Chickpea Protein

Israel's InnovoPro, a leading provider of chickpea protein solutions, has appointed Greg Belt as its new CEO.

Greg Belt, image supplied
People

InnovoPro Appoints Gregory Belt as CEO to Drive Expansion of Chickpea Proteins in F&B

InnovoPro, a leading provider of chickpea protein solutions, has announced the appointment of Gregory Belt as its new CEO. Based in the USA, Belt will spearhead the company’s strategic expansion into the food and beverage market. Belt has a proven track record and deep expertise in building new ventures and strategic planning for innovation-driven growth. His experience, gained from companies like AB InBev, has allowed him to gain commercial traction, particularly in the dynamic landscape of North America. With a ‘wealth of experience’ and a fresh perspective, Belt is poised to lead InnovoPro into its next phase of growth and expansion, focusing on clean-label products and natural emulsifiers. After seven years of leadership as co-founder and first CEO, Taly Nechushtan will transition to the role …

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A range of plant-based chocolate truffles

© InnovoPro
Fairs & Events

InnovoPro Presents Nutritious Chickpea Solutions for Bakery and Coffee Shop Industries at Fi Europe 2023

Chickpea protein specialist InnovoPro will introduce its latest innovations for the plant-based bakery and coffee shop industries at Fi Europe 2023. Plant-based chocolate truffles boasting 12 grams of protein, egg-free brownies, and a plant-based barista drink specially formulated for stability in low-pH beverages, will debut at the fair to showcase the possibilities of InnovoPro’s chickpea solutions. The NPDs are reportedly made with non-allergenic, gluten- and GMO-free ingredients, adhering to clean-label standards while offering an “indulgent experience” without sacrificing taste. The Israeli company states that since its chickpea protein platform encompasses multiple applications, it has been exploring the “coffee shop experience” to cater to the growing demand for healthy plant-based products in this subcategory. “Consumers are now searching for healthy food and looking for nutritional benefits …

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Soy plants/ crops

© Equinom
Investments & Finance

Equinom Closes $35M in Funding to Scale Minimally Processed, Non-GMO Plant Protein

Israeli nutrition company Equinom announces the close of $35M in funding to bring its more optimized plant proteins to market. The round brings the company’s total funding to date to $71M.  Equinom will use the capital to accelerate the commercialization of its plant protein ingredients, which will be sold to food companies via established multinational suppliers.  Equinom specializes in breeding new non-GMO varieties of important proteins used by the plant-based industry, such as soy and pea, that are optimized for food production and require less processing. These improved proteins are said to offer better taste and nutrition while reducing production costs and complexities. According to Equinom, this thus enables food companies to develop tastier and more affordable alternatives to meat and dairy. “Today’s food system …

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chickpeas

© GreenArt - stock.adobe.com
Company News

Ingredion and InnovoPro Partner to Distribute Chickpea Protein Across North America

Ingredion Inc., a global provider of food ingredients solutions, has signed an exclusive partnership with chickpea specialist InnovoPro to distribute chickpea protein concentrate in the US and Canada.  The partnership will increase the availability of chickpea protein while helping food and beverage manufacturers meet ther demand for sustainable and nutritious plant-based products. A recent study commissioned by Ingredion revealed that chickpea proteins enjoy above-average consumer awareness compared to other plant-based alternatives, and are perceived as a healthier option.  Extracted from chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), chickpea protein is said to offer a neutral color and flavor profile as well as emulsification properties that provide a rich, creamy texture. These qualities make it ideal for a broad range of applications, including dairy and meat alternatives, …

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chickp's vegan ice cream prototype in a scoop

© Nimrod Genisher
Ingredients

ChickP Develops Plant-Based Ice Cream Prototype with ‘Dairy’s Full Sensory Experience’

ChickP, the Israeli food tech company specializing in chickpea protein, has introduced protein isolates customized for dairy-free ice cream. The company claims to have developed a creamy plant-based ice cream prototype that offers the full sensory experience of dairy.  ChickP states that its protein isolates will help manufacturers overcome the challenges of texture, flavour, and use of additives when making dairy-free ice cream. The development follows the successful use of the company’s isolates in creating a nutritious chickpea-based creamer for cappuccino and an egg replacement for vegan mayonnaise. Creating dairy-free ice cream The plant-based ice cream prototype was developed in collaboration with VANIGLIA, a premium international ice cream chain headquartered in Israel that uses 100% natural ingredients without artificial colors or preservatives.  According to ChickP, …

