When it comes to AI meets food, it’s easy to think of food robots, precision farming, or even restaurant tech. But over the past year or so, we’ve seen a parade of new startups emerge that use machine learning and other forms of AI to develop new food building blocks.

Take Kingdom Supercultures. The company, which raised $25 million a couple of weeks ago, uses machine learning to explore the properties of existing cultures to create what it claims is the world’s largest biobank. From there, they mine to explore potentially new and interesting microbial combinations called supercultures that provide new functionality, flavors, and more.

And this week, a company called Shiru, which uses machine learning and precision fermentation to create analogs to animal-based ingredients, raised $17 million. Like Kingdom, Shiru is using AI to rapidly develop a massive proprietary database, only Shiru’s dataset is the first to focus on “protein identity with protein-related food function.” The company mines its database with machine learning to identify novel ingredients that replicate “the taste, texture, gelation, foaming, emulsification, and binding abilities of animal proteins.”

In short, both companies are using AI to build next-generation ingredient platforms and, in doing so, are hoping to accelerate the process of ingredient development by an order of magnitude over a purely wet lab approach.

And they’re not the only ones. Climax Foods, led by Google’s former head of data science, is building plant-based cheese by analyzing data sets using machine learning to figure out what novel tastes and textures a set of particular raw ingredients and isolates will yield. Brightseed is analyzing plant molecules using AI to understand and isolate new phytonutrient compounds and, you guessed it, build a database from which they make predictions about how these new compounds may impact health.

It’s an exciting time in the world of future food. As advances in AI and cutting-edge biotechnology continue to merge and yield new food building blocks at a breathtaking pace, we’ll be watching for the next Kingdom Supercultures and Shiru to emerge over the next year.

If you are the next company in this space, drop us a line. We’d like to hear from you.

And now for the rest of this week’s funding news.

Agtech

Pure Harvest Smart Farms – $65 Million: UAE-based precision agriculture firm Pure Harvest Smart Farms has raised $64.5 million in funding. Today Pure Harvest operates three farms in the UAE and is developing new farms in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Pure Harvest’s crops include tomatoes, leafy greens, and strawberries. The funding brings the company’s total invested capital to USD 271.6 million, which the company claims is the MENASA (Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia) region’s largest agtech investment.

Grubmarket – $145 Million – Grubmarket, a B2B and B2C digital supply chain company, has raised $145 million Series E. The company, which operates an online marketplace for fresh produce, offers managed warehousing and supply chain operation services across North America, and has a variety of cloud software for food wholesalers and farms, is on track for a $1 billion annualized run rate. The company plans to use the funding to expand into new markets (and hopefully to improve its website, which does not look at all like a website of a company close to $1B in revenue).

Fermentation

Aqua Cultured – $2.1 Million: Alt-seafood startup Aqua Cultured has raised $2.1 million in pre-seed funding. Unlike many other alt-seafood startups using a straight plant-based or cell-cultured approach, Aqua Cultured uses microbial fermentation techniques to create whole-muscle cut seafood alternatives. The company has developed formulas for tuna, whitefish, squid, and shrimp that leverage its novel fungi as the primary ingredient. Investors include Supply Change Capital, Aera VC, Sustainable Food Ventures, Hanfield Venture Partners, Lifely VC, Conscience VC, Kingfisher Capital, Big Idea Ventures. $2.1 million, a nice pre-seed raise, is even more impressive considering the company only started last month.

Coffee

Cometeer – $35 Million: Cometeer, a company that makes frozen coffee pucks and sells them in packs via a DTC-by-mail model, has raised a $35 million Series B. The company’s pucks consist of 10x strength frozen coffee which are dropped into hot water to make a drinkable cup of Joe. The pucks aren’t cheap at $64 for a box of 32, or $2 a pop. You can see Ashlen Wilder’s review of Cometeer here.

