Planet A Foods and Voyage Foods, two start-ups that are developing cocoa-free chocolate, have announced recent successful funding raises. Planet A Foods, based in Munich, Germany, has announced today that it has closed a $15.4 million Series A funding round, led by climate venture fund World Fund. The funding will be used to support further mass-market expansion following major retail and brand partnerships for Planet A in 2023, including a partnership with Swiss chocolate giant Lindt. The start-up’s cocoa alternative, ChoViva, is produced using the company’s fermentation technologies. Natural, locally-sourced ingredients – including oats and sunflower seeds – are transformed into ChoViva, a cocoa mass and cocoa butter claimed to offer “melt-in-the-mouth texture” and “full-bodied chocolate flavour”. In addition to being used as a full chocolate replacement, ChoViva can also be incorporated into hybrid conventional chocolate products. An example of this can be found in the company’s collaboration with Lindt, which utilises ChoViva in its recently launched vegan chocolate bar. The ingredient contains up to 30% less sugar than traditional chocolate and has a low CO2 footprint due to local ingredients and short supply chains. Planet A Foods’ cocoa-free ‘ChoViva’ Planet A Foods’ team has already used some of the funding to scale up production at its factory, and says it can now produce 750kg of ChoViva per hour in an IFS-certified, efficient production environment. Max Marquart, Planet A Foods’ co-founder and CEO, said that chocolate will become “more expensive than caviar” in the future unless new steps are taken. He commented: “We are working every day to be part of the solution with ChoViva, through building a second pillar next to chocolate to take some load off the cocoa supply chain”. “We have become a reliable, trusted industry partner for the German confectionery industry, and demonstrated that we can deliver at price parity with traditional chocolate providers.” Co-founder and CTO Sara Marquart added that funding has already helped the company to enhance taste and texture, expediting the advancement of Planet A’s technology platform and allowing the start-up to hire “top-tier” experts in lipids, chocolate and synbio. In the US, another cocoa-free chocolate start-up, Voyage Foods, revealed last week that it had successfully raised an additional $22 million. This brings the company’s total funding to $64 million, backed by food and beverage venture capitals such as Valor Equity Partners and Horizons Ventures. Based in Oakland, California, Voyage Foods offers “milk,” semi-sweet and dark cocoa-free chocolate offerings that are created from upcycled seeds and fruits. The products aim to provide a 1:1 substitute to conventional chocolate in both flavour and texture, addressing challenges associated with the traditional chocolate supply chain such as environmental issues, and costly, unpredictable supply chain instability. A recently published third-party-validated life cycle assessment (LCA) from ESG consulting firm Sphera found that Voyage Foods’ cocoa-free chocolate requires 99% less blue water, equating to 67 times less blue water consumption compared with conventional chocolate. It also was found to generate up to 84% less greenhouse gas emissions and produce up to 88% fewer emissions from land use change, a major cause of deforestation in cocoa bean chocolate production regions. Voyage Foods’ ingredient can be used as a chocolate alternative in a range of application areas Adam Maxwell, CEO and co-founder of Voyage Foods, said: “At Voyage Foods, we are focused on addressing the environmentally harmful aspects of the chocolate industry and creating more sustainable, scalable, delicious counterparts”. He added: “We’re proposing that food companies can make more sustainable and ethically sourced products at a cost that on the industrial side is significantly less than current alternatives”. #cocoaproduction #cocoafreechocolate #US #Belgium #VoyageFoods #confectionery #dairyfree #plantbasedchocolate #PlanetAFoods

