French supermarket chain Carrefour created a contest this March called the Plant-Based Contest, designed to help innovative startups advance to market. The contest has three categories: plant-based protein products, strong concept, and service offering.
More than 250 startups from all over the world participated, of which 15 have been selected for the final that will be held on June 9 in the heart of Paris. On this occasion, 10 winners will be selected as well as the “coup de coeur” of the jury.
Here are the 15 finalist startups:
Cocoriton is a French company created by farmers. The company has created vegetable patties based on legumes rich in fibre and grown in the fields of French farmers.
The French startup EATIC, created in the heart of Paris, presents itself as an ethical, sustainable and veggie alternative to home delivery services like Deliveroo or UberEats.
HappyVore was one of the first French startups to launch plant-based meat alternatives. It offers nuggets, chicken strips, merguez, chipolatas, etc.
Already well-known to most of our readers, French startup La Vie™ specializes in producing plant-based alternatives to traditionally pork and fat-based products, such as bacon or lardons. Backed by high profile investors including Natalie Portman, La Vie recently petitioned Burger King for the use of its bacon on French menus (having already been served by BK in the UK) and won.
Poptails by Lapp is a French brand of 100% natural, organic and vegan ice creams and sorbets. The brand’s speciality is fruit and alcohol-based cocktail-sorbets.
Libre Foods is a Spanish startup that harnesses fermentation in the creation of mycelium-based alt meats. Libre closed a €2.2 million investment round this February to bring its Libre Bacon product to market.
Nextera’s goal is to design the new proteins of the future, while meeting consumer demands for taste, texture, nutrition and visual appearance.
Novish has developed a range of vegan fish products including vegan sticks, bites, burgers, medallions, fillets and tuna. Based in the Netherlands and backed by conventional seafood chain Nordsee, Novish is present in Canada and the US as well as across Europe.
Pink Albatross is a Spanish startup specialising in 100% plant-based ice cream.
Rebl Eats is a Finnish startup that offers a range of ready-to-eat meals: ready meals, sandwiches, and desserts. Rebl Eats recently launched six new plant-based breakfasts and sandwiches as it announced plans to expand internationally.
Owned by the Korean company Zikooin, Unlimeat specialises in thinly sliced, vegan roast beef and pork made with a proprietary extrusion technology. Unlimeat arrived in the US this year with a Times Square billboard ad and recently launched a grilled plant-based meat menu at Jeong Yuk Jeom, a popular Korean BBQ restaurant in Los Angeles.
Väcka is a Spanish startup that offers vegan cheeses made using traditional fermentation and ageing processes and is part of the Big Ideas Accelerator.
Verdify is a Dutch startup that has developed digital technology to ensure healthy and sustainable food.
VLY Food is a German startup specialising in the development of plant-based milks. Developed in a university laboratory, VLY milk contains 50% more protein than cow’s milk, no saturated fat and no carbohydrates or sugar. VLY raised €6.1M last May for its yellow pea-based milk.
Last but not least, Willicroft is a Dutch start-up that combines traditional techniques with high-quality plant ingredients to develop its plant-based alternatives to cheese using legumes as the base. Willicroft became the first plant-based cheese brand in Europe to achieve B-Corp certification this spring and recently secured €2M for European expansion.
The jury will be made up of representatives from Carrefour, BEL Group, The Vegetarian Butcher, Oatly, Proveg, daphni, Beyond Animal, Capital V and Unovis. The five winning products will be launched in Carrefour shops, including online, and evaluated by customers.
Watch this space for the results of the competition which will be announced on Thursday evening.
