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Bühler, Cargill, Givaudan, and PURIS have joined forces to help accelerate startups that are innovating in sustainable plant-based proteins and provide them with the opportunity to bring their projects to market more quickly, with a new pitching contest called The Scale It Up Innovation Challenge. The Scale It Up Innovation Challenge is taking idea submissions until this Wednesday, August 4th. Companies wishing to enter the challenge can register at scale-it-up.org. On August 6, the top 15 projects will be selected by a panel of experts from the four partner companies. One winner and one runner-up will be chosen and provided ongoing support that will help them scale their product for market introduction. The Scale It Up Innovation Challenge will provide resources, mentorship, and expertise to startups which register and submit their project in order to gain visibility in the plant-based protein ecosystem and network with others on a similar journey. The top 15 startups selected in the first round will pitch their proposals to the partner companies virtually and five companies will gain access to the partner companies’ testing and scale up piloting facilities in Minneapolis. “All four companies are dedicated to helping solve the coming protein gap,” says Yannick Gaechter, Director of Bühler’s Food Application Center. “The Scale It Up Innovation Challenge is designed to really accelerate those start-ups who are also working to close that gap.” “Many of these start-ups struggle when it comes the critical stage of getting to market,” says Chris Thoen, Bühler’s North American Innovation ...

DUBLIN–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The “Fermented Plant-Based Alternatives Market – A Global and Regional Analysis: Focus on Applications, Products, Patent Analysis, and Country Analysis – Analysis and Forecast, 2019-2026” report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com’s offering. The global fermented plant-based alternatives market is expected to reach $422.26 million by 2026, with a CAGR of 5.0% from 2021 to 2026. The major factors uplifting the growth of the market are the increasing trend of veganism across the globe coupled with escalating health issues among individuals. Food allergies have also been rising among consumers due to the intake of dairy-based products caused by the reaction of protein present in milk and other dairy products with the body’s immune system. As fermentation can make the body immune to any negative reaction from dairy products, these products are gaining more attention from consumers. The global fermented plant-based alternatives market is highly fragmented, with the presence of several players in the market. The market has a high industry rivalry as multiple renowned brands are present in the industry, such as Nestle, Perfect Day, Danone, Tesco, and DuPont. The segment also provides details about the competitive strength of the key players operating in the market. For instance, Nestle is a food and beverage company that operates through more than 2000 brands in 186 countries across the globe. The company offers multiple products in its food and beverages portfolio, such as baby food, bottled water, chocolate, and confectionery products. Nestle also has a diverse product offering in plant-based food and ...

Japan’s Next Meats Co recently revealed plans to start the construction of an eco-friendly production facility called the NEXT Factory, in Niigata, Japan. According to the company, this kind of large-scale facility specifically dedicated to alt proteins is likely to be the first of its kind in Japan* and will include solar panels and other sustainable technologies. Completion is scheduled for next summer. The startup, which created the first Japanese barbecue meat analogues and plant-based Japanese beef bowl, recently gained attention for successfully developing an alt egg product called the NEXT Egg 1.0 and launching the NEXT Yakiniku in the US which sold out on the first day of release through its ecommerce site. This June it announced a partnership with Wayback Burgers, one of the fastest-growing burger franchises in the USA. Furthermore, it is set to co-produce a new product with Kameda Seika—one of the most prominent snack manufacturers in Japan, and also recently signed a cooperative research and development agreement with Nagaoka University of Technology, to study epigenetics and its new applications in developing alternative meat products. In interview with vegconomist this June, Next Meats co-founder Ryo Shirai spoke about the company’s plans for widespread expansion around the world: “In Europe, we are working on projects in France and Spain, the food capitals, and in China, Hong Kong, India, and Vietnam in Asia. We have secured production lines in China and India, aiming for large-scale and stable supply.   “We plan to start deployment in both locations by ...