Fast Grocery

Gorillas – $1B: We have a few more details on the nearly $1 billion in funding for Gorillas we wrote about early this month. The company raised an almost $1 billion in funding, with Delivery Hero leading the round with $235 million in funding in exchange for 8% of the company. While that seems like a whole lotta capital, the company’s going to need it as it continues to build out a warehouse and dark store network that is already in 55 cities across Europe and the U.S.

CPG

N!CK’s – $100 Million – Better-for-you food company N!CK’s has hauled in an impressive $100 million in funding in a round was led by Kinnevik, Ambrosia and Temasek. Others throwing their hat in the N!CK’s ring include Gullspang, fellow Swedish food standout Oatly, Peak Bridge, Capagro and Nicoya. The company uses proprietary sweeteners and other ingredients to make ice cream, protein bars, and cookies. N!CK’s plans to use the money to accelerate its North American and European growth by expanding its product portfolio and doubling N!CK’S store count in 2022.

Food Robots

Fabric – $200 Million – Fabric, a maker of robotic micro-fulfillment solutions for grocery and e-commerce retailers, announced today they have raised $200 million in a Series C funding round. The new funding puts the company’s valuation at $1 billion. Formerly called Common Sense Robotics, Fabric works with large online grocers and retailers such as Walmart, Instacart, and FreshDirect to build automated micro-fulfillment centers via a mix of fulfillment-as-a-service and hybrid ownership models. The company’s solution involves an intricate blend of robotics, vertically stacked storage of products, and human operators and packers that help package up the final delivery and handoff to delivery drivers.

Alternative protein news has been dropping in faster than fall leaves, and so we’ve gathered some of this week’s top stories, including Revo Foods’ product launch, Aquacultured and Daring Foods’ funding rounds, and Brave Robot’s new cake mix.

Revo Foods launches plant-based salmon in Austrian grocery stores

This week, plant-based seafood startup Revo Foods launched its alternative salmon product in the Austrian supermarket chain Billa Plus. The product now available on retailer shelves is Revo’s plant-based smoked salmon, made from a base of pea protein and algae oil. Additionally, Revo Foods recently appeared on the Austrian show “2 Minuten 2 Millionen” (similar to Shark Tank), where the company garnered interest from potential investors. In 2022, the company has plans to launch plant-based tuna, smoked salmon spread, and sashimi products.

Aquacultured raises $2.1 million in oversubscribed seed round

Alt-seafood startup Aqua Cultured has raised $2.1 million in pre-seed funding. Unlike many other alt-seafood startups using a straight plant-based or cell-cultured approach, Aqua Cultured uses microbial fermentation techniques to create whole-muscle cut seafood alternatives. The company has developed formulas for tuna, whitefish, squid, and shrimp that leverage its novel fungi as the primary ingredient. Investors include Supply Change Capital, Aera VC, Sustainable Food Ventures, Hanfield Venture Partners, Lifely VC, Conscience VC, Kingfisher Capital, Big Idea Ventures. $2.1 million, a nice pre-seed raise, is even more impressive considering the company only started last month.

Brave Robot releases cake mix

Brave Robot, the first consumer products spinout of precision fermentation platform company Perfect Day, unveiled a new product this week, the “Climate Hero Super Cake.” The yellow cake mix uses the same animal-free milk protein found in the company’s ice cream and replaces the equivalent of three eggs. The mix – which is packaged in a compostable bag – contains other standard ingredients like wheat flour and sugar and requires added oil and water to prepare. One bag of the mix makes two 8-inch round cakes and costs $18.

Daring raises $65 million, launches in Walmart

Daring Foods, a plant-based chicken brand, announced this week that it has closed a Series C round totaling $65 million, and that it will launch its products in Walmart. The round was led by Founders Fund, with D1 Capital Group, and celebrities such as Naomi Osaka, Cameron Newton, Steve Aoki and Chase Coleman participating. This brings the company’s total funding to $120 million. Daring’s plant-based chicken will be available in 3,000 Walmart locations nationwide.

