vegconomist - the vegan business magazine

On a mission to make plant-based living the new norm, LIVEKINDLY Collective is opening the world’s largest virtual plant-based kitchen. Featuring 11 internationally recognized chefs and over 50 unique recipes, the virtual kitchen will help everyday cooks shift their diets to plant-based.  As plant-based diets gain popularity globally as one of the most accessible choices to create positive climate action, LIVEKINDLY Collective – which holds the claim of being the world’s fastest-growing plant-based company – has launched Collective Kitchen.  With fresh engaging content, the platform offers inspiration and allows people all over the globe to follow 11 experienced chefs creating plant-based dishes. As the leading digital lifestyle brand focused on sustainability and conscious living, LIVEKINDLY provides the creative force behind the new virtual cooking website. The launch comes as LIVEKINDLY continues to expand its footprint, with the group recently announcing a launch into the Chinese market with two new flagship brands. LIVEKINDLY Collective also recently completed the acquisition of Amsterdam-based algae burger icon The Dutch Weed Burger, as well as teaming up with Dutch cartoonist Toon van Driel to raise awareness of animal welfare in a series of short animated films.  “The LIVEKINDLY team is thrilled to be the creative force behind this wholly unique campaign that leverages our two greatest passions: sustainability and plant-based culture,” comments Jodi Monelle, founder and CEO of LIVEKINDLY.  “We are genuinely excited to be leaders in this space. The world is becoming conscious of how diet change can make a difference, and we want ...

AgBiome – the biotech developer harnessing microbes to reduce pesticides and boost productivity – has announced the completion of a $116 million oversubscribed Series D funding round. Co-led by alt protein impact investor Blue Horizon, as well as Novalis LifeSciences, the capital will accelerate and expand AgBiome’s portfolio of microbial products and help establish a global presence. “AgBiome helps realize Blue Horizon’s goal to accelerate the transition to a sustainable food system” Working with the microbial world to improve our planet, North Carolina-based AgBiome discovers and develops innovative biological and trait products for crop protection. Demand for clean, healthy food is growing, and as the global population grows and chemical agricultural causes untold ecological damage, AgBiome is creating sustainable and environmentally compatible alternatives.      The new Series D funding will also allow AgBiome to scale its scientific and commercial teams. Mission-driven investment disruptor Blue Horizon was drawn to AgBiome for its ability to deliver naturally derived crop protection products that can revolutionize food production, in keeping with Blue Horizon’s own goals of accelerating a sustainable food future.  AgBiome’s first product, Howler fungicide, harnesses the power of the plant microbiome and works on more than 300 crop-disease combinations, and showed 10x sales growth in 2020. The company expects to launch its second product, Theia Fungicide in early 2022, with other biological fungicides, insecticides and herbicides in the pipeline. “Biologicals are a rapidly growing, disruptive market segment that is projected to grow 14-fold by 2030,” commented Scott Uknes, Co-Founder and Co-CEO ...

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The “Global Mushroom Market Size, Trends & Growth Opportunity, By Type, By Form, By End Use, By Region and Forecast to 2027” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. The Global Mushroom Market was valued at USD 45.8 billion in 2020 which expected to reach 63.24 billion by 2027 at a CAGR 8.7% from 2020-2027. Mushrooms are edible, fleshy and nutritious fruit bodies of certain macro-fungi groups that can be hand-picked & appear below or above the ground. Edibility of mushrooms can be described by absence of toxic effects on humans& desired taste & aroma. They are rich in riboflavin, potassium, vit. D, selenium and other ingredients which are beneficial for human health. Results of the clinical & pre-clinical studies on edible mushroom consumption suggest that their consumption may support healthy immunity, and weight management. Market Drivers The increase in vegan population demanding a protein rich diet is expected to be drive the growth of global mushroom market over the forecast period. Mushrooms are considered as superfood due to their nutritional content. These nutrients help mitigate oxidative stress & prevent/decrease the risk of chronic conditions, like cancer, dementia, and heart disease. Further, they provide a strong natural umami flavor, allowing consumers to reduce salt proportion by 30-40 percent thereby benefitting the health. Rapidly expanding the food and beverage industry is accelerating the demand for mushroom across hotels, restaurants, and cafeterias, The rise in adoption of mushrooms as a substitute for meat will positively influence the market demand. In addition, ...

