Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Food Brewer Secures Over CHF 5M for Cell Cultured Cacao & Coffee

Food Brewer AG, a biotech startup leveraging plant cell culture headquartered in Campus Horgen, Zurich, Switzerland, has raised over CHF 5 million in a seed round.  Various investors, including family offices from Switzerland and the USA, the Zürcher Kantonalbank, and chocolate manufacturer Max Felchlin AG, backed the startup’s biotechnological approach to making alternatives to cocoa, coffee, and sustainable fats.  With the new funds, Food Brewer will invest in R&D for its cell lines, expand to a production facility, and develop its business model, reported Startupticker. The challenges of agriculture Founded in 2021 by Yannick Senn, Géraldine Senn, Christian Schaub, Corinne John, Stefan Bingisser, and Klaus Kienle, the startup focuses on developing a platform for large-scale production of key commodities harnessing the potential of plant cell culture. By utilizing new …

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Pluri develops cell-based coffee at industrial scale

© Pluri

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

PluriAgtech Introduces Cell-Based Coffee to Provide an Alternative to Traditional Production

Israeli biotechnology firm Pluri, formerly Pluristem, (Nasdaq, TASE: PLUR) has launched PluriAgtech, a subsidiary leveraging plant cell culture to grow sustainable coffee and break away from traditional farming methods.  As global warming continues to impact the coffee industry, shrinking viable land for cultivation and increasing demand leads to higher prices and less production.  According to the company, by 2050, land for coffee production will be reduced by half, and 30% must shift to higher altitudes since Arabica plants are temperature-sensitive. Moreover, the rising demand for coffee significantly impacts the environment, resulting in deforestation and increased water and pesticide use.  PluriAgtech claims it can produce high-quality “real” coffee at scale while reducing water usage by 98% and growing areas by 95%, thus preventing deforestation and making …

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Prefer bean-free coffee

© Prefer

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Prefer Raises $2M for Bean-Free Coffee Made With Upcycled Ingredients & Fermentation

Singapore-based startup Prefer has raised $2 million to scale up the production of its bean-free coffee. The round was led by Forge Ventures, with participation from Better Bite Ventures, Sopoong Ventures, SEEDS Capital, Entrepreneur First, and Pickup Coffee. Prefer’s coffee alternative is made by using microbes to ferment upcycled ingredients such as waste bread, soy milk pulp, and spent brewer’s grain. The resulting mixture is then roasted and ground, using a proprietary process that provides a similar taste and aroma to conventional coffee. Sustainable and affordable The aim is offer a more sustainable alternative to coffee, which has a high carbon footprint and is heavily affected by climate change. Changing weather patterns and increased demand are expected to drive up coffee prices in the coming …

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A 3D printer lays down used coffee grounds to make a flower pot

© University of Colorado / Michael Rivera

Printed Technology

3D Printing with Used Coffee Grounds to Reduce Waste & Help Eliminate Plastic

In a novel initiative led by Michael Rivera, an Assistant Professor at the ATLAS Institute and the Department of Computer Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, researchers are working on leveraging coffee grounds to reduce waste in 3D printing. Rivera and his team have devised a method for 3D printing various objects using a paste comprising recycled coffee grounds, water, and other sustainable components. The project is perceived as an initial step towards the exploration of alternative eco-friendly 3D printing materials, which could potentially replace conventional plastics. Rivera expounded that the majority of consumer 3D printers in today’s market utilize thermoplastics, with polylactic acid (PLA) being the most prevalent. While PLA is theoretically compostable, only a limited number of composting facilities accept it. “If …

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Coffee brand Kenco launches plant-based lattes

© Kenco

Beverages

Kenco Targets Younger Consumer Group with New Plant-Based Oat & Almond Lattes

British coffee brand Kenco is diversifying its range with the launch of plant-based lattes, available in two varieties — oat and almond. Sold in boxes of six sachets, the products are said to offer a coffee shop-style frothy latte described as “rich and creamy”. They are low in fat and sugar, complying with the UK’s HFSS nutrition regulations. The lattes have been introduced in response to the growing demand for plant-based alternatives among younger shoppers, along with a trend towards making barista-quality coffee at home. Figures suggest that one-fifth of consumers now choose plant-based milks in cafés, while one in three consume them at home. “Big opportunity” The launch comes as consumers worldwide increasingly demand plant-based coffee products, leading creamer brand Coffee mate to introduce …

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Silk Creamer

©Silk

Market & Trends

Global Non-Dairy Creamer Market to Be Worth $2.38Bn by 2027, Growing With 7.3% CAGR

