alternative protein
30 | The Grocer | 17 August 2019 Get the full story at thegrocer.co.uk
Sustainable Bioproducts
Founded: 2016
Based: Chicago, US
Employees: About 30 [LinkedIn]
Funds raised: $33m [Crunchbase].
Key investors/backers: 1955
Capital, Danone Manifesto
Ventures, ADM Ventures,
Breakthrough Energy Ventures.
What does it do? Fermenting
fungi to create edible protein.
Think mycoprotein, but based on
a different fungus. Sustainable
Bioproducts’ work started as a
research project into organisms
living in Yellowstone NationalPark’s volcanic springs (pictured) but quickly
evolved into the development of a new
fermentation technique and a quest to feed
the world more sustainably.
Why is it one to watch? Since the discovery
of mycoprotein in the 1960s, researchers
have been on the hunt for another fungus
that can be used to feed humans. Sustainable
Bioproducts believes it has found just that.
With a raft of blue chip backers and fmcg
alumni among its senior team – former
Procter & Gamble marketing director Karuna
Rawal joined as chief marketing officer in
July – this startup looks like it’s gearing up
for something big.Amidori
Founded: 2015
Based: Bamberg, Germany
Employees: 100-plus
Funds raised: Roughly €40m.
Key investors/backers: The Wedel
family (owners of the Martin Bauer
tea ingredients business), the
Buse family and Pfeifer & Langen,
owners of Intersnack.
What does it do? Amidori
specialises in meat alternatives
made from yellow peas. It has
patented technology for the
extrusion of pea protein isolate
that allows it to create unique
textures for yellow pea products,
which it supplies both on a B2B
basis and through its branded
range. It recently secured listings
with German retail chain Rewe.
Why is it one to watch?: “Yellow
pea is the hot protein source
right now in plant proteins – and
Amidori are one of the leaders
in terms of development of this
ingredient,” says Lawson at
Food Strategy Associates, which
advised Amidori on its investment
from Pfeifer & Langen. With
heavyweight financial backing in
place, expansion into the UK is
understood to be on the cards.Founded: 2018
Based: Ness Ziona, Israel
Employees: 10
Funds raised: $650,000; a seed
round is being finalised at the
moment.
Key investors/backers: Israeli
and US angel investors,
including Rafi Gidron, Mitchell
Presser and Arik Yaari; German
foodtech investors Food Angels.
What does it do? Like others,
Redefine Meat makes meat
alternatives from plant-based
proteins. Where it differs is in its
use of 3D printing technology to
create ‘fake’ meat, resulting in
a more realistic texture, flavour
and cooking experience than
is possible with traditional
manufacturing processes. Its
3D meat printing machines will
become available commercially
in 2021.
Why is it one to watch? Texture
is an oft-overlooked success
factor for meat alternative NPD,
and the 3D printing tech used
by Redefine Meat could create
a step-change in the kinds of
textures that can be created
with plant-based proteins. “Due
to limitations in production
technology, existing meat
alternatives do not come close
to delivering the experience of
whole muscle meat products,
and there is an unmet demand
for substitutes that can deliver
an ‘easy switch’ for conscious
carnivores,” says CEO Eshchar
Ben-Shitrit. Robert Lawson, CEO
of consultants Food Strategy
Associates, agrees. “Mostplant proteins are put in a big
bowl and mixed together and
then formed into a shape,” he
says. “That means they have a
uniform texture for the product.
3D printing works in a different
way. It builds a product layer by
layer, so overall textures can be
different – and more accurately
replicate the textures of meat,
which are often layers of muscle
interspersed with layers of fat.”
There remain big unanswered
questions about the commercial
scalability of 3D printers given
their prohibitive cost right now,
but Lawson sees potential in
restaurants and foodservice
outlets. “If the technology can
be scaled, then mass production
for grocery retail is also an
option.”Redefine Meat