Plant-based nutrition company PlantBaby has announced a $4 million seed funding round, led by Big Idea Ventures and The Fund LA. The round also received participation from new institutional investors, including Two Culture Cap, Springbank Collective, Western Technology Investment and Niche Capital. Headquartered in Kauai, Hawaii, PlantBaby launched its first product, an organic plant-based milk designed specifically for children, just six months ago. Kiki Milk is made with organic whole foods, such as oats, hemp seeds, sprouted pumpkin seeds and coconuts. The drinks also feature a blend of “superfood powders”. Co-founder Alex Abelin said: “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 the wellbeing of children everywhere”. Tom Mastrobuoni, chief investment officer for Big Idea Ventures, added: “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”. #Hawaii #plantbased #PlantBaby

Plant-based protein company Roquette has announced its launch of two new rice proteins, as it looks to meet consumer demand for meat alternative applications. The new Nutralys rice protein range consists of a rice protein isolate and a rice protein concentrate, offering consumers a “familiar, safe and nutritious alternative protein” with “premium quality and high standards of production”. Nutralys rice protein offers a non-GM and gluten-free plant-protein source, to associate with Roquette’s Nutralys pea protein for complete vegetarian protein supplementation for specialised nutrition. The proteins have a fine particle size that contributes to their smooth and soft texture and a light cream colour. Jeremy Burks, senior vice president of plant proteins at Roquette, said: “There is an unstoppable food revolution underway that is changing how people eat. In the US or in Europe, consumers are asking for better plant-based protein that tastes great while being nutritious and safe.” “Building on our more than 40 years of expertise in plant proteins, today we offer a new rice protein to stay at the forefront of this shift and to keep building the plant-based cuisine of the future. At Roquette, we aim to be the best partner for all our customers and all food lovers,” Burks continued. The new rice protein range will initially be available in North America and Europe. #alternativeproteins #Europe #Roquette #US

Low-sugar snack bar brand, Munk Pack, has raised $5 million in a financing round to support its expansion. Connecticut-based Munk Pack’s portfolio includes keto-friendly granola and nut and seed bars. Each plant-based snack contains 1g or less of sugar, 2-4g of net carbohydrates, and no sugar alcohols or artificial flavours. Munk Pack plans to use the new funds to support distribution growth, expansion of its team and innovation. “We are pleased to see our products resonating with such a broad consumer base, and we believe that our simultaneous distribution and velocity increases attest to that,” said Tobias Glienke, co-founder of Munk Pack. Munk Pack’s products are sold in the US in the natural and conventional grocery channels, as well as through ecommerce, and the brand says it will be expanding the points of distribution for its bars from nearly 11,000 to over 19,000. #ketofriendly #MunkPack #US

The Kellogg Company has announced plans to separate into three independent companies, as it looks to restructure its cereal and plant-based portfolios. The US food giant says it will separate its North American cereal and plant-based foods businesses via tax-free spin-offs, “resulting in three independent public companies, each better positioned to unlock their full standalone potential”. The separated businesses, whose names are yet to be determined, will consist of Global Snacking Co, which is made up of brands including Pringles, Cheez-It and Pop-Tarts; North America Cereal Co, including Corn Flakes, Frosted Flakes and Fruit Loops; and Plant Co, which will consist of the growing its MorningStar Farms brand. Upon separating its Plant Co business through the spin-off, Kellogg says it will also explore other strategic avenues, such as a potential sale. Kellogg chairman and CEO, Steve Cahillane, said: “Kellogg has been on a successful journey of transformation to enhance performance and increase long-term shareowner value. This has included re-shaping our portfolio, and today’s announcement is the next step in that transformation.” He continued: “These businesses all have significant standalone potential and an enhanced focus will enable them to better direct their resources toward their distinct strategic priorities. In turn, each business is expected to create more value for all stakeholders and each is well-positioned to build a new era of innovation and growth.” The proposed plans will enable greater strategic, operational and financial focus for each business, ultimately enhancing their performance and value. Kellogg expects North America Cereal Co to precede the Plant Co spin-off, with both expected to be completed by the end of 2023. #cereal #Kelloggs #US