Largest pre-seed investment in alt-seafood to date

CHICAGO, Ill. – October 27, 2021 – Food tech startup Aqua Cultured Foods announced today it has closed an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round of $2.1 million, a high-water mark in the category of seafood alternatives, and one of the largest pre-seed rounds for companies using fermentation for alt-proteins.

Investors include Supply Change Capital, Aera VC, Sustainable Food Ventures, Hanfield Venture Partners, Lifely VC, Conscience VC, Kingfisher Capital, Big Idea Ventures, and Gonzalo Ramirez Martiarena, former CEO of Louis Dreyfus Company and founder/CEO of Swiss Pampa.

Funding will be used to accelerate research and development to enable commercialization of its whole-muscle cut, sushi-quality filets of tuna and whitefish, popcorn shrimp, calamari, and scallop alternatives from its novel protein fermentation technology. Aqua’s team is focusing on adjusting production conditions and inputs to achieve different textures, shapes, and nutritional values, as well as flavoring techniques.

“Interest at this stage has frankly exceeded our capacity to bring in partners, leading to an oversubscribed round, but it’s left us in a good position for future investment and very optimistic about our approach to delivering more sustainable protein,” said Aqua CEO Anne Palermo. “Our next step is to work on commercializing our products from  lab-scale to bring to the foodservice and retail channels, including the fresh refrigerated set for grocery, so that our products can reach both restaurant tables and the seafood counter.”

“Aqua Cultured Foods is quickly becoming the leader in seafood alternatives,” said Shayna Harris, co-founder and managing partner of Supply Change Capital. “The microbial-based fermentation method that Aqua has developed not only brilliantly mimics the look and mouth-feel of a whole fish filet — the holy grail in alt-proteins — but it dramatically reduces the environmental footprint of the mainstream seafood supply chain. In addition, the nutritional integrity is unparalleled by anything else we have looked at in this space.”

Aqua has also expanded its core team with the appointment of Bob Schultz as lead scientist. Schultz joins the company from Simulate, an early-stage biotechnology company, where he was lead food engineer and product lead for the Nuggs plant-based chicken nugget, the fastest-growing alternative chicken nugget on the planet. Schultz holds a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s in gastronomic sciences.

Johnny Carino, an executive chef noted for developing new concepts and opening new restaurants including his eponymous Carino’s Italian restaurants — a chain that once numbered 170 locations — has joined Aqua as its head of culinary innovation.

Aqua’s microbial fermentation methods do not use any animal inputs, genetic altering or modification and can therefore be marketed as non-GMO. Per serving, its products will contain 18-20 grams of protein, 10-12 grams of fiber and no sodium, saturated fat or cholesterol, and Omega-3s. These nutritional values are similar to cod, which contains 18 grams of protein, 0.7 grams of fat, nearly 43 mg cholesterol, 54 mg of sodium, and no fiber.

Aqua is currently building its infrastructure and scaling production to release products in 2022.

‎About Aqua Cultured Foods
Aqua Cultured Foods is an innovative food technology startup developing the world’s first whole-muscle cut seafood alternatives created through microbial fermentation. Its novel technology produces a sustainable, complete protein source using only a fraction of the resources required by traditional aquaculture. As an R&D company with a focus on product commercialization, Aqua Cultured Foods occupies a unique position in the burgeoning alt-seafood market as well as within the fermentation industry. The company’s mission is to mitigate global challenges such as overfishing, climate change and feeding the world’s expanding population with delicious, nutrient-rich foods For more information visit https://www.aquaculturedfoods.com.

CEO and Co-founder of Melibio, Darko Mandich joins me on The Plantbased Business Hour to discuss making honey without the bees and why this is mission critical. Listen in to learn about the secret life of bees and plant-based and fermented honey – yes, it’s a thing.

Specifically, Darko and I discuss,

1. Why he decided to make plant-based honey,
2. Is there a difference between a honeybee and an essential bee/native bee? A pollinating bee and a honeybee?
3. What are the issues with commercial bee farming?
4. What do we do to encourage the population of native bees?
5. How is Melibio made?
6. Having recently done a tasting in San Francisco, can you scale this for B2B? And would there be interest in this?

