Next Gen Foods strategic media partnership SevenVentures

© Next Gen Foods

Investments & Acquisitions

Next Gen Foods Announces Strategic Media Partnership to Promote TiNDLE Plant-Based Chicken

Next Gen Foods, which owns plant-based chicken brand TiNDLE and dairy-free gelato producer Mwah!, has announced a strategic media partnership. The food tech startup has secured advertising volumes in a media-for-equity deal with SevenVentures, the investment arm of leading German media and digital company ProSiebenSat.1. With an eight-figure value, the investment will help to increase consumer awareness of TiNDLE in Germany, where the brand launched last summer. Next Gen Foods will work with SevenVentures to develop tailored media promotions and advertising solutions within ProSiebenSat.1’s high-reach channels and platforms. The investment will also support long-term awareness-building around the plant-based food category. The new partnership comes after Next Gen Foods raised $100 million in a funding round last year, in what it claimed was the largest ever …

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Future of Food Event hosted by Eat Just, GFI, Oatly, Finless Foods and more

Image supplied by Finless Foods

Politics & Law

Eat Just, Oatly and More Visit Washington DC to Promote Better Funding for Alt Protein

On Tuesday, a “first of its kind” all-star delegation, featuring representatives from Eat Just, Finless Foods, Impossible Foods, Next Gen Foods and Oatly, assembled in Washington, DC to advocate for increased government funding and updated regulation of alternative proteins.  The invite-only “Future of Food” event, which also included representatives from the Plant Based Foods Association (PBFA) and The Good Food Institute (GFI), met with policymakers, regulators and media to discuss America’s leadership in building a more sustainable food system.  Among the policies discussed, industry leaders recommended the US government prioritize the following actions:  Invest in the future of food through research, development and consumer education. Create a market and regulatory ecosystem that allows for innovation and maintains US competitiveness. Prioritize good jobs and workforce development throughout …

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Plantbased Business Hour

Is Food Service the Key to Plant-Based Growth? Andre Menezes of TiNDLE, Next Gen Foods.

How does one of the most exciting upstarts of The Great Food Systems Shift see the future for alt protein and sustainable food consumption? Andre Menezes of TiNDLE Foods, Next Gen Foods and Elysabeth Alfano take a deep dive into how 2022 went down and their visions for the last half of 2023. They also discuss the disruption of the chicken market on The Plantbased Business Hour.  Specifically, they discuss How celebrity chefs can help drive a foodservice business model by elevating the food and educating the consumer, Why the chicken market will be disrupted, The health risks of chicken, The importance of a scale-up plan and slowing growth for a long runway, Plus, their big $100M raise. Below is a short clip and transcript from …

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plant-based chicken brand TiNDLE debuts At UK retailers Nationwide

© TiNDLE/Next Gen Foods

Retail & E-Commerce

Plant-Based Chicken Brand TiNDLE Gains First UK Retail Listing at Morrisons

Plant-based chicken brand TiNDLE, owned by Singaporean company Next Gen Foods, is preparing for its first UK retail launch at supermarket chain Morrisons. Three TiNDLE products — Wings, Burgers, and Nuggets — will be available for a limited period from December 26 to January 24, targeting consumers taking part in Veganuary. The brand says it is still in talks with Morrisons and hopes to make the products available on a more permanent basis. The chicken alternatives have been developed by chefs and are made primarily from soy and wheat, featuring a short list of simple ingredients. They are said to have the same taste and texture as conventional chicken with a fraction of the environmental impact. TiNDLE in the UK TiNDLE first arrived in the …

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TiNDLE launches at Miss Millie's