The World Plant Based Awards 2022, in association with Plant Based World Expo North America, is a celebration of innovation and excellence across the global plant-based industry. We asked the first half of our judging panel what they are hoping to see from this year’s entrants. There are 17 trophies to be won in total, and being shortlisted provides a hallmark of success that will prevail long after the awards draw to a close. These judges’ criteria points will hopefully offer inspiration and help in crafting the winning entry. The deadline for entries is Friday 22 July. Founder, GreenGourmet Foods As an unabashed advocate of high quality, delicious plant-based foods, I am constantly looking for new products that have a unique perspective in terms of ingredients, nutritional density and techniques used to create the end product. I am honoured to be back to be a part of the judging panel for the World Plant-Based Awards 2022! Key attributes that I am looking for are: Sustainability & Planetary Impact Ingredients – New or unfamiliar ingredients? Locally procured or imported? Organic? Non GMO? What is the impact on the environment in terms of inputs like water, fertilisers, pesticides; How are farmers and their communities positively impacted? Manufacturing processes – what is the carbon/water footprint? Any plans to progress towards a circular model that champions concepts like reuse, recycle and repurpose waste and other by products. Packaging – is the packaging eco-friendly, bio-degradable, recyclable or reusable? Nutrition: What is the quality of the nutrition provided i.e. nutritional profile? Does the product provide higher/better nutrition than what is available in the market? Is it using clean ingredients with transparent claims? Does the product cater to specific health issues or allergies? Taste (Delish quotient): Is it a new taste sensation? How can you convince me that it tastes good? Mouth feel and texture as well as appearance are important. Uniqueness: is it a gamechanger? How is this product different from others in its category? Or does it stand alone and warrant a new classification? Story: what is the brand story? What is the inspiration for the founders, company and choice of products? A strong story with compelling values is key for todays’ consumers. VP Danone Plant-Based Iberia It´s a great honour to be a part of the judging panel in the World Plant-Based Awards 2022. I take it as a recognition of the leading role Danone is playing in making plant-based products more visible, more exciting and accessible to consumers all over the world. I am looking forward to discovering a lot of new exciting products and brands that will make the food industry part of the solutions to tackle the climate change emergency. I will pay special attention to some specific points: Health: Plant-based offers can be really great allies of a healthier diet if they bring high nutritional profiles fitting true local needs, with high nutritional density. I will pay special attention to proposals that have a strong and holistic point of view on how plant-based can integrate in everyday diets. Clean Labelling: I read some criticisms emerging on processed food and long ingredient lists. I will be very interested to look at proposals that address the topic, especially with transparency at heart. Especially the ones valorizing their processes or supplementation, and investing in keeping it to the strict necessary level. Inclusive: Food is instrumental to uniting people, gathering them around tables, triggering discussions, and building common cultures. I will promote progressive plant based offers, that are looking to unite people in the full value chain (from farmers to consumers), helping all people to rebalance their diets or our production model, not just blaming the previous model. Sustainability: Of course, sustainability is a key driver and reason to exist for most of plant based offers. Here I will pay special attention on ingredient sourcing quality, and food waste management. Plant-based need to go beyond CO2 / water and land footprint given benefits. Taste: Taste is one of the obvious barriers to address to have more consumers adopting plant-based diets. Bringing tasty products should go beyond just mimicking, but bring new exciting experiences. I will be very interested in looking at proposals that go beyond copies of Animal based products. Development Chef, Heura Foods You may have the best product or idea – but how you talk about and sell it is key. Do you think your product is good? Or is it THE BEST product in the market and the one that customers NEED to know about? Personally, the five key areas that I’ll be looking for from founders and brands to communicate are: Does your brand/product make your heart sing?: What’s the story behind how the brand/product started?: The product itself of course needs to be amazing – but don’t underestimate the power of storytelling. Humanising the origin story, the gap it fills, the inspiration behind the name, the design, the flavour etc. Who is your product for?: Who is your ideal customer, what do they look like, what are they into – do you know this? What does your product deliver that other brands don’t? (What’s your USP?): This is one of the most important areas to focus on. The plant-based market is tough and new products are coming out every week. What is it about your product that will make it stand out head and shoulders above the competition? Have you spotted an untapped market? A unique opportunity or ingredient that no one knows about? How much resource or impact does this have on the planet? I’d love to see some new super innovative products unlike anything I’ve seen before. Where do you see your product being sold – retail, food service, D2C?: If you are a retail product, which supermarket is your main mission to launch into or where can we find your products? Also, where in the store would you like to be located? What else would you like us to know about?: If we’ve missed any questions, now is the time to share your elevator pitch and really shout about what you do. R&D and Innovation Manager – Greater Asia, Roquette Plant-based food has the challenge of providing similar taste and texture as their animal-based analogue at a market accepted price. If the product can achieve this taste & price target, the chance of success is high. Having said that, taste and price is not the only criteria to be successful in the plant-based segment for a long-term. Following are the five points, I would like to study for the products presented in this conference: Price of plant-based product vs. the animal-based analogue. Sustainability in the value chain of plant-based product. Carbon footprint generated in product lifecycle, including the packaging. Support to farmers and agricultural ecosystem provided during the product lifecycle (e.g. localised sourcing, farming trainings, farmer’s upliftment, etc.). Taste, structure, and texture of plant-based product vs. the animal-based analogue (any sensory report would be highly appreciated). The entries may be described based on the above five points with detailed explanation on relevant points. R&D Manager (Plant Based Beverage, Packaging Engineering & Innovation), SunOpta I am excited to be part of the ongoing growth of plant-based food and beverage. While the last several years in the category have been exciting, it continues to be more and more critical within the global landscape. As the world continues to evolve and face multiple accelerating issues, providing the proper food source continues to be on the forefront of long term efforts. As new products and categories are developed, it is important to meet the demands of our consumers. While taste may win, it is important to think about the bigger picture. I am honoured to be part of this world changing category. Next-Gen & Plant-Based Protein: As this category is ever-changing and growing fast, what does the overall product provide to make the world say “Wow!” Consumer Forward: Are you meeting a new consumer need? Package structural design – What makes the consumer want to pick the package off the shelf? Does your product provide a game-changing taste/texture improvement? Are you offering a new health benefit (functional, allergen free, etc.)? Uniqueness: What does the total offering provide to ensure it is not a me-too within your category? What sets your product or package apart? Are you “one foot in the familiar”, or completely launching into whitespace? Either is great, sell the world on the why. Sustainability: Is your offering all-in across your entire product, package, and purpose? What makes your offering sustainable (i.e. environmental, social)? What values are you providing the consumer and world? Ability for Growth: Does the offering provide an opportunity to sell through multiple channels (e-commerce/retail) and allow brand expansion opportunities? Chief Scientist, Vesta Food Lab Product concept that is truly creative. Bring huge potential to a new food raw material. First industrial use of a new technology in the food industry. First industrial use of a new packaging material in the food industry. A small but ingenious twist on an old technology that boosts efficiency. Are you a plant-based industry innovator worthy of our judges attention? Enter the World Plant-Based Awards 2022 now! #judging #WorldPlantBasedAwards #awards #innovation #judges #plantbased #WorldPlantBasedAwards2022

