general-mills-first-company-to-use-animal-free-cream-cheese

© General Mills

Company News

Bold Cultr, General Mills’ Animal-Free Cream Cheese Venture, Closes After Losing Funding

Animal-free cream cheese startup Bold Cultr has suddenly closed its doors, the company announced yesterday, following a “difficult” decision by parent company General Mills to deprioritize its funding.  Revealing the news to fans on social media, Bold Cultr stated it began as a unique startup launched by G-Works, General Mills’ corporate venture studio, which was created to solve food-related consumer problems through experimental innovation. According to Bold Cultr, G-Works regularly reviews its innovation portfolio to evaluate its investments, and made the decision to deprioritize the brand’s funding, leading it to close operations on February 27.  Recent partnership The company’s abrupt closure comes just over a month after announcing a collaboration with Israeli alt-dairy company Remilk. In January, the two companies unveiled a new cream cheese …

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Michroma Natural Food Colorings

©Michroma

Investments & Finance

Michroma Closes $6.4M in Seed to Commercialize ‘High Performance’ Natural Food Colorings From Mushrooms

Precision fermentation startup Michroma announces it has closed $6.4M in seed financing to fast-track commercialization of its sustainable, mushroom-derived natural food coloring. The round, led by General Mills-backed Supply Chain Capital, will also help the startup expand research and development capabilities and broaden its ingredient platform.  Founded in 2019, Michroma is working to disrupt the global ingredients industry with high-performance colorants made from fungi through precision fermentation. To achieve this, Michroma focuses on creating ‘fungal biofactories’ to produce small molecules, like colors, more efficiently. “We see compelling market and consumer potential for Michroma’s fungal platform to create next-generation natural ingredients, from colorants to flavors, that are healthier and more sustainable while maximizing production efficiency,” said Noramay Cadena, Supply Change Capital’s Managing Director and Michroma Board …

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Everything Legendary Burger Series A Investment

©Everything Legendary

Investments & Finance

Everything Legendary Burgers Raises $6M in Series A Backed by Mark Cuban and General Mills

Plant-based burger brand Everything Legendary has secured $6 million in Series A funding. The round was led by CircleUp Growth Partners and included General Mills’ 301 Inc. and previous investor Mark Cuban, according to Food Dive.  The company plans to use the funds to expand its retail presence and innovate new product lines, including vegan boneless wings, sausages and breakfast patties. Everything Legendary’s signature burgers and grounds are currently found in 1,500 US retail stores, including Target and Publix. By this summer, the company says it intends to enter an additional 5,600 retail locations.  Based in Maryland, Everything Legendary was created by the charismatic trio of Duane Cheers, Danita Claytor and Chef Jumoke Jackson. The brand first shot to fame during a 2021 appearance on …

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meati-steak-new-president

©Meati

Company News

Meati’s New President Aims for $1 Billion in Sales by 2025

Meati has appointed former Pillsbury and General Mills exec Scott Tassani to grow the company into a market leader by 2025 Meati announced it has selected Scott Tassani, a CPG industry veteran, to lead the mushroom-based meat company, beginning December 6. Tassani joins the Boulder, Colorado startup, which makes whole cuts of animal-free meat from mushroom roots, as it prepares its first product launch in early 2022. Tassani brings 30 years of experience in the food industry, where he successfully served at The Pillsbury Company and General Mills, including roles as General Mills’ President and Chief Customer Officer. As the new head of Meati, Tassani aims to help it become a market-share leader for animal-free meat over the next three years. “Our goal is to …

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general-mills-first-company-to-use-animal-free-cream-cheese

© General Mills

Products & Launches

General Mills is First Major Company to Use Animal-Free Dairy

General Mill is officially testing cream cheese made with animal-free whey protein and has also launched a new Instagram page teasing ice cream With the introduction of Bold Cultr cream cheese, American food manufacturer General Mills has become the first major food company to use animal-free dairy proteins. According to its website, the cream cheeses are made from non-animal whey protein supplied by Perfect Day Foods, a hip startup that uses precision fermentation to create actual dairy proteins from microorganisms instead of cows.  The product is identical in taste and nutritional performance to cow-based dairy, but with no lactose or cholesterol, and carries a substantially smaller environmental footprint. But the dairy surprise doesn’t end there. Taking Milk in a New Direction? In addition to Bold …

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Petit Filous

©Yoplait

Products & Launches

Petits Filous Rolls out Kid-Friendly Vegan Yogurt after Increased Demand from Parents

The leading child-friendly yogurt brand in the UK, Petits Filous, has launched a new range of vegan yogurts. The dairy-free alternative yogurts are now available at Tesco supermarkets and were launched amid rising demand from parents for plant-based options. Petits Filous, which operates under Yoplait – the world’s largest franchise brand of yogurt – is expanding into the plant-based dairy market for the first time in a bid to provide dairy-free options for children. The new vegan yogurts will be made from almond milk and come in the brand’s top-selling raspberry flavor, certified with the vegan trademark. Yoplait has also launched a premium French yogurt called “Oui by Yoplait” previously, also in response to growing demand for non-dairy options. The dairy-free, plant-based yogurt sector is …

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Good Catch Foods

©Good Catch Foods

Company News

Good Catch Foods Closes Oversubscribed Series B Round Totalling Over $32M

Good Catch, the plantbased seafood company created by chef partners and brothers, Chad and Derek Sarno, today announces the closing of an “oversubscribed” Series B funding round, led by Stray Dog Capital and Rocana Ventures with participants including Greenleaf Foods, New Crop Capital, and 301 INC, the venture arm of General Mills.

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Oui Dairy Free

©Yoplait

Food & Beverage

General Mills Releases Non-Dairy Version of Breakthrough Innovation Winning “Oui by Yoplait” French Yogurts

General Mills has announced a new line of its premium French “Oui by Yoplait” yogurt, saying the move is in response to the growing demand for non-dairy options in North America. The product line of premium French-style yogurt crafted in glass jars, have a coconut base with vanilla, strawberry, mango and raspberry flavours.

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plant-based yogurt in a glass bowl

© Nishihama – stock.adobe.com

Market & Trends

Plant-Based Yoghurts: New Flavours Boost Consumption

According to the market report “Non-dairy Yogurt Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2017 to 2025”, the global market for plant-based yoghurts is experiencing growth due to rising consumption during this forecast period. This is mainly due to the introduction of new flavours and varieties, as well as growing awareness of the health benefits.

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