Bolder Foods, an alternative dairy start-up based in Belgium, has introduced ‘MycoVeg,’ a new mycelium-based ingredient for cheese alternatives. Headquartered in Brussels, Bolder Foods aims to improve the sustainability of the cheese industry by providing innovative alternative ingredients with potential to “revolutionise the way we enjoy cheese alternatives”. The company said its founders were motivated to make a change, recognising that cheese has the third-largest carbon footprint in the food industry after beef and lamb. Bolder Foods stated that the toolkit available today to manufacturers and dairy companies is “not strong enough” to create “truly mainstream products that meet consumer expectations in terms of taste, texture and price”. The company has addressed the challenge by developing a biomass fermentation process that yields a semi-finished product, which can be used as a bulk ingredient to enhance taste and texture, enabling the creation of cheese alternatives that closely resemble their dairy counterparts. Bolder Foods described the ingredient as able to offer “deliciously creamy, unctuous and elastic textures,” with flavours ranging from neutral to “punchy cheesy umami” notes. Mycelium was chosen by the company due to its environmental sustainability, requiring minimal resources to grow rapidly, and its nutritional value. MycoVeg offers alt-cheese products a source of fibre, protein and vitamins. Its versatility means mycelium can also be transformed easily into various end products by adjusting inputs and production methods. #BolderFoods #Belgium #mycelium #fungi #ingredients #alternativedairy #plantbasedcheese

UK plant-based food company This has appointed Mark Cuddigan, former chief executive at Ella’s Kitchen, to the role of its new CEO. Mark Cuddigan Cuddigan will replace co-founders Andy Shovel and Pete Sharman, who have been co-CEOs since they launched the business in 2019. He was CEO of Ella’s Kitchen for six years and will begin at This on 19 February 2024, reporting to the board of directors. Since starting the business in 2019, Shovel and Sharman have accelerated the meat alternatives brand toward its current strong position in the UK market, with an annualised revenue of £22 million in December 2023 and retail listings at a number of major supermarkets, restaurants and cafés nationwide. Stepping down as co-CEOs, the pair will remain involved in the business day to day, supporting Cuddigan and the senior team as well as at board level. Cuddigan joined Ella’s Kitchen in August 2011, where he led the business and, since being acquired by the Hain Celestial Group in May 2013, drove its revenue from £41 million to £100 million. He has been a driving force behind the B Corp movement, having sat on the B Lab board for nearly five years, and with Ella’s being the second company to gain the accreditation while being part of a PLC back in 2016. Cuddigan’s appointment follows Mark Turner stepping down as managing director, leaving the business at the end of January. Turner helped the business achieve revenue growth of 47% last year and will take a short break before moving onto his next challenge, This confirmed. Commenting on his appointment, Cuddigan said that This is on an impressive growth journey with a strong brand, talented team and reputation as a food industry leader. He said: “I will be very focused on working with the team to continue to deliver category leading growth, as we serve the millions of people across Europe who eat our products every day. One of the vital ways of combating global warming is transitioning to a plant based diet and we will have a crucial role in making this transition a great experience for consumers.” Co-founder Shovel added: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have someone with such a rich experience within FMCG, genuine passion for our mission and an exceptional track record of driving sustainable growth through an engaged and empowered team, leading the business into the next chapter on the This journey”. #CEO #This #meatalternatives #plantbasedmeat #UK #Appointments

Plant-based dairy brand Elmhurst 1925 has introduced a new plant-based sour cream product in the US, available in a squeezable pouch. The launch marks an expansion into food for the brand, which is well-known for its dairy-free beverages. Elmhurst said that the launch was a “natural next addition” to its product line-up. Made with minimal ingredients, the NPD is designed to provide a 1-to-1 replacement for dairy-based sour cream without sacrificing on the flavour and texture of its traditional counterpart. Its pouch packaging format aims to provide a mess-free, convenient solution for consumers. Elmhurst’s sour cream is crafted with oat milk and hemp protein, containing no added gums or filler ingredients and emulsifiers. It is also free from sodium and cholesterol as well as being non-GMO Project Verified, gluten-free, kosher and vegan-certified. It is created through Elmhurst’s patented HydroRelease method. Using just water, the process separates the components of a nut, grain or seed before reassembling them as a creamy, beverage-ready emulsion. This maintains the full nutrition of the source ingredient without the need for additives. This zero-waste process upcycles any waste into renewable energy and is powered by 100% renewable hydroelectric power, Elmhurst added. Heba Mahmoud, senior director of brand marketing at Elmhurst 1925, commented: “Stepping into the dairy-free food category feels like a logical move for Elmhurst, after we perfected delicious and nutritious plant milks and creamers made with only the simplest ingredients”. Mahmoud continued: “It’s the first plant-based sour cream in a pouch, the cleanest recipe available in the market, is exceptionally creamy and tangy, and performs beautifully in any dish or recipe without melting or falling apart”. Elmhurst 1925’s sour cream is now available online and in store at Publix with an SRP of $6.99, with further US retail partners soon to follow. #US #dairyfree #sourcream #alternativedairy #plantbaseddairy #Elmhurst1925