Coconut water brand, Vita Coco, has launched Choc-o-lot with added fibre benefits to “aid digestion and keep [consumers] bowels healthy”. Vita Coco’s Choc-o-lot with fibre is packed with vitamin C and potassium, as well as being vegan-friendly and low in sugar. The new reformulated beverage is made with soluble corn fibre. Nutritionist Emma Moross said: “Choc-o-lot is a perfect drink for when we don’t fancy a green juice as it’s got that chocolatey flavour so many of us love but is still low in sugar. This refreshing drink also contains vitamin C, potassium and now has the benefits of fibre included too, making it a great all-rounder for a chocolatey refreshment”. Choc-o-lot with fibre is available in Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Co-op and Boots stores for an RRP of £1.80 per 330ml. #chocolatemilk #UK #VitaCoco

Saputo Dairy USA is launching a new range of plant-based, vegan-certified and dairy-free cheeses to add to its Vitalite portfolio. Available in six varieties, the line consists of Plant-Based Mozzarella Style Slices; Plant-Based Mozzarella Style Shreds; Plant-Based Cheddar Style Slices; Plant-Based Cheddar Style Shreds; Plant-Based Grated Parmesan Style; and a Plant-Based Creamy Original Spread. Vitalite’s products are made using no genetically modified ingredients and are vegan- and kosher-certified, gluten-free and, except for the Creamy Original Spread, soy-free. Nikki Trzeciak, Saputo executive chef and senior manager of culinary and sensory, said: “People following a plant-based or flexitarian diet have limited options in the grocery store and many of those options lack appeal. The idea for Vitalite came out of trying to solve that. We want home cooks to feel liberated in the kitchen and inspired to create traditional foods they have an emotional connection to without compromise.” The range will be rolled out across US retailers nationwide this year. #SaputoDairyUSA #US

Artisanal plant-based cheese maker, Nuts For Cheese, has announced a CAD 5.35 million ($4.1 million approx.) funding round. Founded in 2015, Nuts For Cheese uses cultures to make its fermented cashew-based cheeses and butters, which are produced in a certified organic facility and sold in Canada and the US. The company’s latest funding round was led by Forage Capital Partners along with Sol Cuisine founder Dror Balshine and Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods co-founder, Mike Fata. The investment will support equipment and facility enhancements, and will also go towards key hires, innovation and marketing initiatives. Margaret Coons, CEO and founder of Nuts For Cheese, said: “From the early days I’ve worked hard to surround myself with the right partners. 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.” Nuts For Cheese says that it will also be implementing a board of directors, which will be led by Fata as chairman. #NutsForCheese #US #Canada #ForageCapitalPartners #plantbasedcheese

What is the tastiest new plant-based cheese? What is the most sustainable processing technique? What is needed to advance Europe to a more plant-rich diet? Bridge2Food brings together key leaders from all along the value chain, who are working to drive transformation in the plant-based industry. The Netherlands-based company is hosting its highly regarded Plant-Based Foods & Proteins Summit Europe in Ede, Netherlands, from 21-23 June. “The industry is at a crossroads: collaboration across the value chain as well as between brands will be essential to raising the bar and keeping the consumer engaged,” said CEO and founder Gerard Klein Essink. “At this Bridge2Food summit there is the unique opportunity to connect with decision-makers all along the value chain, including start-ups.” The 100 speakers and panellists at Summit Europe include: Isabelle Privat, head of plant and nutrition, Nestlé Henrik Lund, founder and CEO, Naturli’ Foods Vinciane Patelou, director, European Plant-Based Foods Association (ENSA) Anne Louise Dannesboe Nielsen, director, Danish Technological Institute (DTI) Friederike Grosse-Holz, director, Blue Horizon Kevin Camphuis, managing director, ShakeUp Factory Some of the companies attending include: Symrise, IFF, Givaudan, Dohler, DSM, EverGrain, Lallemand, GEA, Clextral, Pall, Flottweg, Improve, Poittemill, Alfa Laval, Wageningen University and Protein Industries Canada. There are four tracks during the summit to cover the full spectrum of discussions and the value chain: Consumer & Industry Challenges, Delicious Food Innovations, Sustainable Process Innovations and Value Chain Research Investments. All discussions will be overlaid with consideration of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Key innovation tours, developed in collaboration with Wageningen University and Symrise, will be hosted at Wageningen campus. Bridge2Food has been hosting summits since 2002 and we are excited to be celebrating our 20th anniversary in person with 400+ of the best in business and thought leaders focused on making a difference at all levels of the plant-based foods and proteins industries. For more information about the summit, and to arrange interviews or a media pass, please contact: Barb Wilkinson, communications and marketing lead: bwilkinson@bridge2food.com. About Bridge2Food Bridge2Food is an international network company, based out of the Netherlands, with a mission to inspire industry and organisations all along the agri-food value chain to collaborate to create innovative solutions for a healthier life and a sustainable planet. Our summits grow ideas into actions; our academy courses deliver hands-on education; and our ecosystem provides a space for fostering innovation. www.bridge2food.com #Bridge2Food #plantbasedfoods #plantbasedprotein #theNetherlands