The Canadian Chocolatier introduces three new vegan bars in celebration of International Chocolate Day VANCOUVER, British Columbia–(BUSINESS WIRE)–In celebration of International Chocolate Day, Purdys Chocolatier is introducing a brand new line of vegan chocolate bars, with the mission of helping vegans and those with dietary preferences, create connections and joy through the power of chocolate. These new vegan bars include Vegan Mylk Chocolate, Vegan Mylk Trail Mix, and Vegan Dark Trail Mix, to add to the already existing and very popular Vegan Dark Chocolate Bar. Rachel McKinley, Purdys Master Chocolatier, is the mastermind behind this new line of vegan bars. “These vegan chocolates are very special as they mark the first ever vegan line of chocolate at Purdys,” says McKinley. “When I started thinking about how to create these vegan chocolates, I had to first consider which dairy-free alternatives can measure up to our customers’ favourite non-vegan Purdys chocolates, and the standards they have come to expect from us. The result is a line of delicious vegan chocolates that can be enjoyed by everyone, including those who still consume dairy products.” Purdys recognizes that their customers’ dietary preferences and needs continue to evolve over time. Customers are choosing dairy-free options and are on the lookout for products that not only taste good, but provide them with an experience they can feel good about. Purdys purpose is to continue evolving as their customers do by offering different types of chocolates that will meet their needs. Vegan chocolates are a part of ...

The companies believe this collaborative approach will result in patentable findings that will address the core challenge of making cultivated meat affordable and accessible on a large scale, and they will work closely together to scale up the entire process AMSTERDAM–(BUSINESS WIRE)–#DSM—Meatable, the cultivated meat startup, has entered into a joint development agreement with Dutch multinational Royal DSM, a global purpose-led, science-based company active in nutrition, health and sustainable living, to co-develop growth media for cultivated meat. Growth media is a nutrient-rich liquid which contains the essential nutrients such as carbohydrates, proteins, salts, vitamins, and growth factors that cells need to grow. Growth media is currently estimated to account for 50-90% of the production cost of cultured meat. If pivotal technological and cost breakthroughs are achieved, cultured meat could be one solution that helps support diversified, sustainable, and healthy diets for a growing world population – and will have a trillion-dollar market potential. Wim Klop, Vice President DSM Biotechnology Center, says, ‘’Protein is an essential part of a balanced diet and vital for good health. Yet its production has a big environmental footprint. With the world population expected to grow to 10 billion people by 2050, a wide variety of solutions for more sustainable proteins will be needed. Cultivated meat is one of those promising, innovative protein solutions in which DSM invests. Our commitment goes way beyond investing in Meatable through DSM Venturing. With this joint development agreement DSM will contribute its unique competencies in biotechnology, such as fermentation, analysis ...

With a new plant-based range from Germany’s Planteneers, manufacturers can create vegan products from brioche, soft rolls and burger buns to muffins, cake and cookies, to toppings, fillings and plant-based cream alternatives. Together with sister company DeutscheBack, Planteneers has developed attractive baking agents, compounds and all-in mixes that can be used like a modular system. “We offer customers multiple application possibilities per article, so they can use our fiildBake products with maximum flexibility,” says Michael Pruss, Head of Business Development. “By combining the ingredients in different ways, for example, the consistency and texture of the final product can be adjusted.” Making vegan bread and rolls is normally not a big problem. Nevertheless, with fiildBake Rice Bread Planteneers offers an expanded solution, since it is suitable not just for making bread and rolls, but also as a basis for plant-based and vegan tarte flambee and pizza. Fine baked goods represent a much greater challenge. “Even if they’re flour-based, they usually contain eggs, butter, milk or milk derivatives. Chocolate is another frequent ingredient,” says Michael Pruss. “For these products, the important thing is to cover all the functions of the animal ingredients using only plant ingredients. We have succeeded very well with the different fiildBake products.” The new fiildBake range is rounded out by plant-based baking agents, a pudding creme composition and a compound for a classic cake glaze that is made hot. “For us, it was important to get a broad range to market with which baked goods producers can cover ...