Below is a clip and transcript from their passionate conversation. The podcast is here. 

Elysabeth: Can you talk to me about commercial farming? All factory farming is just overpopulated and so it’s easy to transmit disease whether that be African Swine Fever with pigs or the African honeybee or what have you, the European honey bee or crickets for that matter which is another show. In short, factory farming can give way to disease. Talk to me a little bit about that and what that means for bees and us.

Darko Mandich: I mean in 2021 if anyone needs any proof that intersection of humans and animals at the level that we allow to happen…if anyone needs proof that that’s not the best way moving forward to save humankind, I don’t know what to say to that. Very often delivering the truth comes with a shock. I was personally very shocked when I found out about the honeybees and this connection and, you know, I challenged that. I looked into many articles beyond one, but it perfectly came together after, you know, you make a connection with everything you do.

We as a humankind discover something and we find use for something and then we introduce efficiency and new methods and at that moment realize the consequences of that. People started using honey all the way back to 6400 BC in the current territory of Georgia, in between Europe and Asia. There are findings of honey in the Egyptian pyramids from 2000 BC. Humans have this emotional connection with honey and bees. Take any religious book with any religion in the world and you will find honey in it, which is not the case for other foods.

So this is a very interesting topic. It’s a very emotional product. It’s a very emotional story and what I can say is that we need to look into the science and the data. We need to realize what’s happening out there because if we just decide that we live only within the narrative that was downloaded to us in previous generations or any other reason…if we don’t challenge that we’re going to be having problems.

Unfortunately, only 2% of beekeepers are organic beekeepers. It is considered that organic beekeepers are treating bees a little bit better than commercial scale beekeeping, but that’s only 2%. You know, Elysabeth, I would say look at all the amazing things we accomplished as a humankind. Look at the world today versus what we had in the past and I’m wondering who has the right to stop evolution, Elysabeth? Who has the right to say we’ve been eating something coming from an animal for decades or centuries, what if there is a better way? What if in order to survive on this planet we need to adapt and use what we’ve built so far, which is knowledge and science, to our own benefit? This is what Melibio is.

I’m not a scientist. My co-founder is a scientist. I went to business school, and I come from an entrepreneurial family that’s really connected to food, but I really believe that the more I discover science the more I think about the plant-based route or precision fermentation. I see enormous opportunities to feed the world, to leave no one without food, and to make that sustainable so that we keep this planet and these creatures alive.

Elysabeth: I love what you’re saying and again so much to unpack there. So much of what we talked about when we talked about our global shifting food supply system is food security and making sure that all the people.  That’s almost ten billion people by 2050 according to the UN. Now we’re at 7.7. billion people so you’re looking at almost a 30% increase.  How are you going to feed all of those people? So as we look to a more efficient food supply system, what you’re saying is that you’re trying to make sure that everybody gets the honey that they want and love. The Egyptians called it liquid gold, and who wants to give up on liquid gold? But we can’t do so at the expense of the native species which we really need as pollinators. Although there are twenty thousand species, there are these two different kinds of bees: the pollinators that are quite prolific and allow us a prolific vegetation if you will, and then the honeybees themselves.

In the first half of 2021, alternative seafood companies raised $116 million in investment capital, according to the first-ever State of the Industry Report by non-profit think tank Good Food Institute (GFI). According to the report—which explores the global alternative seafood industry’s commercial landscape, including investments, sales data, and consumer insights—the first six months of this year saw record investments, already exceeding total investments of $90 million in 2020. This year, investments came from 11 disclosed deals (the size of four deals were not disclosed) with alternative seafood brands such as Gathered Foods, BlueNalu, and New Wave Foods.