Image: Tammy Lee on LinkedIn

Fast Food

TiNDLE Launches at UK Fried Chicken Chain Miss Millie’s

Singaporean startup Next Gen Foods has launched its TiNDLE plant-based chicken products at UK fried chicken chain Miss Millie’s. TiNDLE is now available at all 11 Miss Millie’s locations in the form of a new plant-based chicken burger called the Veganista. The burger will also be available as a combo option with onion rings, fries, and a drink. Additionally, Miss Millie’s is offering TiNDLE’s plant-based chicken nuggets. The chain has invested in a new set of fryers that will be used exclusively for vegan food, avoiding cross-contamination. About Miss Millie’s Established in 1988, Miss Millie’s was originally based exclusively in the city of Bristol. In 2020, the company was sold for the first time in its history, and under new ownership it began to expand …

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TiNDLE Next Gen Foods

TiNDLE © Next Gen Foods

Company News

Next Gen Foods Names Chicago as New US Headquarters and Opens R&D Lab at The Hatchery

Next Gen Foods, the makers of plant-based chicken brand TiNDLE, announces it has established new headquarters in Chicago, and is opening its first US-based R&D and innovation center at The Hatchery Chicago, one of America’s largest food business incubators. The brand is also expanding the availability of TiNDLE at restaurants throughout the city.  According to Next Gen, The Hatchery will serve as a starting point for TiNDLE’s product development as it scales up into new US sales channels, including food service and retail. As an R&D facility, the center will also allow early-stage exploration of Next Gen’s new plant-based products, leveraging insights from both consumers and operators to expand the brand’s product line. “We are excited to welcome Next Gen Foods and TiNDLE to The Hatchery …

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plant-based chicken TiNDLE

© NextGen Foods

Gastronomy & Food Service

Plant-Based Chicken TiNDLE Triples UK Restaurant Sites to Almost 200

Next Gen Foods announces the expansion of its food service footprint across the UK with its plant-based chicken product TiNDLE debuting at several restaurants and quick-service groups in the country. According to the company, TiNDLE is about to triple its original restaurant sites count to nearly 200 in under four months. This month, TiNDLE will debut at several restaurants and quick-service groups paving the way for a plant-based future across the UK, including Clean Kitchen, Miss Millie’s, Hub Box, The Queen Inn, BIRD Fried Chicken & Waffles, BBar London, and Sides by The Sidemen. TiNDLE further broadens its availability in top culinary destinations with the inclusion of D&D London group’s New Street Grill, Fish Market, and Old Bengal Bar, as well as iconic hotel group …

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TiNDLE Next Gen Vegan Fried Chicken Burger

TiNDLE ©Next Gen Foods

Company News

Next Gen Foods Appoints Jenny Lee & Mathys Boeren as Board Members

Next Gen Foods, producer of TiNDLE plant-based chicken, announces the appointment of two new board members: Jenny Lee, Managing Partner at GGV Capital; and Mathys Boeren, CEO of the Asia Sustainable Foods Platform at Temasek Holdings. At GGV Capital, Lee has been instrumental in guiding early-stage companies to IPO, with 18 unicorns under her belt. She has been recognized by the Forbes Global 100 VC Midas list and was the first woman to break the Top 10 in 2015. Lee has been applauded for being one of the top venture capital investors worldwide, receiving recognition from Vanity Fair, The New York Times, Fast Company and Business Times. Lee comments: “Food tech innovations and developments in alternative protein will help us drive sustainability and mitigate climate change. …

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Neyba TiNDLE Next Gen

Neyba's Makhani made with ©TiNDLE

Products & Launches

TiNDLE Arrives in the UK, Launching Into Aqua Shard, BrewDog, Unity Diner and More

Next Gen Foods is launching TiNDLE in restaurants across the UK as of this month. The Singapore-based food tech is rolling out its flagship alt chicken product TiNDLE in over 50 locations nationwide including a pop-up shop in London. The brand’s entry into UK foodservice marks TiNDLE’s second European launch, only six months after its debut in Amsterdam. The move follows the company’s successful start in the US and its record-breaking $100 million Series A funding round. Along with the restaurant rollout, TiNDLE will host a three-day pop-up in partnership with the popular YouTube collective The Sidemen from 27th April through 29th April in Soho, London.  The full list of TiNDLE sites includes 11 of London’s most iconic eateries as well as key restaurant groups, …