A report by Allied Market Research has predicted that the non-dairy creamer market will grow with a CAGR of 7.3% through to 2027, reaching a value of $2.38 billion. Demand will be driven by increasing desire for plant-based products and a growing vegan population. New opportunities will be provided by the rising number of consumers with dairy allergies and the introduction of different flavors. However, the high cost of non-dairy creamers could pose a challenge, along with competition from low-fat conventional creamers. North America currently has almost two-fifths of the total market share, and is expected to continue to lead due to growing health awareness, successful marketing strategies, and new product launches. The Asia-Pacific region will see the largest CAGR at 8.6%, as consumers increasingly …

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Peet's spring menu

© Peet's Coffee

Food Service

Peet’s Coffee Announces Plant-Based Spring Menu, Will Drop Alt Milk Surcharge for Earth Month

US chain Peet’s Coffee has revealed its spring menu for 2023, which is focused on plant-based ingredients. The menu features new drinks such as the Lavender Vanilla Almond Latte and Lavender Cold Brew Oat Latte, along with a popular option that was previously off-menu — the Vanilla Almond Matcha Latte. The Plant-based Mediterranean Flatbread wrap, first offered as part of last year’s spring menu, will return for 2023. Additionally, Peet’s will drop its surcharge on plant-based milks during April to celebrate Earth Month. The chain reports that 21% of the beverages it sells are now customised with plant-based milks, while over 34% of the total amount of milk it uses is non-dairy. “With higher-than-ever demand for plant-based milks in customer orders, Peet’s recognizes the importance …

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©THIS PKN

Products & Launches

Pecan Specialist THIS PKN Launches ‘New Generation’ of Coffee Creamers Made From Pecanmilk

THIS PKN, a dairy-free brand owned by sustainable foods company Lifestock, announces it is launching a ‘new generation’ of plant-based creamers made from pecanmilk. In March 2023, the brand will debut two creamer varieties in Original and Vanilla on its website, followed by a rollout in Sprouts Farmers Markets.  Described as a creamy, flavorful addition to coffee and tea, PKN uses the naturally occurring richness and fats found in pecans to complement coffee’s acidity and the tannins in tea. In addition to hot beverages, the pecanmilk can be added to cereals, smoothies, granola or morning oats.  Available in Original and Sweet Vanilla, PKN’s new creamers made without added sugar or oil and contain Omega-3s, antioxidants, calcium, zinc; as well as vitamins A, B, and E. …

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MILKLAB almond barista plant based beverage

© MILKLAB

Milk- and Dairy Alternatives

Aussie Plant-Based Brand MILKLAB Seeks Growth Opportunities in SEA Markets

MILKLAB, an Australian barista plant-based milk brand currently available in 19 countries across Asia, the Middle East, and South Africa, says it has further expansion plans in Southeast Asia (SEA). Last December, as part of its first regional marketing campaign in Southeast Asia, the global alternative milk brand kicked off a series of pop-ups in Singapore called MILKLAB Oat Float for consumers to taste coffee blended with its MILKLAB Oat Milk. In addition, the company implemented MILKLAB Coffee Run, a month-long promotional event to create brand awareness that offered one-for-one beverages at 16 prominent cafes in the city. Peter Brown, Regional Sales Director for Asia, Middle East, told FoodNavigator-Asia: “By combining brand activations targeting both trade partners and consumers, we aim to increase brand awareness and …

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product of the year 2023 winners

Image: vegconomist

Fairs & Events

Product of the Year 2023: 17 Vegan Winners in Multiple Categories Chosen by UK Consumers

*Updated 2/2 to remove Starbucks Chilled Classics Multiserve which is not vegan* The Product of the Year, the largest consumer survey of product innovation in the UK, has revealed the winners of its 2023 awards, with 17 vegan products chosen by consumers across multiple categories. According to organisers, this year, nearly a fifth of consumers said plant-based was the most important factor when buying or trying a new product and plant-based products made the “greatest imprint” across multiple categories, ranging from big brands to startups. Consumer led The annual Product of the Year Awards is the largest consumer-voted award for product innovation and serves as a benchmark for predicting top interests and trends in the year ahead. In its 19th edition this year, 8,000 adult UK consumers …

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Caribou JUST Egg Vegan Sandwich

