Chickpea

omami sweet chilli flavour chickpea tofu

© omami
Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

New Berlin Startup omami Debuts with Tofu Made from Chickpeas

omami, a young startup from Berlin not, of course, to be confused with Umiami, Umami Bio, Umaro, Yamami, or any other Oms or Ums, debuts with a chickpea tofu product in four varieties. Founded by Christina Hammerschmid in October 2023, omami tofu is made with carefully selected ingredients sourced exclusively from Europe. The products are produced in the company’s own production facility and the company guarantees short supply chains. Chickpea-based tofu caters to consumers with allergies and unable or unwilling to consume soy products, or are simply interested in a novel protein, and has become a popular solution in recent years. Other chickpea-based tofus currently available on the market include products from Big Mountain in Canada; Franklin Farms in the US; Moonbeans of Illinois; Bronhill …

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InnovoPro chickpea tvp

© InnovoPro
Ingredients

This Week in Plant Protein: InnovoPro and Ingredion Showcase Chickpea-Based Meat, While PURIS Enters Partnership to Accelerate Pea Protein

While traditional proteins like soy continue to dominate the plant-based foods market, the sector is increasingly seeking to diversify with new options like chickpea and pea proteins. This week, leading North American suppliers InnovoPro, Ingredion and PURIS all reported new developments in this rapidly growing field.  Chickpea specialist InnovoPro and global ingredients provider Ingredion announce they will showcase their latest innovations in chickpea protein at the upcoming IFT First trade show in Chicago.  At booth S1767, Innovopro will demonstrate “the world’s first” chickpea-based textured vegetable protein, CP-XTURA65, with a fully plant-based Mexican menu. Visitors will be able to sample traditional tacos made with chickpea-based ground chorizo and chicken, along with chipotle and crema sauces created with InnovoPro’s dairy-free and egg-white replacement solutions, such as CP-Pro70.  …

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chickpeas

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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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Mamu Kebabs

©Kelly Pullieo
Products & Launches

Sempera Organics Launches Mamu – A ‘First of Its Kind’ Protein Made From 3 Species of Mushroom

Sempera Organics announces the launch of Mamu, a new center-of-the-plate protein intended to provide a highly versatile, nutritious and sustainable protein source. Described as a “first-of-its-kind” ingredient, Mamu is crafted from three species of mushrooms and chickpeas, using both the whole mushroom and mycelium roots.  Created with proprietary technology, Mamu features just six ingredients: three species of mushroom (shiitake, king oyster, white button) chickpeas, oil and water. Unlike many mushroom-meat producers, Mamu uses both the mycelium (root structure) and visible fruiting body of the mushroom.  The non-GMO, high-fiber protein is designed to be endlessly adaptable to a wide variety of cooking applications, including sauteeing, grilling, frying, baking, poaching, broiling and searing. “Juicy and flavorful” “Mamu retains moisture throughout the cooking process, resulting in a juicy, …

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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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Heyday Canning Co Line

© Heyday Canning Co
Food & Beverage

Heyday Canning Co is Bringing Premium Beans to Sprouts to Disrupt the Canned Foods Category

The canned foods aisle offers undeniable consumer value as a source of simple, affordable and shelf-stable food items. But while known for its accessibility, the category has also largely lacked creativity and innovation. Heyday Canning Co, a startup founded by Jamie Tulley and former Clif Bar and Sweet Earth exec Kat Kavner, hopes to change that by introducing a new line of high-flavor canned foods aimed at modernizing the age-old category, reports Food Navigator-USA.  Debuting at Sprouts Farmers Markets in November, Heyday’s first line features classic bean staples such as chickpeas, navy, cannellini and black beans cooked in a variety of globally-inspired sauces. Prepared this way, the beans can be eaten alone or easily added to rice, pasta, tacos and more, says Kavner. To create their …

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ChickP barista coffee

© ChickP

Food & Beverage

ChickP Develops High-Foaming Chickpea-Based Creamer for the Perfect Cappuccino

ChickP, Ltd., an Israel-based leader in plant proteins, this week announces the introduction of protein isolates customized for barista-style coffee drinks. The company has developed a nutritious chickpea-based creamer that contains all nine essential amino acids. The development follows the product’s success as an egg replacement for plant-based mayonnaise. ChickP states that its technology extracts pure protein from the chickpea while removing bitterness, resulting in an ingredient that demonstrates excellent foaming capabilities and offers a neutral flavor. Additionally, the plant-based barista milk contains 3% protein, compared to many existing plantbased barista products which typically contain less than 1% protein, according to the company. ChickP announced the hiring of new CEO Liat Lachish Levy this January and the closing of its $8 million Series A funding …

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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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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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a range of food made with chickpea protein and a bowl with tomatoes and lettuce set on a table

