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Eatable Adventures, one of the top 3 food-tech accelerators in the world, announces the launch of Eatable Evolution Fund FCR I; a €50 million fund that will be the biggest fund of its kind in Spain and one of the top three in Europe. The vehicle will make early and growth-stage investments targeting the most disruptive startups in food and agriculture tech across Europe and Latin America. Eatable Adventures reports that it has launched more than 20 corporate programs, ten successful accelerator and incubation programs, and oversees a yearly deal flow of 1,400 global food-tech startups and operations running across four continents. Eatable Adventures’ latest accelerator program, Spain Foodtech, included rising names in foodtech such as 3D printed plant-based steak producer Cocuus. Following its investor demo day for the first cohort of the Spain FoodTech accelerator program, the startups’ valuations increased by over sixfold, now reporting an average valuation of €7.5 million.  “Through a variety of initiatives Eatable Adventures has positioned itself as one of the 3 most active foodtech accelerators worldwide, given our mission of building tomorrow’s food companies. Thanks to Eatable Evolution Fund we will have an even more impactful contribution to the future of the food industry,” states José Luis Cabañero, CEO of Eatable Adventures. ...

With plant-based demand increasing at an exponential rate, but global production struggling to keep pace, vegconomist decided to have a chat with Dave Reynolds of the Protein Solutions and Ingredients Division of Bühler, Inc.   For those interested in seeing the Bühler facility and latest production machinery, here is a link to the company’s October 19 and 20 open house. Where do you see the market going? This market is driven by sustainability and great tasting products.  When it comes to alternative protein products on the market today, there is lots of room for improvement. With the accelerated growth in consumer demand for sustainable proteins and needing to feed 10 billion people by 2050, the technology used now will be scaled up further and pushed to much higher capacities to meet the production needs and drive down the price per pound.  Whether through extrusion, fermentation, or a variety of new technologies, further integration of ingredients, fats, oils and hybrid products will be expanded, and products will continue to improve. As a solution supplier to the industry and process partner in many of the products being developed, we will see new technologies or variations of existing technologies introduced to the market.  The processes will be modified to provide more unique ingredients and product characteristics which will also help decrease energy and water usage as well as reduce waste in the supply chain.  How do you see Bühler playing a part in getting there? There are so many directions this industry is moving ...

A study, commissioned by cell-cultured meat company Ivy Farm Technologies and conducted by researchers from Oxford Economics, has found that cell-cultured meat could add £2.1bn to the UK economy by 2030, along with creating 16,500 jobs. Based on this projection, cultured meat would make up 13% of the UK’s agriculture sector, raise £523 million in taxes, and account for 12% of consumer demand for meat, all less than a decade from now. However, this will only be possible if the UK grants regulatory approval to the sale of cell-cultured meat by the end of 2022. Failing that, the country will fall behind others such as Singapore, the US, and Israel. A market report earlier this year found that globally, the cell-cultured meat market would be worth $206.6 million by 2025. But currently, cultured meat is not available commercially in the UK, whereas in Israel it is already being produced on an industrial scale. Ivy Farm Technologies, which commissioned the Oxford Economics study, aims to bring the first cell-cultured sausages to UK supermarkets by 2023, and ultimately intends to produce 12,000 tons of cultured pork per year. “This is the first time a definitive economic dataset has been calculated for the UK’s cultivated meat industry and we’re urging the government and the FSA to study the report carefully,” said Ivy Farm Technologies CEO Rich Dillon. “If we don’t move quickly, countries like Singapore that have already approved cultivated meat for consumption will leave us in their wake.” He added, “If we ...

European Food Tech VC firm Five Seasons Ventures has announced the final closing of a €180 million second fund. Having already backed promising European plant-based businesses, the Five Seasons new Fund II will focus on fast-growing consumer-focused food startups with a quantifiable environmental or social impact.  “Food and Food Tech have the possibility to affect two of the most pressing issues of our time –  climate change and human health” After launching the first-ever Food Tech venture fund in Europe in 2018, Five Seasons Ventures has raised its flagship Fund II to continue investing in European startups at the forefront of food tech. The portfolio of the first €77 million fund saw revenue growth of 20X over four years to reach more than €350 million in aggregate revenue in 2021.  The €180 million Fund II has already invested in German plant-based startups The Nu Company and vly. Challenger brand The Nu Company recently completed a €14 million series A funding round, while pea-based milk product vly announced a €6.1 million investment. Five Seasons Ventures also backed UK plant meat producer THIS in its recent £11 million Series A round – one of the largest ever for a UK-based alt meat brand. Ivan Farneti, Co-founding Partner of Five Seasons Ventures, commented, “There’s no doubt that Food Tech is experiencing a boom in Europe right now. When we launched Five Seasons in 2018, we were the first VC to focus on Food Tech in Europe, and we believe we contributed to making ...