©Caribou Coffee

Gastronomy & Food Service

Caribou Coffee Adds JUST Egg Flatbread to Permanent Menu at Nearly 400 Locations

Just in time for Veganuary, US coffee chain Caribou Coffee announces its first plant-based breakfast sandwich, the JUST Egg Roasted Tomato & Pesto Flatbread, is now part of its permanent menu. The move comes after the item’s sales reportedly outperformed the chain’s vegetarian breakfast option by 45%. Now available at nearly 400 Caribou locations across the US, the Flatbread features a folded JUST Egg, roasted tomato, vegan pesto and Violife dairy-free Provolone cheese.  Caribous previously launched the sandwich, its first 100% plant-based breakfast offering, for a limited time in May 2022.  But the sandwich proved extremely popular, easily outselling the chain’s vegetarian, plant-based meat breakfast option. In addition, Caribou is rolling out a new Oat Milk Cold Foam, which the chain describes as a “cloud …

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Gastronomy & Food Service

NotCo and Dunkin’ Chile Launch Plant-Based NotDonuts and NotMilk At All Locations

Food tech phenomenon NotCo announces it has joined with Dunkin’ Chile to launch two new plant-based donuts –  the Boston NotManjxr and the Sugar NotManjxr. Along with the donuts, Dunkin’ Chile is also debuting NotCo’s NotMilk, which customers can order hot or iced in any drink or coffee.  Now available at all Dunkin’ locations across Chile, the launch includes NotManjxr donuts – with “Manjxr” referring to the popular “manjar” sweet flavoring found in Latin America desserts. Dunkin’ customers can order the donuts in Boston NotManjxr, Sugar NotManjxr, and Double Boston NotManjxr flavors.  The collaboration also includes Dunkin’s introduction of NotMilk, which NotCo says customers can order for any frothy or creamy drink. Big year The news closes out a blockbuster year for NotCo, which recently partnered …

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Vegan bacon breakfast sandwich

Vegan Bacon Sandwich ©Gregory's Coffee

Gastronomy & Food Service

5 US Coffee Chains Embracing 100% Plant-Based Breakfast Sandwiches

While coffee giants like Dunkin’, Starbucks and Tim Hortons have gradually adopted more vegan-friendly options in recent years, such items have largely been limited to dairy-free milks and the occasional plant-based sausage. Now, a growing number of smaller US chains are taking the initiative to offer consumers fully vegan versions of breakfast favorites, including bacon, sausage, eggs and cheese. Here we present some of the most notable names leading this trend: 1. Peet’s Coffee  Peet’s, which operates over 200 locations in 11 states, first introduced the Everything Plant-Based Sandwich as a limited-time offering in early 2021. But the item, which features a Beyond Sausage with folded JUST Egg and melted vegan cheddar, was so phenomenally successful the chain added it back permanently one year later. …

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Oddlygood Creamy Whole Oat Drink

©Oddlygood

Products & Launches

Oddlygood Expands US Dairy-Free Portfolio with All-In Barista Oat Drink

Oddlygood Global, a spinoff of leading Finnish food company Valio, announces the US launch of the All-In Barista Oat Drink. Available in shelf-stable cartons, the product will be featured this month at the Natural Products Expo East in Philadelphia and Coffee Fest Pacific Northwest in Seattle.  Made to provide creamy frothiness with no “flaking”, the All-In Barista Oat Drink was created with input from baristas and offers a full-bodied milk ideal for cappucinos and lattes. Uses whole oat The Barista Oat Drink uses non-GMO oats and utilizes the entire oat, which eliminates food waste, while being free from gluten and artificial flavors and sweeteners. Available in 1 liter, shelf-stable cartons, each serving contains 3 g of protein, 290 mg of calcium, 7 of fat and zero …

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Plant-Based Creamers

© Coffee mate/Nestlé

Products & Launches

Coffee Mate Launches Plant-Based Creamers for First Time in 50-Year History

For the first time in 50 years, Nestlé-owned brand Coffee mate is launching plant-based creamers in the flavours French Vanilla and Caramel. Coffee mate’s conventional French Vanilla creamer is the best-selling in the refrigerated aisle, and the new almond and oat-based version provides an option for those who avoid dairy. The Caramel flavour is also a customer favourite, with the plant-based version described as having a rich, buttery taste that is ideal for the holiday season. According to Coffee mate, plant-based creamers now account for 15% of the category. Though the brand launched non-dairy options in the US in 2017 as part of its Natural Bliss line, the new launches mark the first time plant-based creamers have been sold under the Coffee mate brand. Non-dairy …