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TiNDLE Next Gen Foods

TiNDLE ©Next Gen Foods

Investments & Finance

Next Gen Foods Raises “Biggest Ever” $100M Series A From Investors Including Paul McCartney

Next Gen Foods, makers of TiNDLE vegan chicken, has announced a $100 million Series A round claiming it to be the largest Series A to date for a plant-based meat company, with new investors in the round including Sir Paul McCartney. The news comes as TiNDLE becomes available at a range of iconic restaurants across the US. The $100 million fundraising brings the total funding for the 2-year-old startup to over $130 million. The new funding will support Next Gen Foods’ rapid acceleration in key markets, with TiNDLE now available in all 50 US states following a nationwide distribution deal with DOT Foods. Sir Paul McCartney’s MPL Ventures was just one of the new investors, as well as previous investors such as Temasek – recent …

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Rachel Konrad ©Next Gen Foods

Interviews

Rachel Konrad: “The Plant-Based Meat Market Will Quickly Morph Into the Entirety of the Meat Market”

As one of Asia’s leading food-tech startups, NextGen Foods has been in the vegan news frequently following its $20 million fundraise as well as the US launch of its flagship TiNDLE plant-based chicken. The Singapore based brand also named former Tesla and Impossible Foods executive Rachel Konrad as its first independent board member. vegconomist took the opportunity to speak with Konrad a few months into her new role and to find out more about why the future of meat is already here. Could you tell us what first drew you to the plant-based industry? I spent more than half of my professional career in the automotive industry, accelerating the industry’s shift to zero-emission transportation. I had an amazing run in the early days of the …

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Andre Menezes, Next Gen

Andre Menezes, ©TiNDLE Foods

Interviews

Next Gen: “The Reception From Chefs & Early Consumer Tests in the US Has Been Outstanding”

Singapore’s Next Gen Foods has spoken with vegconomist previously about its plant-based TiNDLE chicken and plans for widespread expansion. Since our last chat, the brand has appointed Rachel Konrad, previously of Impossible Foods and Tesla, so it was time to catch up again and find out more from Andre Menezes about Next Gen’s plans in the US market.

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Next Gen Foods

Rachel Konrad ©Next Gen Foods

Company News

Singapore’s Next Gen Foods Appoints Former Tesla and Impossible Foods Executive Rachel Konrad to Board

One of Asia’s leading food-tech startups, Next Gen Foods, has named former Tesla and Impossible Foods executive Rachel Konrad as its first independent board member. Konrad joins as the Singapore-based Next Gen Foods rolls out its flagship product – TiNDLE plant-based chicken – internationally.  “We can’t solve our planet’s climate and extinction crises without radical changes to the food system — including a rapid shift away from animal agriculture” – Rachel Konrad Konrad, who spent five years as Chief Communications Officer at Impossible Foods, joins the board of Singapore-based Next Gen Foods during a period of international hypergrowth. The early-stage startup, whose products are already a breakout hit in Asia and the Middle East, currently has more than 50 job openings, including at least 40 …

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Jacek Prus Kuleana

Jacek Prus ©Kuleana

Interviews

Kuleana: “Alternative Seafood is a Sleeping Giant, and We Have the Product and the Team to Put it On the Map”

Next-gen seafood company Kuleana has enjoyed a wave of recent success as alt seafood continues at the forefront of consumer minds, investor interest, and innovation. The young San Francisco brand recently launched its plant-based tuna into Poké Bar restaurants across North America and was even named semifinalists of the XPRIZE Foundation Challenge. “We’re creating #thenewschooloffish” Kuleana takes its name from the Hawaiian word for taking responsibility for balancing what we give and take from the earth and honors it by producing sustainable, plant-based seafood in the US. It entered the US seafood market at the perfect time, just last September, with its debut product being a raw tuna, as part of its mission to “create next generation seafood with plants and biotechnology.” We were fascinated …