It is argued by some that a fully vegan diet can lack certain micronutrients, such as vitamins B12, B2 and D, and calcium, iron, selenium, and zinc, as well as the amino acid lysine and certain omega-3 fatty acids. SternVitamin GmbH develops individual vitamin and mineral mixes that also include functional ingredients like amino acids and plant extracts, suitable for enriching foods, beverages, and nutritional supplements. SternVitamin develops premixes to meet certain target-group-specific needs, such as strengthening the bones, the immune system or gut health. “Customer interest in micronutrient premixes for plant-based products is growing,” says SternVitamin Product Manager Dr Christina Mesch. “So together with our sister company Planteneers, we have developed further concepts for plant-based drinks that address the current health trend.” Oat drinks for mental power and the immune system SternVitalityV and SternDefenceV are new to the product line. SternVitality is for a coffee oat drink with important micronutrients to support mental performance. The vitamins and minerals of the premix reduce tiredness and fatigue, and provide new energy. SternDefenceV was developed for a fruity oat drink and contains vitamins, minerals, and botanicals. Sea buckthorn, vitamins B2, C and E, and the trace elements selenium and zinc protect the cells from oxidative stress, while vitamin D contributes to the growth, maturation, and activity of immune cells. Micronutrients for vegan burgers & plant-based fish products There are also new premixes for plant-based meat and fish alternatives. These contain the most important micronutrients found in their animal counterparts. For example, the ...

BERKELEY, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#bees–MeliBio, Inc. the company using proprietary technology to make real honey without bees has unveiled its first product: world’s first real honey made without bees as a plant-based ingredient for B2B customers and foodservice. More than 100 members of climate tech, food tech and investor communities in the San Francisco Bay Area had a chance to be among the first in the World to sample MeliBio’s honey made without bees at an event organized at Cell Valley Labs, an incubator and networking space in Berkeley, California. After extensive R&D, MeliBio successfully scaled their method for making honey without bees on a manufacturing level, showing the ability to serve multiple clients in their needs for non-animal honey ingredients. The California-based company is currently taking orders from existing and new foodservice and B2B customers for deliveries starting from the end of 2021, and the beginning of 2022. MeliBio, Inc. has developed a scientific approach to replace honeybees as a medium of honey production, and is providing solutions to several sustainability and supply chain issues of the broken honey industry valued at $9 billion in 2020. Recent studies show that the industry’s sole reliance on honeybees is making 20,000 wild and native bees crowded out from their habitats and vanishing at an accelerated rate. Additionally, the global honey supply chain faces difficulties in keeping up with demand with recent honey harvests being heavily affected by climate change causing low yields of honey and price volatility. Darko Mandich, CEO and Co-Founder of ...

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The “Global Sustainable Clothing Market Research Report: Forecast (2021-2026)” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. According to the world bank, the fashion sector is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions, which exceeds the combined emissions from international flights & maritime shipping. At this pace, the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions will rise more than 50% by 2030. Hence, with these surging carbon emissions, the demand for eco-friendly materials is expected to significantly increase, which, in turn, would boost the market during 2021-26. Moreover, the mounting penetration of social media results in increased awareness regarding the environmental impacts of the clothing industry, which shall also augment the market growth during the forecast years, further states the research report, Global Sustainable Clothing Market Analysis, 2021. COVID-19 Outbreak Significantly Impacted the Global Sustainable Clothing Market Last year, the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic shutdowns generated unprecedented challenges for the clothing industry, including reduced consumer spending & disrupted supply chains. The pandemic affected the Global Sustainable Clothing Market, mainly due to international trade restrictions, disruptions in supply chain & logistics, order cancellations, and suddenly diminishing demand. However, the growing environmental awareness encouraging many consumers to switch to more sustainable & greener clothing choices shall positively impact the fashion sector. Moreover, sustainability is the new trend & more consumers are demanding it. For instance, according to a story posted on the UN’s Environment Program website in June, the designer Nimco Adam, ‘Queen of Tie-Dye,’ realized during the pandemic that chemical dyes had ...

