CrushDynamics, formerly Winecrush Technology Inc, contacts vegconomist to report it has raised $3.6 million in Seed 2 financing. The British Colombia based company is upcycling grape derivatives to produce nutritious plant-based foods.
“This is a critical milestone for our company”
Interestingly, CrushDynamics reports that it has partnered with Protein Industry Canada, Lumi Foods and Save-On-Foods in an “initiative to create the next generation of plant-based cheese using Canadian-grown oats, legumes and pulses.”
The company’s mission is to turn high quality, grape derivative material into healthy foods, stating that discarded grape pomace, even after pressing during the winemaking process, is still exceptionally rich in phenolic compounds, fiber, and antioxidant properties. After working with some of the leading wine scientists in Canada, CrushDynamics is pioneering a new, proprietary process for transforming these derivatives into valuable nutrition.
CrushDynamics has developed an innovative list of ingredients that enhance plant-based protein formulations, that are rich in polyphenolic substances including flavonoids, such as quercetin, and non-flavonoids. Benefits from these ingredients include a reduction in sodium by as much as 80% and extended shelf-life by up to 60%, all while improving taste and texture.
The capital will allow the company to hire additional scientists and build its business development team, along with scaling up to help accelerate its ability to support more plant-based food producers in meeting the increasing global demand following the pandemic.
“This is a critical milestone for our company. We have validated our patent-pending biomechanical process and are shifting our focus to scale up,” said Kirk Moir, CEO of CrushDynamics.