© ChickP
Investments & Finance

New ChickP CEO Completes $8M Series A as Production Doubles 

ChickP, the Israeli food tech specializing in chickpea protein, has announced a new CEO as its $8 million Series A funding round comes to a close. Liat Lachish Levy comes on board as CEO as the startup also announces a doubling of annual production capacity.  With ChickP recently expanding into the APAC region with the launch of a new office in Singapore, the $8 million Series A funding round, plus earlier investments totaling $10M, will allow the company to accelerate growth and reach its global goals. ChickP recently doubled the annual production capacity of its concentrated non-GMO, chickpea protein isolate, as it scaled up products such as its one-to-one egg yolk replacement. The funding round included new investors and was backed by strategic partner Growthwell …

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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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Banza

©Banza
Products & Launches

NY Chickpea Specialist Banza Collaborates With Beyond Meat and Follow Your Heart

Banza, a manufacturer of chickpea-based foods, recently announced new collaborations with Beyond Meat and Follow Your Heart. The new Supreme contains Beyond Sausage Italian Crumbles (though is topped with dairy cheese) and the Plant-Based Cheese is a fully vegan pizza with Follow Your Heart dairy-free cheese. The New York based brand, which also produces chickpea pasta, pizza, rice, and mac & cheese, announced last month the rollout of Banza Pizza into several US retailers, marking a retail presence in over 8,000 outlets nationwide. “Chickpeas, and by extension beans, are one of the best foods for human health and the environment. Since the launch of our pizzas, we have hoped to create a vegan cheese pizza. Consumer studies have confirmed our point,” says Brian Rudolph, CEO …

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Pepper Chickpea Tofu Franklin Farms

Pepper Chickpea Tofu © Franklin Farms
Products & Launches

Franklin Farms Launches New Line of Low-Fat Products With Tofu Created From Chickpeas

Franklin Farms, a division of Keystone Natural Holdings, has introduced a new line of chickpea products to its portfolio of plant-based offerings. The new line of tofu made from chickpeas is low in fat and allergen-free. Franklin Farms began over 20 years ago as a mushroom farm in Franklin, Connecticut, and since then the company has been creating good-for-you meatless meals from field to table. “Our team is excited to introduce Chickpea Tofu to our portfolio of plant-based offerings,” said Kenny Sung, CEO of Keystone Natural Holdings. “With the rising number of consumers looking to increase their plant-based protein intake paired with the on-trend growth of the chickpea, these innovative products align well with market trends. Chickpeas are a nutrition-packed powerhouse and are set to …

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Banza Pizza

©Banza
Products & Launches

Banza: First-Ever Commercial Chickpea-Based Pizza in the US Sees Huge Retail Expansion Into 8,000 Locations

Banza, the New York-based producer of comfort foods out of chickpeas, including pasta, pizza, rice, and mac & cheese, announces the rollout of Banza Pizza into several US retailers, which now has retail presence in over 8,000 outlets nationwide. Banza Pizza originally launched in October 2020 in Whole Foods Market, Wegmans and Target, followed by expansion into Stop & Shop, Kroger, Albertsons, Safeway and Meijer. The chickpea pizza is now also available at Thrive Market, Fresh Direct, Amazon and eatbanza.com. Consumer demand for better-for-you alternatives to comfort foods in grocery stores continues to increase, with the total better-for-you pizza category having grown 41% in the past two years. Banza Pizza reports that it is the fastest-turning frozen pizza crust brand in the US. In addition …

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a range of food made with chickpea protein and a bowl with tomatoes and lettuce set on a table

© ChickP
Products & Launches

ChickP Launches One-To-One Egg Yolk Replacement For Vegan Mayonnaise

ChickP Ltd announces its proprietary isolate is has been developed for use in different mayonnaise recipes as a one-to-one replacement for egg yolk. The pilots were so successful that one formulation is now going into large-scale pilot production. “We took the aquafaba concept a leap further” “The discovery of the chickpea aquafaba effect has been a culinary gamechanger for many vegans,” notes Ron Klein, CEO of ChickP. “The downside is that it still doesn’t present a viable egg substitute in nutritional terms, as it contains only a fraction of the protein of an egg. We took the aquafaba concept a leap further and derived that same desired effect from the body of the nutrient dense chickpea isolate.” The company recently announced its expansion into the …

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Products & Launches

London’s Fabalous Launches First Vegan Chocolate Spread Made From ChickPeas

Italian healthy food brand Fabalous has launched a line of 2-star Great Taste Award-winning organic hazelnut and cocoa spreads, created with a combination of organic hazelnuts, cocoa and chickpeas. According to the London-based brand, it is the first plant-based hazelnut and cocoa spread to use chickpeas as the main ingredient. The original Hazlenut Cocoa product launch will be followed with Savoury Orange Hazelnut and Crunchy Hazelnut flavours, with each jar containing on average 128 dried chickpeas and eight shelled hazelnuts. The spread is described as having an intense chocolatey flavour and a smooth and silky texture, and offers the unique draw of protein- and fibre-rich chickpeas and reduced sugar content. Each jar contains just eight organic ingredients, swapping palm oil for sunflower oil and cocoa …

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