The industry report also shared retail sales data. In 2020, the retail plant-based food market in the United States grew 27 percent, almost twice the rate of the total retail food market. And, notably, plant-based meat sales grew 45 percent, closing out the year at $1.4 billion in total sales. In comparison, alternative seafood retail sales in the US grew by 23 percent, from $10 million in 2019 to $12 million in 2020—though it remains a tiny portion (0.1 percent) of overall seafood sales, compared to plant-based meat at 1.4 percent of overall meat sales.

Fish-free seafood is ripe for innovation

Though vegan burgers, plant-based chicken, and other meat alternatives are dominating the market, GFI suggests that alternative seafood remains a market whitespace and is well poised to capitalize on the momentum of the broader plant-based industry. Retail plant-based seafood sales could grow by $221 million if the category was able to capture the same share of the seafood market that plant-based meat has of the meat market. Because a large percentage (65 percent) of seafood sales in the US occur in foodservice, GFI suggests the total market opportunity is likely much greater.

The alternative seafood industry has grown significantly in recent years. In 2017, approximately 29 companies worldwide were making seafood using processes and ingredients that include plants, microbes, fermentation, and cultured animal cells. By the end of June 2021, that number had jumped to more than 87 companies. These include companies such as US-based Gathered Foods, which makes vegan tuna pouches, crab cakes, fish fillets, and fish sticks under its Good Catch brand. The mission-driven company, founded by pioneering vegan chef brothers Derek and Chad Sarno, recently closed a $26.35 million funding round, which will be used to ramp up innovation, increase its product range, and help its Good Catch brand expand internationally.

In 2021, Green Monday’s foodtech business, OmniFoods, expanded into plant-based seafood. Previously known for their plant-based ground pork, OmniPork, the Hong-Kong based company expanded its offerings to include six seafood products: two different fish fillets, an ocean burger, salmon, shelf-stable tuna, and crab cakes. The products, which are high in protein and omega-3 fatty acids, first rolled out in select Hong Kong restaurants before landing in retail later this year.

Additionally, other forms of fish-free seafood are on the way through companies such as Aqua Cultured Foods, which is developing the first whole-muscle seafood alternative created through microbial fermentation; Odontella, which makes a structured salmon analogue using seaweed and microalgae; and ENOUGH, which announced a prototype mycoprotein tuna steak produced via a 3D printer made by Natural Machines.

Major brands get in on vegan seafood

Larger food manufacturers, including traditional meat and seafood companies, are also beginning to seize opportunities in the emerging market. In addition to generating new revenue streams, alternative seafood products offer a more stable and predictable supply, minimizing risks and costs for large and small producers. Sustainability is also a significant driver, with companies recognizing increased consumer interest in more ocean-friendly seafood options.

Last year, food giant Nestlé launched its first plant-based seafood product, Vuna, which is sold under its Garden Gourmet brand in Switzerland. And Cargill—one of the biggest meat producers in the world—introduced vegan scallops co-branded with Lawson, a Japan-based convenience store chain.

Dinesh Tadepalli has landed his shark.

Tadepalli, the CEO of Incredible Eats, appeared on Shark Tank last night to pitch his company and ended up getting four offers from various sharks before walking away with an offer from Lori Greiner for 15% of the company. Watch:

Regular Shark Tank watchers will know four offers are a lot, but it’s not all that surprising since Incredible Eats checks many shark boxes: an easy-to-understand product, proven success, and mission-driven.

That easy to understand product is edible cutlery that replaces disposable plastic spoons and forks. IncredibleEats’ edible spoons and sporks come in both sweet and savory versions – chocolate and vanilla for desserts, oregano chili and black pepper for soups and such – and in both large and small versions.

Here at The Spoon, we’re always excited to see food tech innovators on Shark Tank, but doubly so when they are alumni of our own startup pitch contest. Tadepalli pitched his idea for edible cutlery at the Smart Kitchen Summit in 2019, winning the Future Food portion of the pitch session. It was still early days for the company called Planeteer at the time, but the judges loved the idea of cutting down on plastic waste with an edible spoon or fork.