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NuCicer Chickpeas/ Legumes

©NuCicer
Investments & Finance

Agtech Startup NuCicer Closes Additional Seed Round for Ultra-High Protein Chickpeas

Agtech company NuCicer, which is creating ultra-high protein chickpeas using wild chickpea varieties, announces the close of an additional seed funding round led by Leaps by Bayer, the impact investing arm of Bayer AG.  The investment will allow NuCicer to scale production of its high-protein chickpeas, which contain 75% more protein than conventional chickpeas. The company also aims to reduce chickpea protein ingredient costs by 50% as it works to bring consumers more affordable plant proteins in 2023.  40X more diversity Co-founded by UC Davis Professor and CTO Douglas Cook, a world-renowned expert on chickpea genetics, NuCicero harnesses the extensive natural biodiversity of wild chickpeas using a machine learning and genomic breeding platform.  Wild chickpeas contain 40X more genetic diversity than commercial varieties, and NuCicer …

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Plantbased Business Hour

The Rise of Chickpea. CEO of Innovopro, Taly Nechushtan

CEO Taly Nechushtan of Innovopro is on The Plantbased Business Hour with Elysabeth Alfano. Want to know all things chickpea? They discuss the world of chickpeas and how this ingredient is going to change the landscape of the plant-based protein industry. Specifically, they discuss The nutritional properties of chickpea for both people and soil? What are the demands for chickpea and are they consumer or industry driven? Which plant-based trend is here to stay? How are plant-based proteins, business strategies in the industry, and sustainability initiatives woven together? Taly’s predictions for the ingredients market. Here is a short clip and transcript from their conversation. Podcast here. Display “Can Chickpeas be Used for More Than Protein?” from YouTube Click here to display content from YouTube. Learn more in YouTube’s …

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Innovpro Dessert

© InnovoPro
Society

InnovoPro and Milkadamia Debut Chickpea-Based Ice Cream at United Nations

InnovoPro, a producer of chickpea protein solutions, and plant-based brand Milkdamia have partnered to create dairy-free ice cream made with InnovoPro’s CP-Pro 70® protein. The two companies were invited to showcase the ice cream at the United Nations event for foreign Ambassadors on May 12th, in association with Israel’s Permanent Mission to the UN and The Good Food Institute. The new plant-based ice cream blends InnovoPro’s breakthrough protein technology and Milkadamia’s rich macadamia nut ice cream to create a flavorful profile with a natural texture. Thanks to the unique functionality of chickpea protein, the ice cream is able to offer a cleaner label than most comparable desserts, with no soy, gluten or GMOs. Milkadamia is also planning to launch a new line of soft-serve ice …

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TATE-&-LYLE-LOGO

© Tate & Lyle
Investments & Acquisitions

Chickpea Ingredients Producer Nutriati Acquired by Tate & Lyle

Tate & Lyle, originating in Britain 1859 as sugar refinery Henry Tate & Sons, most known for its emblematic Golden Syrup, was acquired by American Sugar Refining, Inc (ASR) in 2010, ending its long association with refined sugar production. The company now announces it has purchased US chickpea ingredients producer Nutriati. The multinational ingredients supplier said it had acquired “substantially all” of Nutriati’s assets. Established in 2018, Nutriati offers chickpea flour and protein under the Artesa® brand. The products are used by a range of leading plant-based and gluten-free companies, mainly in North America. Prior to the acquisition, Nutriati had signed an agreement making Tate & Lyle its sole distributor. The companies have not revealed the terms of the acquisition. Funding round In December 2019, …

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Kathryn Cook NuCicer CEO

Kathryn Cook CEO ©NuCicer
Investments & Acquisitions

NuCicer Raises $4.5M to Halve Cost of a Plant Protein for the First Time Ever

Father-daughter-run company NuCicer raises $4.5 million for ultra-high protein chickpeas. NuCicer, a US plant genetics company that is a spinoff from UC Davis, has raised $4.5 million in an oversubscribed seed funding round. The round was led by Lever VC, with participation from The House Fund, Trellis Road, and Lifely VC. Founded by Kathryn Cook (formerly of Facebook and Boeing), along with her father Douglas Cook (a UC Davis researcher), NuCicer has developed a variety of chickpea that contains up to 75% more protein than the regular kind. This has the potential to slash the cost of chickpea protein by half — the first time this will ever have been achieved for a plant protein. The company says it will use the funding to support …

