha Breakfast Bowls at Costco for $12.49
Source: Simply Eggless
3. Simply Eggless – Contains Prebiotics
JUST Egg, Zero Egg, and Simply Eggless all offer liquid and ready-to-eat patty options. Simply Eggless has the same liquidy consistency as JUST Egg and also needs to be used within 5 to 7 days once opened.
Cooking: Even though it has the same consistency, it bubbles up and cooks faster than JUST Egg. It’s also easier to scramble and tell when it’s done. I liked the taste and the texture of the scrambled, but out of the 3, the Simply Eggless patty was my least favorite. Even though I followed the heating instructions on the box, the patty never got warm or firm enough. The texture was quite creamy, and the mouthfeel just wasn’t really there.
Mouthfeel: 8
Versatility: 10
Easiness of Preparation: 8
Overall: 7 out of 10
Bonus Points: Simply Eggless has 3 grams of prebiotics per serving, unlike its competitors or even actual eggs.
Protein Source: Lupin beans
Price: $6.49 for a 16oz bottle or one box of four frozen patties
Source: Puris Foods
4. Acremade Plant-Based Egg Scrambler – Best Value & Ease-of-Use
I was blown away by Acremade Plant-Based Egg Scrambler. I wasn’t expecting much from a powder-based vegan egg, but boy oh boy, was I pleasantly surprised! I mean who knew a powder mixed with water could give you such spot-on eggy flavor and fluffiness? This is the new hot product to watch for and it’s going to give JUST Egg a serious run for its money once it hits the retail shelves.
Cooking: All you have to do is add ¼ cup to a cup of water and whisk it. I like that it requires whisking the same way real eggs do. It has the thickest consistency by far, think cake batter, which makes it a bit harder to scramble but still easier than JUST Egg! Once it started cooking in the frying pan, my entire kitchen smelled just like bird-based scrambled eggs. The taste, the texture, and the fluffiness are all there. NOTE: Their other product, the Acremade Egg Replacer is being discontinued because you can do it all with the Plant-Based Egg Scrambler. They’ll be rebranding and renaming the Scrambler soon.
Mouthfeel: 10
Versatility: 10
Easiness of Preparation: 9
Overall: 10 out of 10
Bonus Points: It’s shelf-stable so you don’t have to worry about using it up within a week. It’s also the best value for your buck since $5.99 gets you a 12 oz bag and ¼ cup gives you the equivalent of 2-3 eggs!
Protein Source: Pea protein and lupin bean flour
Price: $5.99
Source: Hodo Foods
5. Hodo Foods All-Day Egg Scramble – For Tofu Lovers
Hodo Foods All-Day Egg Scramble is more of an egg alternative than an egg replacement. It’s yellow, but it doesn’t have the same taste or texture of a real egg and I think calling it ‘All-Day Egg Scramble’ is a bit misleading. It’s made with tofu and if tofu scramble is your jam, this is the product for you. It’s not versatile because it comes already seasoned and ready to eat, but you can eat it in a jiffy since it only needs to be heated up on a frying pan or in the microwave.
Mouthfeel: 5
Versatility: 5
Easiness of Preparation: 10
Overall: 5 out 10
Bonus Points: It is by far the easiest one to prepare as it doesn’t require defrosting or cooking.
Protein Source: Soybean
Price: $8.79 online
Source: Be Leaf
6. Be Leaf Fried Eggs – Best Ready-to-Eat
I was really impressed with the Be Leaf fried egg. It delivered the same taste, texture, and mouthfeel you get from eating a fried chicken egg. The yolk’s consistency and taste were surprisingly identical to the real deal. It’s also super easy to make. All you have to do is defrost it in the refrigerator overnight, heat it up in a frying pan or microwave, and voila! While it’s the perfect fried egg replacement, it’s not as versatile as a pourable egg alternative.
Mouthfeel: 10
Versatility: 5
Easiness of Preparation: 10
Overall: 9 out of 10
Bonus Points: Unlike most of the other brands reviewed here, Be Leaf’s vegan range also includes meatless products like shrimp, chicken, bacon, and steak as well as jerky, seasoning, and dried soy.
Protein Source: Non-GMO soy
Price: $13.99 – $15.89 online
Source: Crafty Counter
7. Wunder Eggs – Best Hard-Boiled Egg
I was really looking forward to trying Crafty Counter’s Wunder Eggs and it didn’t disappoint. It has the same texture and appearance of a hard-boiled egg. You also get the same exact sensory experience of holding a chilled hard-boiled egg in your hand. The egg white mouthfeel was spot on while the egg yolk was a bit creamier than a real egg yolk. I very much enjoyed eating it plain with just a dash of salt and also chopped up in an egg salad.
Mouthfeel: 9
Versatility: 5
Easiness of Preparation: 10
Overall: 8 out of 10
Bonus Points: Clean label and requires no peeling, which was always the most annoying part of eating hard-boiled eggs!
The Nummy Nibbles Plant-Based Omelette/Scramble Mix comes in packs of three and you can mix and match the flavors, Original (with Mushrooms, Tomatoes & Black pepper), Southwestern (with Bell Peppers, Jalapenos, Onion, Garlic, and Cayenne), and Chipotle (with Bell Peppers, Jalapenos and a hint of Smoky Chipotle). It’s a bit hard to compare it to other plain vegan scrambled eggs since all 3 mixes come with added veggies. The eggy flavor was not quite there, and the texture was slightly pastier than I’d want my scramble or omelets to be. It is easy to make because all you have to do is whisk it with water and cook, but not as versatile as other mixes since the veggies limit you to savory dishes.