While giants in cell-based meat are securing higher and higher raises – Mosa Meats receiving $85M, Aleph Farms $105, and Memphis Meats as much as $161. BlueNalu’s impressive $60 million raise this January makes it the most funded company in cell-based seafood, or cellular aquaculture, in which it is the clear global leader. As we reported Monday, in a landmark move, BlueNalu announced an agreement with Europe’s leading frozen foods supplier, Nomad Foods, marking the first agreement in Europe between a CPG company and a cell-cultured seafood company. Pending regulatory approval, this signifies the upcoming arrival of cell-based seafood in Europe, the continent which imports the most conventional seafood than any other in the world. We were delighted to finally speak with CEO Lou Cooperhouse on these historic developments and more. “The world needs a new solution. BlueNalu provides that new solution by developing a variety of seafood products directly from fish cells” What is BlueNalu’s MO? It’s our mission at BlueNalu to be the global leader in the manufacturing, marketing and sales of cell-cultured seafood, providing consumers with great-tasting products that are healthy for people, humane for sea life, and sustainable for our planet. We are excited about the opportunity to provide our future consumers with a wide array of healthy, safe, trusted and delicious cell-cultured seafood products that support the biodiversity and health of our ocean. We are aligned with 10 different Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations, with a particular focus on #14 – Life Below Water.  Seafood consumption is at an all-time high, yet ...

LG Household & Healthcare has acquired a 56% stake in Boinca, the California-based owner of popular vegan hair dye brand Arctic Fox. The Korean company reportedly purchased the controlling stake for $100 million, hoping to boost its presence in the North American premium hair care industry. “The global hair care market is estimated to be around 90 trillion won,” LG told Korea JoongAng Daily. “In the market, high-end hair care products account for about 20 percent.” Arctic Fox’s premium semi-permanent hair dyes are free of animal products and not tested on animals. They are currently the bestseller in the category on Amazon, largely owing to the brand’s highly successful marketing efforts. The dyes are made entirely with natural, plant-based ingredients, and 15% of profits are donated to charities that help prevent animal cruelty. In the US, they are available at retailers such as Hot Topic, Sally Beauty, and Ulta Beauty. They also ship worldwide via the company’s website, as well as online marketplaces such as Amazon. Vegan hair care is a fast-expanding market. Popular brand Aveda recently removed all animal ingredients from its products, and luxury brand VEGAMOUR raised $80 million in funding earlier this year. Meanwhile, companies such as R+Co are launching lines that are sustainable as well as vegan-friendly. “It is Arctic Fox’s mission to provide the world with a variety of high-quality hair color and care products that can be used as tools for self-expression,” the company says on its website. “AF believes everyone has a unique ...

The Mexican firm Desserto, creator of sustainable vegan cactus leather, makes its debut in the automotive industry with its new Deserttex material at the IAA Mobility Expo in Munich, Germany. Mexican company Adriano Di Marti, an international multi-award winner for Desserto, presented its new automotive-grade material Deserttex hand in hand with the BMW Startup Garage program. With this innovative technology, the company aims to make significant sustainable contributions to BMW Group vehicles. Through a statement, the cactus leather company expressed that “it is an honor to be part of this important event in partnership with BMW. We are convinced that our cactus-based vegan biomaterials will significantly contribute to sustainability in the automotive industry by offering an alternative to replace traditional leather with sustainable, animal cruelty-free vegan alternatives.” “Our vegan cactus materials Desserto® (fashion) and Deserttex (automotive) offer very important environmental and ethical contributions to both industries by reducing Cumulative Energy Demand (CED) by almost 900%, Carbon Greenhouse Gas emissions by almost 2. 000% and water use by up to 150,000% compared to traditional animal leather, while at the same time being totally transparent,” says the company, which was recently recognized at PETA’s fifth annual PETA Vegan Homeware Awards in the UK. ...

Ingredion Inc. has opened a new manufacturing facility in Vanscoy, Saskatchewan, for the production of plant proteins from peas, lentils, and fava beans to help supply the industry with ingredients and meet the growing demand. Jorgen Kokke, Ingredion’s executive vice president and president, Americas, stated: “The plant-based food industry is experiencing unparalleled growth and we are excited about this expansion, which will accelerate the production and accessibility of plant-based ingredients to meet the needs of our customers.” “Ingredion’s innovation team has worked hard to develop a new processing technology that will highly differentiate our products,” commented Matthew Bennett, global director of strategic marketing, in a press release. “We are thrilled to share this new capability with our customers to help them captivate consumers and pets with delicious products. We thank everyone involved in the expansion of the facility and in the progression of our plant-based protein capabilities, especially in today’s challenging environment.” ...