Denmark-headquartered bioproduction company 21st.Bio is granting access to its precision fermentation platform to food and beverage ingredient manufacturers. The platform aims to enable the production of dairy proteins at a competitive cost through precision fermentation. It follows 21st.Bio’s successful scaling of the beta-lactoglobulin protein, a major protein found in milk that provides nutritional and textural components of milk and other dairy ingredients. By offering its platform widely, the food-tech company aims to mitigate the cost and time associated with development, opening access to proven industrial-scale production technology for alternative protein precision fermentation. 21st.Bio said its platform provides a sustainable and less carbon- and resource-intensive alternative to traditional animal-based production methods, and can help to stabilise global food supply chains. Customers utilising the platform will have access to industrial production strains, fermentation processes, scale-up support and technology transfers to contract manufacturers and regulatory approvals for faster time-to-market and reduced cost. The technology foundation is licensed from Novonesis (previously Novozymes), which has 40 years of experience in optimising production strains and processes for industrial production. The technology base is already used to provide dozens of food-grade products on the market today. 21st.Bio consistently optimises the strains and processes, aiming to ensure customers are ahead of the market. The technology can be tailored for each customer’s specific purpose, such as the nutritional fortification of a plant-based product, improvement of texture in alternative dairy, and medical nutrition. Customers can be start-ups planning to take one or several proteins to market, as well as established players expanding into sustainable alternatives or dairy companies aiming to grow with the increasing global demand for proteins while reducing their environmental footprint. Thomas Schmidt, CEO of 21st.Bio, said: “We founded 21st.Bio with one simple mission: to make precision fermentation technology accessible to as many companies as possible, so they can successfully take their product to market at a competitive price”. He added: “We believe this is the best way for technology to support and accelerate the transition to more sustainable and better nutrition globally. With this new offering, I am proud that companies will be able to safely scale innovation into industrial production and meet global demand utilising our technology and expertise.” #21stBio #animalfreeproteins #precisionfermentation #Denmark #ingredients #dairyproteins

A new ‘better-for-you’ confectionery brand, Harken Sweets, has launched in the US, aiming to provide plant-based and healthy alternatives to classic chocolate bars. In a LinkedIn post, the brand’s founder, Katie Lefkowitz, said that Harken Sweets – which uses a “long-held recipe for date caramel” to craft its vegan chocolate bars – aims to “harness the power of the date super-fruit, reimagining the indulgences we all grew up with”. The new chocolate bars contain 150 kcal or less, with no added sugar and boosted prebiotic fibre – the equivalent to five cups of kale, according to the company. Harken’s range is made with 100% plant-based, non-GMO and Fairtrade ingredients. It has launched with two initial products, available in selected US retailers and online. The Nutty One combines peanuts with date caramel and nougat, while The Gooey One pairs nougat with salted date caramel. Both bars are wrapped in a oat-based vegan chocolate coating. Other plant-based ingredients used in the bars include prebiotic tapioca, Jerusalem artichoke, palm fruit, monk fruit and pea protein. #HarkenSweets #healthysnacking #chocolate #US #prebioticfibres #confectionery