A market report by Global Market Insights has projected a 17% CAGR for the alt-protein market between 2021 and 2027. By the end of this growth period, it is predicted that the market will be worth $155 billion. Increased health consciousness, the rising popularity of functional foods, consumer concerns about sustainability, and new product innovations are all driving market growth for alternative proteins used for food applications. Particularly high growth is expected for the cereals and snacks segment, with alt-proteins increasingly used in products such as protein bars, energy bites, and trail mixes. Growth is also expected to be significant for the bakery segment. Demand for alternative proteins is growing fast in North America, but also in the Asia-Pacific region, where disposable income is rising and consumers are increasingly becoming more health-conscious. A report earlier this year predicted a boom for the Chinese alt-protein market due to a rise in flexitarianism, while another report in 2020 found that there was huge potential for alternative proteins in Asia. Even conventional meat companies are beginning to invest in alt-protein. And in the UK, a think tank recently urged the government to invest in the industry for the sake of the planet. Yet another report, conducted by Bloomberg Intelligence earlier this year, predicted “explosive growth” for plant-based foods. It projected that the market would soar to $162 billion by 2030 — and this figure doesn’t even include cell-cultured products. Though exact figures vary, there’s one thing all the research agrees on — the ...

Century-old company Samworth Brothers has long been supplying the UK’s largest supermarket, Tesco, with meat products such as Cornish pasties and pork pies. But as consumer tastes change, it is turning its attention to plant-based alternatives. Demand for vegan foods is now so high that Samworth has opened a dedicated plant-based production facility, with equipment tailored to the animal-free products it manufactures for Tesco. The supermarket offers an extensive vegan range called Plant Chef, and many products in the range are made by Samworth. Earlier this year, Tesco was named the UK’s number one plant-based supermarket, offering 76 own-brand vegan products along with countless others by companies such as THIS and Squeaky Bean. It was also the first retailer worldwide to offer Wicked Kitchen’s highly successful plant-based product line.  Samworth Brothers told iNews that manufacturing plant-based alternatives had been relatively straightforward — for the most part, it is able to use similar equipment and techniques to those required for its conventional products. But the company said it had initially faced some challenges sourcing the ingredients it needed in large enough quantities, in part because of its desire for innovation. “In terms of the ingredients, a lot of what we needed at first wasn’t available from existing suppliers,” Neil Rockliff, innovation director at Samworth Brothers, told iNews. “We work to use all sorts of innovative ingredients – from jackfruit and pea protein to oyster mushrooms – to recreate the taste of meat, and we are constantly trialling new flavours and techniques ...

Villa Dolce, the US’s top premium gelato brand in foodservice, has launched a vegan gelato range. The new offerings were created in partnership with animal-free dairy company Perfect Day. The gelato is available in seven flavours — Sea Salt Vanilla & Honeycomb, Caramel Cold Brew, Chocolate all’Arancia, Strawberry After Dark, Burnt Caramel Praline, Pistachio Latte, and Tahitian Vanilla Bean. The companies have also partnered to create four shelf-stable ready-to-bake vegan dessert mixes. They come in the flavours Cookie Dough, Pistachio Cake, Southern Brown Butter Cake, and Lava Cake. America’s largest food redistributor, DOT Foods, will make the gelato and desserts available nationwide at various universities, restaurants, and hotels. Dairy proteins without the cow Perfect Day uses precision fermentation to make the dairy proteins whey and casein with no animal inputs. By using the proteins, the company’s customers can create animal-free dairy products which are said to be indistinguishable from their conventional counterparts. Just last week, Perfect Day raised $350 million in its Series D funding round, bringing the total amount it has raised to $750 million. A report last year found that it was the industry leader and the most funded company in fermented foods. The company has also announced that it is moving into the vegan cheese category, having previously focused on ice cream. “We’re thrilled to partner with Villa Dolce to create kinder, greener gelato and bakery products,” said Ravi Jhala, Perfect Day’s Global Head of Commercial. “With Villa Dolce’s broad reach to customers across the country, and ...