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cultivated coffee

Cultivated Coffee © California Cultured

Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

California Cultured Develops Cultivated Coffee to Address Industry’s Ethical Issues

California Cultured, a startup best known for developing cell-cultured chocolate, has revealed it is now working on cultivated coffee. Cell cultivation is usually thought of as a way to produce more ethical versions of traditionally animal-derived ingredients. But certain plant-based ingredients are also associated with ethical issues, such as deforestation and slavery. And while some ingredients can be produced using precision fermentation, others — such as chocolate and coffee — are too complicated for this technique to be viable. This is where the often overlooked idea of plant cell cultivation comes in. Speaking to FoodNavigator USA, California Cultured co-founder and CEO Alan Perlstein explained that the technology is already in use on a large scale to produce the breast cancer drug Taxol. This means the …

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Management Team Tropic Biosciences

Management Team ©Tropic Biosciences

Investments & Finance

Tropic Biosciences Raises $35M to Solve Crises of the $400Bn Banana, Coffee, & Rice Markets  

Next gen impact investor Blue Horizon has announced an investment in Tropic Biosciences, a developer of high-performance varieties of tropical crops such as bananas, coffee, and rice. Leading a $35 million round for the company, Blue Horizon is backing Tropic Biosciences to be an agricultural-biotechnology leader at the forefront of a $400 billion market.  Tropic Biosciences is focused on a portfolio of popular but problematic crops: bananas, coffee, and rice. Coffee is the most consumed beverage globally after water, while banana is the most consumed fruit in the world. Rice accounts for roughly 25% of global calorie consumption, therefore Tropic claims the combined total market that it addresses could be valued at $400 billion.            With climate change reducing farming yields and contributing to the outbreak …

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Hugh Jackman Coffee

©Business Wire

Gastronomy & Food Service

Hugh Jackman’s Laughing Man Coffee Launches All-Vegan Laughing V Cafe

Laughing Man Coffee, a coffee brand founded by actor Hugh Jackman, has opened Laughing V cafe in NYC’s exclusive Tribeca neighborhood, the company’s first vegan business venture.  Bringing better options Operated by Chef Lauren Evans, the cafe is a result of Evans’ local campaigning for more plant-based food options in the ultra-trendy neighborhood, reports VegNews. The chef’s consistent efforts brought her to Laughing Man’s coffee popular shop on Duane Street. Co-founders David and Barry Steingard took interest in Evans’ plant-based requests, and when they asked for some food suggestions, she presented them a fully developed menu of deluxe vegan entrees, pastries and appetizers.  The Steingards were so impressed by Evan’s menu ideas, they decided to open a separate vegan cafe next door to Laughing Man, …

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James Cromwell Starbucks Protest NYC

©PETA

Society

James Cromwell’s Starbucks Protest Sparks Global Conversation on Chain’s Plant-Based Milk Fees

In a widely publicized event, actor James Cromwell protested Starbucks on May 10 by supergluing his hand to a counter in one of the coffee chain’s NYC stores. Wearing an animal rights T-shirt, Cromwell and other activists demanded Starbucks end its long-standing practice of charging extra for plant-based milk options. The PETA-organized demonstration received worldwide media coverage, and provoked lively social media conversations about the fairness of Stabucks’ extra fees for non-dairy milk. The protest marks an escalation in pressure tactics by PETA, which has actively campaigned against Starbucks’ vegan milk policies in recent years. In April, music icon and PETA supporter Sir Paul McCartney wrote an open letter urging former Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson to drop the dairy-free surcharge at the company’s US locations. …

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Alfred Impossible Sausage Sandwich

©Alfred

Food Service

Famed LA Coffee Shop Alfred Debuts Plant-Based Breakfast Sandwich with Impossible Sausage

Alfred, an Instagram-famous coffee shop chain, announces it is now introducing the “PBBS” – Plant-Based Breakfast Sandwich – to its menus. Featuring Impossible Sausage, the new breakfast item can be found at most of Alfred’s LA-based locations.  Described as a modern twist on traditional breakfast sandwiches, the PBBS is made with Impossible Sausage, Folded JUST Egg and Violife Cheddar on a vegan potato bun. Containing 20 grams of protein, each sandwich also comes with all-natural ketchup and Zab’s hot sauce.  The PBBS marks the latest breakfast sandwich launch for Impossible Foods, which supplies plant-based sausage for breakfast items at major brands like Starbucks and Jamba Juice. In March, massive Canadian coffee chain Tim Hortons re-launched its meatless breakfast menu with Impossible products after ending its …

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