UK oat milk producer, Minor Figures, has received minority investments from Danone Manifesto Ventures and Green Monday Group. Founded in 2015, Minor Figures produces plant-based beverages using natural ingredients with few additives. The company’s portfolio includes barista oat milks and a line of ready-to-drink coffees and teas, and is sold in 16 countries. Minor Figures has offices in the UK, US and Australia. “We are excited to partner with Danone Manifesto Ventures and Green Monday Group,” said Stuart Forsyth, co-founder and CEO of Minor Figures. “The team at Danone Manifesto Ventures – the first corporate venture unit to be independently certified as a B Corp – shares our core vision to create a sustainable future for humanity. We are confident they are the perfect partner to help us optimise and grow our multi-geo, multi-channel business.” He continued: “With Green Monday Group, we have a like-minded partner who is focused on constructing a multi-faceted global ecosystem of future food that combats climate change, food insecurity, public health crisis, planetary devastation and animal suffering. We look forward to building on our distribution relationship across Asia as Minor Figures works to meet the increasing needs of plant-based consumers globally.” Financial terms were not disclosed. #GreenMondayGroup #UK #DanoneManifestoVentures #Danone #MinorFigures

Spanish biotechnology company Cocuus has raised €2.5 million in a pre-Series A funding round, as it looks to scale up its 3D bioprinting technology for the production of alternative proteins. The round was led by Big Idea Ventures, Cargill Ventures, Eatable Adventures and Tech Transfer UPV. Cocuus plans to use the capital to scale up its business and expand into other international markets. Cocuus founder and CEO, Patxi Larumbe, said: “We are very proud to have attracted the interest of international investors with this round of financing. 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.” Big Idea Ventures founder and managing general partner, Andrew D Ive, added: “At Big Idea Ventures, we invest in technology which impacts the alternative protein industry’s entire value chain. Cocuus’ technology addresses a major pain point of structured plant- and cell-based meat production methods: scalability.” #biotechnology #Spain #cultivatedmeat #meatalternatives #Cocuus

Canadian brand Daiya Foods is adding to its portfolio of plant-based cheese with the release of Mediterranean-inspired cheese blocks. The releases include a Grilling Cheeze Block and a Feta Flavour Block. Daiya’s Grilling Cheeze Block is inspired by traditional Halloumi cheese from Cyprus and is the “first” plant-based grilling cheese made from oats and chickpeas, with notes of garlic and herb. The cheese is designed to be grilled and pan-fried, with the ability to maintain its shape without melting. Daiya’s Feta Flavour Block is made with certified gluten-free oats and olive oil and is “salty, tangy and bright with a semi-smooth bite”. Dan Hua, vice president of marketing at Daiya, commented: “Our new artisan-inspired cheeze blocks, crafted with wholesome plant-based ingredients for an authentic Mediterranean taste, will inspire new tasty and robust creations and ensure those with dietary restrictions don’t have to miss out”. Daiya’s portfolio of plant-based foods can be found in grocery stores across the US, including Kroger, Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, Safeway and Publix, as well as Sprouts and most natural food retailers. #Canada #Daiya #US