Força Foods, a food company based in San Francisco focused on sustainable ingredients and water conservation, has launched an innovative and exciting alternative to milk claimed as a world’s first: watermelon seed milk.
Branded as MILKish and available in original and vanilla flavors, the product is free from soy, nuts, and sugar and contains only 50 calories per serving. Created with a base of watermelon seed and a touch of pea protein, the plant milk contains no carrageenan or artificial flavors or colors. According to Força Foods, its dairy-free alternative is smooth, creamy, and delicious and provides a healthy choice for consumers.
Besides being healthy and appealing, MILKish promotes itself as a fun way to enjoy morning cereal, dairy-free baking, and drinks — from cold brews or foamy cappuccinos to smoothies — or even straight from the glass.
“Go ahead and make that luscious latte, you deserve it! With only 50 calories per cup, 2g of protein, and ZERO grams of sugar, you can be certain that you are nourishing your body with the best possible milky goodness,” Força Foods says on its website.
A water-efficient superfood
Guilherme Maia Silva, a young entrepreneur from Brazil with a background in Plant Sciences at UC Davis, gained expertise in organic farming and sustainable agriculture and decided to found Força Foods (‘strength’ foods) in 2021.
Motivated by the environmental impact of water-intensive crops like almonds (California is home to more than 7,000 almond growers and processors), he sought more sustainable alternatives. On his journey, he discovered that watermelon seeds are a nutritional superfood, offering more protein than almonds, essential vitamins, healthy fats, and antioxidants.
They are also climate-friendly with a 99% lower water footprint than almonds, 90% less than sesame seeds, 80% less than flax seeds, 72% less than oats, and 53% less than soy. They also have a lower carbon footprint than other ingredients like soy and oats.
The discovery of watermelon seeds led to the creation of a range of healthy snacks (which seem discontinued), and after a year of R&D, MILKish finally launched on the company’s website. The startup plans to expand first through food service partnerships and later into retail, Maia Silva explained in a podcast.
Although currently focused on beverages, Força Foods plans to develop a watermelon seed product line to offer water-efficient options to address water scarcity issues and high water use in agriculture. Other food innovations made with watermelons include fruit-derived sweeteners and plant-based cheese.
“Water scarcity is one of the biggest limiting factors to our global food supply and agriculture directly contributes to over 70% of the world’s freshwater use. Consuming lower footprint alternatives is an easy and delicious way to live more sustainably,” the startup states on its website.