The capital of Spain will host one of the largest organic food events in Europe, the Organic Food Iberia, to be held this September 8th and 9th at IFEMA Madrid, bringing together leaders of the sustainable food and plant-based sector. Vegconomist en español recently spoke to Carsten Holm, managing director of Diversified Business Communications UK, which has developed this major trade event. What is Organic Food Iberia, what is the origin and what is the reason for the event? Launched in June 2019, Organic Food Iberia is the first dedicated trade event in Spain covering the rapidly growing organic food sector.  Developed by Diversified Communications, a leading international organiser of highly specialised trade shows, in partnership with IFEMA, the event is based on the same model as the internationally renowned Natural & Organic Products Europe, which was launched over 20 years ago.  In addition to London and Spain, we also organise similar events in Scandinavia and Australia, so it’s a sector we understand well, and which we are very passionate about. When the first event was launched, we realised that the world would need to become more sustainable, and that we all have a responsibility towards ensuring the welfare of animals, the sustainability of our farmland, our precious soil, and the very future of our planet.  It is therefore very similar to the vegetarian movement, and of course, a large proportion of our exhibitors are promoting organic vegan products, under the common theme of sustainable living. Since the first pioneering ...

Online vegan marketplace Vejii has signed an agreement with United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI), the largest publicly traded grocery distributor in North America. The agreement will allow Vejii to supply 5000 of its products more reliably and consistently. It will also significantly increase profit margins, as the company will benefit from UNFI’s tiered discount structure. Currently, Vejii offers products in categories such as grocery, supplements, and household supplies. It is hoping to expand this to include sustainable vegan clothing and furniture. In an interview with vegconomist earlier this year, CEO Kory Zelickson said the company had considered an IPO. “Vejii is committed to our goals and will plan for a public listing in the short-term future,” he said. “At the moment, we’re focused on growth and customer acquisition.” Back in March, Vejii announced it would be partnering with leading marketing agency Strawhouse, and the following month it launched in Canada. Over the past year, it has begun offering several prominent plant-based brands such as Barvecue and Before the Butcher on its platform. “We are committed to making plant–based products more accessible, while also focusing on sustainability, and having the ability to scale with a distributor like UNFI allows us to remain competitive and committed to our customers,” said Kory Zelickson. He added, “By providing high-quality, plant-based alternatives that [our customers] may not have had access to before, we hope to inspire those who may be interested in incorporating just a little more sustainability into their lifestyles, in an easy way.” ...

Bioscience startup Protera has raised $10 million in its Series A funding round. The round was led by Sofinnova Partners, with participation from Bimbo Group and ICL Planet. Protera uses a proprietary AI algorithm called madi™ to rapidly create next-generation functional proteins. The algorithm works by screening various combinations of amino acids and predicting their properties. The new funding will allow Protera to scale up its manufacturing process and validate its products with various multinational companies. The company will particularly be focusing on scaling up protera guard™, a natural protein that can replace artificial preservatives. It’s been a busy year for Protera — in October, it participated in the Future Food Tech Summit, and more recently it has added two new members (Thomas Videbaek and Dr. Oswaldo da Costa e Silva) to its board of directors. The startup is one of a growing number of companies using AI to develop everything from unique pea variants to better-tasting plant-based meats. “We are excited to continue our strong partnership with Sofinnova Partners, which is known for being a company builder in industrial biotechnology, with a strong focus on entrepreneurs and science,” said Leonardo Álvarez, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Protera. “We feel fortunate to add two industrial partners, Bimbo Group, the world’s largest baked goods producer, and ICL Group, experts in ingredient manufacturing and distribution, as we position ourselves to go fully downstream and deploy products on the market.” ...