Tadepalli plans to use the money to hire more employees and ramp up production. He’ll need it. With what amounts to millions of dollars worth of free advertising in the form of a Shark Tank appearance and a consumer product expert like Greiner in his corner, there’s no doubt he’ll start selling lots of spoons and sporks through multiple channels very soon. And all that’s before they even get to food service – restaurants and cafeterias – which is likely be an even bigger opportunity than the consumer market.

If you’d like to watch Tadepalli’s award winning pitch at Smart Kitchen Summit 2019, click play below.

If you want to predict who could be the next Incredible Eats, see our post on this year’s finalists for the Smart Kitchen Summit Startup Showcase here.

Government programs around the globe are increasingly getting more involved in the alternative protein space. This month, the Danish government allocated 1.25 billion kroner (~$194 million USD) for research into plant-based proteins. A few weeks ago, the USDA awarded Tufts University $10 million to establish “a cultivated protein center of excellence”. Most recently, a European agency called REACT-EU set aside $2 million in funding to help decrease the costs of producing cultivated meat (see below).

In this Alt. Protein Round-up, we also have news pieces on Mission Barns’ product unveil, Black Sheep Foods plant-based lamb, Impossible Meat’s burger stand, and ADM’s investment into precision fermentation.

Mission Barns and Silva Sausages unveil first product

Cultivated fat producer Mission Barns and sausage manufacturer Silva Sausages unveiled their first product produced in partnership: chorizo sausages. The sausages are a hybrid product, made with undisclosed plant proteins and Mission Barn’s proprietary cultivated fat. This is the first production run of the product, and this trial exemplified that the companies have the capabilities to produce the sausages on a large scale. In the multi-year partnership, Mission Barns will use Silva’s facilities (which can produce up to 50,000 lbs of sausage per day) and distribution network. There is no date set for an official launch of the hybrid chorizo sausages

European REACT-EU grants $2 million for “Feed for Meat” project

The “Feed for Meat” project was started by Nutreco and Mosa Meat, and it aims to lower the cost of producing cultivated meat. The European REACT-EU recovery assistance program just awarded the project $2 million to support efforts in commercializing cultivated eat throughout Europe. This funding will specifically be used for R&D efforts for reducing the costs of cultured cell media. This component is typically the most expensive part of cultured meat; however, Mosa Meat has shared that it has successfully reduced the cost of one of the growth nutrients by 98 percent.

Black Sheep Foods Launches Plant-Based Lamb in San Francisco Restaurants

This week, alternative protein startup Black Sheep Foods’ plant-based lamb made its debut in San Francisco restaurants. The launch is a big step for the Black Sheep team, which wants to offer more variety to plant-based meat eaters. “Our first product is lamb because it’s both alien and familiar in America,” company co-founder Sunny Kumar told The Spoon this week over Zoom. “Everyone knows about lamb, but no one really eats it at a high cadence.” Read the full article here.

ADM Invests in Acies Bio to expand precision fermentation capabilities

Global nutrition and agriculture company, ADM, invested in the Slovenian biotechnology company, Acies Bio through its venture capital arm ADM Ventures. One of Acies Bio’s specialties is precision fermentation technology for food and agricultural applications, and this technology will be used to assist ADM accelerate its own precision fermentation projects. Making use of Acies Bio’s microbial capabilities and contract manufacturing services, ADM aims to meet the growing demand for products developed through microbial fermentation.

Impossible Foods Opens a Burger Stand in Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena

This week Impossible and Climate Pledge Arena, the world’s first net zero-carbon sports arena, announced that the Impossible patty had been named the venue’s official burger. They also announced Impossible is opening two branded food stands in the home of the NHL’s newest franchise, the Seattle Kraken. Read the full article here.