Biotechnology company Pureture has partnered with South Korean food and dairy manufacturer Namyang Dairy Products. Pureture, based in New York, US, aims to provide functional and nutritional protein ingredients to companies within the plant-based space to help them level up the taste, texture and nutrition of their products. Its animal-free casein, derived from yeast, will be incorporated into a new, fully plant-based offering from Namyang, which is one of South Korea’s largest dairy manufacturers. Casein is a key component in traditional dairy products. It is a milk protein that creates a stable emulsion, preventing fat and water from separating, and giving milk its smooth texture. Pureture’s non-GMO plant-based casein is claimed to offer comparable functionality to milk and a protein digestability-corrected amino acid score (PDCAAS) of one, matching the digestibility of animal-derived milk. Additionally, Pureture said its yeast-based casein has a nutritional profile that equals dairy and can fulfil the clean label demand for plant-based manufacturers’ products, eliminating the need for any additives. According to the bio-tech start-up, its casein is competitively priced to ensure displacements of dairy protein by 30-40%. The brand will have the manufacturing capacity of 2,400 tons to supply demand. Rudy Yoo, founder and CEO of Pureture, said: “Our mission at Pureture is to develop technologies and further foods that will contribute to a more sustainable future, and we couldn’t be prouder to partner with Namyang with this breakthrough protein, working closely with them as they grow their plant-based offering.” Myko Kihyun Nam, CMO at Namyang Dairy Products, commented: “At Namyang, we’re aiming to make strides towards the future, as well as learn and grow with the dairy industry. We’ve had our eyes on the plant-based industry for a while, but knew we needed the right ingredients.” He added: “With the partnership with Pureture, we will now be able to offer dairy-free, 100% plant-based products without any sacrifice from the consumers regarding taste, nutrition, and cost”. Pureture said it is currently finalising its oversubscribed seed raise, with the goal of a $12 million rise. Funds secured will be used to support further brand development and the building of manufacturing facilities. #animalfreeproteins #fermentation #US #SouthKorea #NamyangDairyProducts #alternativedairy #casein #Pureture

Chickpea snack brand Hippeas is expanding its range with the launch of a new ‘Flavor Blast!’ line in the US, available in two flavours. Vegan White Cheddar Explosion and Blazin’ Hot Hippeas Flavor Blast! Chickpea Puffs have been designed to deliver the crunch and “explosive” flavour of classic cheese puff-style crisp products, Hippeas said, while providing a clean label, chickpea-based alternative. They are 100% plant-based, free from the top nine allergens and non-GMO Project Verified. Containing 3-4g of protein and 3g of fibre per one ounce serving, the chickpea puffs aim to deliver nutritional benefits alongside buttery, cheesy and spicy flavours. Hippeas’ CMO, Julia Hecht, said: “Our dedication to perfecting these extra flavour recipes reflects our commitment to surpassing consumer expectations of what a better-for-you product can taste like. Parents (and grown-up snackers) love Hippeas puffs because they are a kid-requested go-to snack made with real, simple ingredients.” She added: “Not only are the puffs delicious, but they contain the nutritional benefits of both protein and fibre as well as no artificial colours, flavours or ingredients of any kind. Plus, these puffs are made from sustainably grown chickpeas, filling our commitment to developing products that are better for the planet.” Hippeas Flavor Blast! Chickpea Puffs are now available at select retailers including Sprouts as well as on Amazon and Hippeas.com. #US #chickpeas #Hippeas #cleanlabel #snacking

UK-based dairy alternatives producer The Coconut Collaborative has closed a Series B funding round, securing a £1.5 million investment. The company says it will use the investment – which comes from existing shareholders, including Ground Force Capital – to support its transition from its initial ’start-up’ phase to a scaling phase, using “existing momentum to accelerate growth in the coming years”. The Coconut Collab was established in 2013 by James Averdieck, founder of Gü desserts. He said that the dairy-free brand has demonstrated rapid growth since its inception, partly due to the rising number of consumers seeking sustainable dairy-free alternatives. Averdieck explained: “We take a unique approach within the category: our Coconut Yog is luxuriously thick and creamy, with a sweetness originating solely from the natural sugars found within the coconut and fruits we use. We know that one of the things consumers love about our products is the health benefits, such as how low in sugar they are, combined with the taste and texture.” “Unlike most of our competitors, we do not add water to our products. Our yogs are made of over 95% coconut, so we do not need to use heavy stabilisers. No nasties and no shortcuts create the creamy and indulgent texture we are known for.” Well-known for its yogurt range, the brand also offers a range of products in other alt-dairy categories including creams, desserts and ice cream. Most recently, it launched a new barista-style coconut milk in November. #plantbasedyogurt #UK #TheCoconutCollaborative #alternativedairy #fundraising #plantbaseddairy