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Andre Menezes Next Gen

Andre Menezes ©Next Gen

Interviews

Next Gen Foods: “We’re Confident That TiNDLE is the Only Plant-Based Chicken Versatile Enough to Be Used Across a Multitude of Cuisines & Dishes”

Next Gen, a fresh young brand founded by Timo Recker of Germany’s LikeMeat and Andre Menezes of Country Foods Singapore, this February announced a seed round of $10M which was reportedly the largest ever seed round in the plant-based sector, for its vegan chicken brand TiNDLE. “We are in the business of creating new food experiences” Last month, the seed round was extended for a total raise of $20M as it prepared to launch into the USA, and truly create the next generation of plant meats for a new generation of consumers. We spoke with Menezes, formerly COO and newly instated as CEO, about the young brand’s lofty ambitions for worldwide domination and what makes TiNDLE unique amongst an increasingly busy plant-based chicken space. Can …

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Andre Menezes Next Gen

Andre Menezes ©Next Gen

Investments & Finance

Next Gen Foods Announces $20M Extended Seed Round & US Launch of ‘TiNDLE’ Plant-Based Chicken

Following its $10 million seed round this February which the company claimed at the time was the largest ever seed round in the plant-based sector, Singapore based startup Next Gen today announces an extension of $20 million to make a total of $30 million, which will be invested to launch TiNDLE, its new plant-based chicken brand, into the US. “Following our March 2021 TiNDLE launch, we have expanded to three key markets, and we expect to be in more than five by end-2021″ Founded by Timo Recker of LikeMeat, and Andre Menezes, Next Gen’s chicken product with the interesting name TiNDLE is currently sold in over 70 restaurants in Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau, including ADDA by four-time Michelin Star Chef Manjunath Mural and two …

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Next Gen materials

©FutureVVorld

Fashion, Design & Beauty

State of the Industry Report: Next-Gen Materials – a Deep Dive With Industry Expert Allen Zelden

Last week, The Material Innovation Initiative published a first-of-its-kind paper named State of the Industry Report: Next-Gen Materials, revealing some impressive figures on the trends within sustainable materials: $1.29 billion was invested in the category between 2015 and 2021 with $504 million invested in 2020 alone, almost as much as in the four previous years combined. The report also revealed that there are 74 Next Gen companies in operation, with 49 in the category of vegan leather; that there are 95 unique investors in the industry; and that, interestingly, 38 out of 40 leading fashion brands are “actively seeking” Next Gen materials. The data is certainly extremely encouraging, and we were keen to delve further, so we took a deep dive with sustainable materials expert …

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Cultured GOOD Chicken ©Eat Just

Market & Trends

Has Singapore Firmly Established Itself as the World Epicentre of Alt Protein?

Last March we published an article discussing Singapore as an emerging food tech capital, with its government investing US$72 billion in climate crisis preparation and creating methods to be to be self-sufficient and battle food insecurity. In the year that has followed, not least this past week, there have been so many further developments that it cannot be ignored that the city-state has effectively established itself at the very forefront of global alt protein. Here is our roundup of recent and most impressive Singaporean news in the past 12 month. This week alone has seen the following three significant Singapore advancements in foodtech / alt protein as follows: Avant Chinese cell-cultured company Avant, the first cell-cultured meat company in China and the first cell-cultured fish …

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tindle-burger Next Gen

©Next Gen

Investments & Finance

Next Gen Secures $10M in Highest Ever Plant-Based Seed Round  

Following its recent regulatory approval for cultured meat, Singapore has rapidly become a leading centre of innovation for food-tech startups. One such company is Next Gen, which reveals today it has closed what it says is the largest seed round ever in the plant-based sector at $10 million, and also announces the launch of TiNDLE, its new plant-based chicken brand.

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