Season 13 episode 3 of ‘Shark Tank’ saw Morrisville-based entrepreneur Dinesh Tadepalli present his range of edible cutlery aptly named IncrEDIBLE Eats. Presented as a proper and efficient substitute for plastic, Dinesh aims to reduce waste while giving his customers tasty spoons to munch on. The innovative and exciting product turned heads and made us look into the company in detail. Let’s find out more about IncrEDIBLE Eats, shall we?

IncrEDIBLE Eats: Who Are They and What Do They Do?

Surprisingly, the mastermind behind IncrEDIBLE Eats, Dinesh Tadepalli, did not have experience in the food industry prior to launching his product. He earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Electronics, and Communication from Anna University in Chennai before moving to the United States. Soon, he enrolled at the University of Southern California for a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering. Following his education, Dinesh worked as a Design Engineer at several renowned companies before joining Intel in September 2018 as an SoC Design Manager.

However, the effects of plastic waste on the environment forced him to look at an unconventional and out-of-the-box solution. While at an ice cream shop with his daughter, Dinesh noticed that most patrons were throwing away the plastic spoons, increasing waste. Realizing that a significant portion of plastic waste comes from throwable cutlery, Dinesh began looking at a solution to the problem. Subsequently, after much brainstorming, he hit upon the brilliant idea of edible spoons, and thus, IncrEDIBLE Eats was born.

Dinesh describes the texture of his edible spoons as that of a biscotti and claims that it is made up of vegan-friendly grains. Moreover, the spoons have a sufficiently long shelf life of 1 year and can stay up to 25 minutes inside a hot meal without dissolving. Furthermore, the entire manufacturing process is mentioned as being sustainable in nature. Although his packaging uses some plastic that helps keep the edibles moisture-free, Dinesh said that his company had cut down on plastic usage wherever possible.

IncrEDIBLE Eats: Where Are They Now?

Although Dinesh quickly researched a solution and invented a perfect substitute for plastic cutlery, he did not have the required capital to start a company. However, unwilling to let go of his dream, Dinesh perfected his product and found a manufacturer before selling his house in California to generate capital. The budding entrepreneur even moved to Morrisville in North Carolina to save costs. However, his business soon began looking up, and Dinesh was surprised by the response to his unique solution.

Apart from selling direct to consumers, Dinesh also linked up with various ice cream shops and food services to get his products across to the consumers. With a boost in sales and interest, Dinesh realized that just manufacturing spoons would not cut it, and hence IncrEDIBLE Eats plans on manufacturing forks, chopsticks, knives, straws, and even bowls in the future. The edible spoons are available in different sweet and savory flavors, including plain, vanilla, chocolate, black pepper, and oregano chili.

The spoons are available on their website as well as retail giants Amazon, and a box of 20 large edible spoons will set you back by $7.99 (original cost $11.99). Moreover, Spoons 2.0 and Sporks can also be pre-ordered on the IncrEDIBLE Eats website for the price of $9.99 (originally $11.99) per box. Additionally, the website also allows wholesale dealers to buy stock directly from the company.

Black Sheep Foods says it has replicated the flavor and texture of lamb meat through a proprietary pea-protein blend that delivers a “juicy and meaty” experience.

The company, founded by tech entrepreneur Sunny Kumar and biochemist Ismael Montanez, says the idea came in 2019 after seeing a lack of lesser-known meats on the market, either animal or plant-based versions. The founders wanted to “democratize” heritage breed meats but with a healthier and more environmentally conscious approach. The company worked with chef Jason Dickerson and a team of food scientists to perfect the product.

“Our eating habits are supply chain led, meaning we eat animals that grow the fastest, not those that are the tastiest,” Kumar said in a statement. “At Black Sheep Foods, we want to speed up the adoption of plant-based meats by making plant-based alternatives tastier than commercial animal meat, not just mimicking them.”

Lamb and the environment

According to Black Sheep Foods, its use of tech, analytical chemistry, and high-quality ingredients, allows it to recreate lamb meat that is better for the planet. The brand says its vegan lamb meat saves more than 350 liters of water and reduces carbon emissions by 14.5 kg for every pound of its meat compared with traditional lamb meat. It also contains a healthier profile at the plate, offering zero grams of cholesterol versus lamb’s 82 grams. It also boasts 18 grams of protein per serving.