Peanut butter brand ManiLife is set to expand its portfolio by unveiling a brand-new range of sustainably sourced, small-batch almond butters. The brand has collaborated with independently owned farms in Portugal for the almond harvest in its latest product range. By opting for Portugal as the source, the brand not only reduces land and sea miles by a third but also benefits from advanced farming methods that result in Portuguese almonds using 23% less water compared to their Californian counterparts, which currently dominate both the global and UK markets. Because of this, ManiLife believes it will also be the most sustainable almond butter in the UK. Mintel reports that shoppers are on the lookout for more sustainable products, with four in five shoppers intentionally choosing products with a sustainability claim. Stu Macdonald, founder of ManiLife, said: “We spent years tasting countless varieties of almonds from all over the world so it was a genuine joy that the tastiest Almonds we could find also happened to be grown by a lovely family right on our doorstep in Portugal. We don’t like to market [products] using sustainability, but the carbon footprint saving you’ll have eating ManiLife vs a typical Californian-origin almond butter will be monumental.” ManiLife Almond Butter, available in both smooth and crunchy, will be available from 5th February at retailers nationwide and via the ManiLife website. #Almondbutter #almonds #ManiLife #UK

Ayana Bio has entered into a “seven-figure” JDA with Wooree Green Science, a subsidiary of Wooree Bio, to develop plant cell-derived saffron and other bioactive ingredients. The ingredients will be used for health and wellness products for distribution in the South Korean market. Wooree Green Science uses biotechnology to address sustainability needs in the agriculture industry, focusing on the development and commercialisation of functional ingredients for food and pharmaceutical products. The joint development agreement (JDA) is set to increase the accessibility and affordability of underdeveloped beneficial botanical ingredients like saffron. It is widely accepted that saffron aids in weight loss by suppressing appetite and increasing metabolism – however climate change-driven crop failures are exacerbating its already constrained supply chain, due to the plant’s labour-intensive harvesting needs. According to Ayana Bio, it can take up to 170,000 flowers to produce just one kilogram of saffron, which makes it an extremely expensive ingredient for supplements. This JDA aims to address these issues by sustainably producing saffron bioactives using plant cell cultivation, a cost-efficient, alternative production method that bypasses the constraints of agricultural supply chains. Plant cell cultivation grows real plant cells in stainless steel tanks, delivering the health benefits of plant bioactives, without the quality issues that come from the constraints of conventional agriculture. Ayana Bio’s plant cell cultivation technology produces the full spectrum of bioactives found in nature – or with an even higher potency of beneficial bioactives. The ingredients in its ‘Plant Cell Advantage’ portfolio are DNA-fingerprint certified and 100% clean label, with standardised phytocomplex, increased bioavailability, full traceability and a neutral taste and colour. Frank Jaksch, CEO of Ayana Bio, explained: “Saffron, like many other botanicals, faces a complex and uncertain future as it grapples with shifting weather patterns, pollution and water shortages in the limited number of countries where traditional production happens. We want to reinvigorate the natural plant-based weight loss supplement market so more people can reap the health benefits.” CEO of Wooree Green Science Um Tae Wook added: “We’re excited to collaborate with Ayana Bio to utilise its plant cell cultivation technology for the production of new plant cell ingredients for a multitude of applications across food and beverages, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. We look forward to commercialising these high-value sustainable ingredients through this partnership.” #plantcellcultivation #SouthKorea #WooreeGreenScience #AyanaBio #functionalingredients

Premier Foods-owned Plantastic is expanding its range of Protein Boost pots with the launch of a new Classic Curry & Rice variant. The product joins Plantastic’s line-up of Protein Boost offerings, including Bolognese Pasta and Satay Noodles. It aims to provide consumers with a greater choice of healthy and nutritious plant-based, quick meal solutions. The Curry & Rice product contains 13g of protein and is low in fat, made with no artificial colours or preservatives. Katherine Cook, Plantastic’s brand director at Premier Foods, commented: “We have seen our UK consumers coming back time and time again for our Protein Boost Pots, with repeat purchases at an all-time high”. She added: “With 31% of consumers looking for plant-based offerings within the UK Quick Meals and Snacks category, and two out of three consumers desiring more protein from the category, our Plantastic Protein Boost pots are well-positioned to win incremental baskets”. The new snack pot is available now in selected Tesco stores across the UK (MRSP £1.15 per 68g pot). #Plantastic #PremierFoods #UK #readymeals #snackpots #proteinsnacks