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InnovoPro chickpea tvp

© InnovoPro
Investments & Finance

Ingredion Takes Equity Stake in Israeli Chickpea Leader InnovoPro

Ingredion Inc, the US food tech leader, has taken an equity stake in Israeli chickpea specialist InnovoPro. Ingredion continues to grow its plant-based portfolio with InnovoPro – developer of a proprietary extraction process to concentrate protein from the chickpea.  Chicago-headquartered Ingredion has operations in multiple countries and last year posted net sales of $7 billion. The company is investing heavily in the plant-based sector, having launched its own plant-based protein platform, with the new InnovoPro deal following similar acquisitions of KaTech and Verdient Foods. Terms of the InnovoPro investment were not disclosed. Founded in 2015, InnovoPro has developed a 70% protein concentrate from chickpeas that the company claims has a neutral taste, high functionality, and high nutritional value. The chickpea-based egg white alternative is for …

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Aurapea chickpea meat in pan

©AuraPea

Investments & Finance

AuraPea Raises $1.5M For Chickpea-Based Meat, Plans Expansion Into Europe & Asia

AuraPea is a new Richmond, VA  company pioneering clean-ingredient alternative meats using the brand’s novel chickpea base, known as Auratein.  Founded by Ben Pasternak in early 2021, AuraPea succeeded in raising $1.5 million from investors to lead a “new frontier” of food innovation in Richmond and the Mid-Atlantic region, according to the Washington Business Journal.  Free of common fillers  Unlike most plant-based meats on the market, AuraPea completely excludes the use of fillers and emulsifiers, such as methlycellulose, to bind plant proteins together. Instead, as Pasternak explains, AuraPea utilizes a patented process that transforms chickpea’s protein while fully maintaining its binding structure and capabilities. This preservation of functionality, Pasternak says, allows the protein to naturally bind without the use of added fillers.  AuraPea’s product line …

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NuCicer Novel Chickpea Varieties

©NuCicer
Agriculture / Agribusiness

NuCicer Unveils Chickpeas with 75% More Protein, Slashing Costs by Half

Plant genetics pioneer NuCicer has developed chickpeas with 75% higher protein content than conventional varieties. The new chickpeas are non-GMO and developed naturally using wild genetic diversity, producing a highly cost-effective protein with the power to disrupt the plant-based industry.  Looking to outcompete soy, wheat, and pea, NuCicer reports that its new ultra-high protein varieties will cut the cost of chickpea protein by almost half. Speaking with vegconomist, NuCicer co-Founder and CEO Kathryn Cook explains that the company uses “genomics-guided, speed breeding” techniques to optimize natural genetic diversity. This allows NuCicer to reduce a traditional 10-year breeding cycle down to as few as 24 months. NuCicer has spent over ten years compiling the world’s largest collection of wild crop progenitors with cultivated chickpea, and is …

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ChickP meat application

©ChickP
Company News

ChickP Announces APAC Initiative With New Singapore Office as Demand For Plant Protein in Asia Continues

Israel’s ChickP Protein, Ltd. announces it is expanding into the APAC region with the launch of a new office in Singapore, in response to the rapidly growing demand for plant-based products in the region. The company also announces the appointment of Moy Teo as the company’s Business Development Director for Asia, to lead the venture’s business development and marketing activities. “I’m excited to start this journey with ChickP in the alt-protein ingredient segment,” Moy Teo With 20 years of hands-on experience in the food ingredient space within the APAC region, she joins the ChickP team to lead their foothold in Asia with their patented and highly functional chickpea isolate that boasts a 90% protein content. This move follows the acquisition of her distribution business by …

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Otsuka Pharmaceutical

© Daiya Foods Inc
Food & Beverage

Daiya Foods Announces Extensive Line of Innovative Plant-Based Products

Daiya Foods is one of the founding members of The Plant Based Foods Association US and Canada and is a subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical. The dairy alternative brand yesterday announced multiple new lines as well as innovative reformulations including a first-to-market pizza crust created with cauliflower, sweet potato and spinach.

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vegan startup chickpea cookies, snacks, protein, fibre
Interviews

YOUPEAS: “We Shouldn’t Undermine the Impact of Snacking on Our Health and on Our Planet”

courtesy of Camille Tomat, founder of Youpeas SAS

Youpeas is a young startup based in Lille, France, specialising in vegan cookies and snacks made from chickpeas. We spoke with Youpeas-founder Camille Tomat about the company’s vegan product portfilio and plans for the future. This is our first of several interviews with startups who completed the second cohort of the ProVeg incubator in mid-July.

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