Beyond Animal, a digital platform aimed at accelerating the transition towards animal-free goods and services, is to host a series of live pitching events at Plant Based World Expo Europe. In four sessions, entrepreneurs in the alt-protein industry will pitch in front of a panel of investors and an audience of industry experts. The sessions will be grouped by the stage of the company, with at least one aimed at the seeding of startups. Attendance for investors is by invitation only, while companies can apply to pitch on Beyond Animal. Priority will be given to those exhibiting at the expo and those with high investor interest. Plant Based World Expo first took place in New York in 2019, featuring an opening panel of industry experts. It was a huge success, attracting almost 4000 attendees from across the world. This year, the European expo will take place in London from October 15-16. “It is a perfect match for Beyond Animal to join with Plant Based World Expo Europe to connect investors with companies bringing innovative and sustainable food products to market,” said Beyond Animal founder Claire Smith. “By having the trade show, conference, and investor pitching sessions all taking place on the one site, exhibitors can make new sales and raise money to fund the growth of their businesses and so ensure the continued acceleration of the plant-based economy.” ...

Margarine and spread company Upfield has calculated the greenhouse gas emissions its customers have prevented over the past year by choosing its plant-based products. The total is estimated at up to six million metric tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This is the equivalent of planting 100 million trees, though the calculations assume that customers chose the plant-based spreads instead of butter or margarines containing dairy. Upfield claims it is the first company in the industry to estimate these emissions savings figures, which it calls “The Upside”. By publishing them, it hopes to draw policymakers’ attention to the environmental benefits of plant-based diets. The company says the emissions it has saved by encouraging consumers to choose plant-based products are more than double those it has produced, putting it on track to achieve its “better than net-zero” emissions goal by 2050. Upfield is now the world’s largest plant-based company, having acquired plant-based cheese company Arivia (producer of Violife) in 2019. Last year, the company introduced carbon labelling on its packaging to create transparency about the environmental impact of its products. However, Upfield sparked backlash last October when it added buttermilk back into its Flora Buttery spread just 18 months after announcing that the entire Flora range would now be vegan. Many customers were furious, calling it a “backward decision”. Despite this, the company has continued to promote plant-based diets, last year launching a global advocacy platform encouraging people to eat plant-based one day a week. “The scientific consensus is that we need a ...

Since a few weeks ago, you can now listen to all new articles either directly on the website or as an audio podcast in Spotify and all podcast players. Again, as is so often the case, accessibility helps everyone. Most of the articles have a duration of about two to four minutes and are therefore ideal as short news chunks throughout the day. Whether you’re on your way to work in the car, on the train or on your bike, or out for a walk alone or with your dog. With Spotify or any podcast app of your choice, even offline and therefore available everywhere. Below are a few podcast app recommendations: iOS Overcast (free) Apple Podcast (free) Android Podcast Addict (free) Player FM (free) Below you can find the RSS link or just search for “vegconomist”: http://vegconomist.com/feed/amazon-pollycast/ Click here to display content from Spotify.Learn more in Spotify’s privacy policy. Always display content from Spotify Feel free to let us know what you think of the voice and speed of speech: ...

According to a brand new report, the vegan pet food market is projected to reach US$ 15,65 million by 2028 with a growth of CAGR 7.67%, up from a valuation of US$ 8,67 million in 2020. We spoke with Damien Clarkson and Judy Nadel, founders of upcoming plant-based dog food brand The Pack, about the shift in consciousness towards feeding pet companions. The pet pioneers who led the way Industry pioneers as mentioned in the report who have helped to push the market forward and pave the way for upcoming producers include Bond Pet Foods, Inc. of Boulder Colorado, which has received multiple prizes and funding from the state of Colorado; the ever-expanding V-dog which has grown into several global markets over recent years; Ryan Bethencourt’s Wild Earth which first came to success through Mark Cuban on Shark Tank; and Dutch brand YARRAH which sees success across Europe. The report finds that the dry food segment was ahead of wet food, and that in 2020 Europe accounted for the largest share in the market, though increasing demand is set to come from Asia-Pacific, as we reported here. It also found that market drivers include a rising number of pet owners since the global pandemic, and the rise of plant-based diet along with what the report refers to as the “humanisation” of animals. New vegan pet food brands are beginning to emerge across the planet in response to the increase in demand. One example is The Pack, whose founders Damien and ...