Lamb meat has the biggest climate footprint of any animal food; it produces 50 percent more CO2 than beef, according to the Environmental Working Group. “While beef and lamb generate comparable amounts of methane and require similar quantities of feed, lamb generates more emissions per kilo in part because it produces less edible meat relative to the sheep’s live weight,” EWG explains on its website.

Related: Magic Valley Launches As Australia’s First Cultured Lamb Food Tech

Vegan lamb

Souvla will be the only restaurant serving the vegan lamb meat for the next six weeks. The vegan meat is part of the chain’s permanent menu and Black Sheep Foods will also announce other partnerships after the six-week period.

The vegan lamb meat is available for dine-in or via Caviar and Doordash for delivery. Black Sheep Foods says the spiced lamb meat will be available in any of the restaurants salads or sandwiches. It’s the first time the restaurant has updated its menu since opening in 2014.

“Since our inception, we have intentionally never changed the menu, so this is a monumental, forward- thinking moment for Souvla,” said Charles Bililies, Souvla’s Founder and CEO. “We had yet to find a plant-based meat that made sense for our restaurants, but when we tried Black Sheep Foods, we felt it was the right moment to add a plant-based offering to our menu. This will expand upon our vegetarian offerings, which we’re excited to offer our guests.”

Bililies has also joined BLack Sheep Foods as an advisor.

“We’re fortunate — so much of this innovation is happening right here, where we’re based,” Bililies told Eater. “We first were exposed to [the technology] years back with Impossible, and we did some experimenting with it on our end. But since we didn’t have beef on our menu to begin with, we kept looking out for new opportunities that were a better fit. Black Sheep came to us last year with this idea that they had been working on, and with lamb being such a signature part of the Souvla menu and being so synonymous with Greek cuisine, especially here in the States, it seemed like a great fit.”

While Black Sheep’s is a first in the U.S., vegan lamb meat hit India earlier this year, where the meat is consumed instead of beef. The company PlantMade launched India’s first vegan lamb seekh kebabs.

Startup Black Sheep Foods is creating a plant-based version of vegan lamb, which is coming to San Francisco’s Souvla—a Greek chain that has not changed its menu since 2014, until now as reported by Vegnews.

Vegan lamb will be available at all four locations of Souvla, a beloved San Francisco Bay Area Greek restaurant. Made by local startup Black Sheep Foods (BSF), the vegan lamb will be added as a fifth protein option next to existing lamb, pork, chicken, and roasted white sweet potato. Made with a base of pea protein and patent-pending flavor compounds, Black Sheep Lamb will be available in bite-sized pieces and can be ordered as part of Souvla’s signature sandwiches and salads.

The simple menu at Souvla has not changed much (or at all) since it opened in 2014 until now. “Since our inception, we have intentionally never changed the menu, so this is a monumental, forward-thinking moment for Souvla,” Charles Bililies, Souvla’s Founder and CEO, said in a statement.

“We had yet to find a plant-based meat that made sense for our restaurants, but when we tried Black Sheep Foods, we felt it was the right moment to add a plant-based offering to our menu. This will expand upon our vegetarian offerings, which we’re excited to offer our guests.”

Founded by tech entrepreneur Sunny Kumar and biochemist Ismael Montanez, the concept for BSF arose in 2019

In partnership with chef Jason Dickerson, BSF spent two years perfecting its vegan lamb through analytical chemistry, rebuilding the flavor profile of the gamey meat from the ground up. The result is a vegan lamb that carries the same gamey flavor and texture of its animal counterpart without the need to slaughter a lamb. In addition to being a cruelty-free lamb option, Black Sheep Lamb is much more environmentally friendly and uses 98-percent less land, produces 95-percent fewer carbon emissions, and consumes half as much water compared to commercially raised lamb.