Future Food Aotearoa, a founders movement working to accelerate the growth and impact of foodtech in New Zealand, was founded in 2020 by Alex Worker, the country manager for Impossible Foods Aotearoa New Zealand and co-founder of NewFish and LILO Desserts.
Future Food Aotearoa is set to highlight New Zealand’s role in plant-based food innovation at the prestigious San Francisco Future Food-Tech Conference. With a focus on sustainability, quality, and cutting-edge technology, Future Food Aotearoa aims to position New Zealand as a global leader in shaping the future of food.
A select delegation of startups will showcase breakthroughs in food science and technology, presenting their innovative products, including sustainable plant-based and microalgae protein alternatives and advancements in precision fermentation and cellular meat technologies.
Representing the forefront of innovation
”New Zealand has a rich history of producing high-quality food, and these companies represent the forefront of innovation in the industry. We believe their contributions will not only shape the future of food but will also demonstrate New Zealand’s commitment to sustainability and excellence,” said Alex Worker, Founder of Future Food Aotearoa.
The following New Zealand startups will be showcased at the San Francisco Future Food-Tech Conference:
Daisy Lab
Daisy Lab is a precision fermentation dairy company working on scaling beta-lactoglobulin and lactoferrin. The company recently announced a scaling milestone: successfully manufacturing animal-identical whey proteins in 10 L fermenters.
Opo Bio
A leading ingredient supplier to the biomanufacturing industry that recently launched Opo-Oink, a porcine cell range for cultivated pork production. With 11 products in the market, Opo reportedly offers the widest range of cultivated meat-relevant cells and has revenue-producing contracts across Asia, North America, and Europe.
NewFish
Backed by IndieBio/SOSV and Katapult Ocean funds, NewFish specializes in complete nutrition ingredients sourced from microalgae. Marine Whey, its flagship product line, offers concentrated proteins for sports and active lifestyles.
Ārepa
Exists to make brains work better through a range of patented brain food designed and proven by neuroscientists
Miruku
A biotechnology company programming plants to make next-generation dairy ingredients through its unique “Dairy Seed System”.
ANDFOODS
Uses selected pulse crops to create a range of allergen-free dairy alternatives. The startup is to take its first product, a plant-based whipping cream, to market and accelerate its R&D efforts on its ingredient formats.
Says ANDFOODS CEO Alex Devereux, “With the amount of R&D that’s been invested already, ANDFOODS is in an incredible position as we go into the market with a product that has years of science behind it. As well as being one of the few allergen-free dairy alternatives, our process uses a novel fermentation process to help give ANDFOODS greater control of the flavour profile and other important properties.”
For more information visit www.futurefoodaotearoa.org