Mouthfeel: 5
Versatility: 7
Easiness of Preparation: 9
Overall: 6 out of 10
Bonus Points: It’s shelf-stable and probably the one in this review with the cleanest label – no additives, artificial flavorings, or fillers at all.
Protein Source: Chickpea
Price: $10.99 for a pack of 3
Source: The EVERY Co.
9. Special Entry: EVERY EggWhite Macaron
The Every Co. uses precision fermentation to create its animal-free egg white replacer that mimics the functionality and versatility of egg white proteins. EVERY EggWhite is designed to be used as an ingredient in anything from delicate desserts, like the French macarons I tried made in partnership with Chantal Guillon, to dry mixes and protein shakes. I fancy myself quite the connoisseur when it comes to macarons, having sampled every single one I’ve ever come across back when I was a vegetarian. The perfect macaron should be light and airy with a smooth filling sandwiched between the two crisp, yet slightly soft, meringue shells. These were just that and sure to satisfy even the toughest macaron critic like me. It’s no surprise they sold out!
Mouthfeel: 10
Versatility: 10
Easiness of Preparation: 10
Overall: 10 out of 10
Bonus Points: Eye-catching and hip package design!
Protein Source: Real egg proteins made without chickens (the proteins are produced in fermentation tanks by genetically engineered microbes)
Price: The box of 6-piece macarons at the Chantal Guillon website sells for $28.00
After writing this review, there are at least three vegan eggs I’ll make sure to have at home at all times. Being a household of one, I’m very partial to anything that I can keep frozen and/or is shelf-stable so I don’t have to worry about using it all up within a week. JUST Egg Folded is a must for the perfect vegan breakfast sandwich, Acremade Plant-Based Egg Scrambler for basically anything you want to make with eggs, and Be Leaf Fried Egg for anyone who loves a good old-fashioned fried egg sandwich like me.
A few brands I reached out to and wish I could have tried for this review are: Follow Your Heart, Nabati Foods, Yo Egg, Evo Foods, and Pepita Egg. Oh well, maybe next time!
Cell-based egg comes to a new skincare line as Japan’s IntegriCulture expands its Cellament reach, demonstrating the power of its tech.
It’s been a busy year for cellular agriculture startup IntegriCulture. It kicked off January with a $7 million Series B funding round to further its efforts to decrease the price for cultivated protein. In April, it announced it grew cultivated chicken and duck meat without an animal-based media—and at a fraction of the cost compared to using animal-based growth factors. Now, the company says its cell-based egg-derived skincare ingredient, Cellament, is being used by the Japanese skincare brand Essencebase in a new line dubbed L’Oeuf.
“Cellular agriculture is often spoken in the food context, but what must not be forgotten is that opportunities of cellular agriculture go beyond food,” Yuki Hanyu, CEO at IntegriCulture said in a statement. “Examples include solid materials like leather, fur, and fluid substances like cosmetics and pharmaceuticals.”
Cellament
The L’Oeuf products, which include a serum and a moisturizing cream, use Cellament for its ability to promote skin repair. According to IntegriCulture, it “unleashes” the previously untapped power of eggs. IntegriCulture first launched Cellament last year in a skincare product from Japan-based Euglena.
L’Oeuf serum | Courtesy
IntegriCulture says it spent years researching cell-cultured serum applications in cosmetics. It says eggs offer a range of benefits to the skin. The tech allows for selective cultivation of egg cells—the amnion, yolk sac, and plasma membrane—”amplify” the potency of the nutritional elements in eggs.
The company says this proprietary ability makes its serum nutritionally superior to the same extraction from conventional chicken eggs, while also being more sustainable. According to IntegriCulture, Cellament can reduce the enzymatic activity that degrades skin elasticity by ten to 70 percent. It can also accelerate skin cell turnover, which increases smoothness and helps to prevent wrinkling.
Cellament is also linked to an increase in keratinocyte moisture retention—90 percent of the skin’s outermost layer is made of keratinocytes. IntegriCulture says the ingredient can also target free radicals that speed up signs of aging. The egg proteins also reduce the presence of damaging inflammatory cytokines that create redness. An eight-week trial saw the egg reduce sebaceous pore size and sebum secretion leading to a decrease in acne and blackhead formation.
Cell culture growth
“Cell-culture technology doesn’t just change how we source traditionally animal-derived ingredients, it also enables us to unlock nutritional and functional power that was previously inaccessible,” Hanyu said last year. “There’s never been a product like Cellament before, and certainly not one ready for scalable commercialization. This is a significant milestone for cellular agriculture and for the skincare industry.”
L’Oeuf serum | Courtesy
While cultivated meat focused brands like Upside Foods and Eat Just’s Good Meat say they’re also ready to scale, there’s currently no commercial approval outside of Singapore for cultivated meat. Eat Just earned approval there in 2020 and has been selling its cell-based chicken through select vendors since. Best estimates put U.S. approval at another 18-24 months out, though. For the E.U., it could be even longer.
The delays may be worth the wait, though. IntegriCulture says it thinks its CulNet platform can drop the cost of growth factor from current prices of upwards of $200,000 per kilogram of meat to under $3 by 2025, and under a dollar soon after that, which would make cell-based meat as accessible as conventional animal products.
(@kel_eats_chicago)
