While meat alternatives tend to get the lion’s share of the spotlight when it comes to the food tech world, many have overlooked alternatives for one of the most convenient and affordable animal proteins in the world – eggs. Aside from being a key in-demand source of animal protein, eggs happen to be notoriously difficult to replicate and are often cited as the food most missed by plant-based folk, not to mention that according to the U.N. FAO, over 76.7 million tonnes of eggs were produced globally in 2018. We need alternative egg options, and stat. Taking on this challenge are an emerging group of startups who are set to disrupt the industry with their cruelty-free, vegan-friendly and sustainable plant-based egg alternatives. Here are 6 of them and the groundbreaking work they’re up to. Also, fun fact: of the 13 founders in the 6 companies below, 8 of them are women! Guess there’s something about women and eggs..!
Eat Just, Inc.
Founding date: 2011
Founders: Josh Tetrik & Josh Balk
Headquarters: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Plant-based egg pioneer Eat Just is famous for its flagship vegan liquid egg product, the JUST Egg, which is made from mung beans. Since its inception in 2011, the startup has sold the plant-based equivalent of 50 million eggs and has made inroads into international markets including Hong Kong and mainland China, where it has recently launched the country’s first-ever plant-based culinary studio. Other products that Eat Just has added to its line include vegan mayonnaise and a frozen folded egg, and looking ahead, the company has signalled its intentions to go public after it achieves operational profitability, on track for next year.
Evo Foods
Founding date: 2019
Founders: Kartik Dixit & Shraddha Bhansali
Headquarters: Mumbai, India
Founded in 2019, Evo Foods has previously told Green Queen that it uses biotechnology to harness plant proteins derived from lentils to create a 100% vegan liquid egg product that is more sustainable compared to conventional eggs, contains no cholesterol, no antibiotics and is animal cruelty-free. The Mumbai-based startup aims to begin selling its first liquid vegan egg product through its online website and via foodservice partnerships with restaurants in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore this year. Soon after, the company has ambitions to roll out in the U.S. by April next year, and continue ramping up product development for a vegan egg product that is shelf-stable.
Zero Egg
Founding date: 2018
Founders: Liron Nimrody, Tammy Meiron & Amiel David
Headquarters: San Francisco, California, U.S.
Zero Egg has created the “all-purpose egg that works in any recipe” without any animals. Previously a part of the Israeli incubator The Kitchen FoodTech Hub , the startup has two powder-form shelf-stable products in their line-up, the Egg Basics that can replace conventional eggs in traditional dishes like breakfast scrambles, and Bake Basics, that is specially designed to be used in baking recipes. Both are made using only plant-based proteins, including soy, potato, pea and chickpeas. Last week, Zero Egg made its first-ever foodservice debut in the U.S. after its rollout in Israel and Europe, and it has plans to launch a consumer product as soon as next year.
Oggs
Founding date: 2018
Founders: Hannah Carter & Polly Mason
Headquarters: London, U.K.
After two years of development with teams coming from top universities, Oggs has recently launched the world’s first patented liquid vegan egg alternative. Called Oggs Aquafaba, the product contains just aquafaba – aka chickpea water. As it can whip and whisk just like real eggs, it can be used to replace eggs in baking recipes, especially those that call for egg whites. Since its first product launch in July this year across Waitrose supermarkets in the U.K., the startup says it has already saved 28,676 eggs. Oggs will also be launching its product in Asda and Sainsbury’s in the country in the coming months.
Les Merveilloeufs
Founding date: 2017
Founders: Philippine Soulères and Sheryline Thavisouk
Headquarters: Paris, France
Les Merveilloeufs was born when the co-founders asked their vegan friends what they missed most and the resounding answer was: eggs. After three years, the Paris-based food tech that is currently partnered with incubator Station F are now planning to launch across restaurants in Paris by the end of this year. While their exact ingredients list remains a secret, the startup’s vegan egg alternative contains legumes as its base, and what’s more? It comes in a shell, and once cracked, it looks exactly like a real egg with its distinctive egg and yolk separation. Looking ahead, Les Merveilloeufs wants to make its product available directly to consumers, in France and in overseas markets as well.
Cultured Foods
Founding date: 2019
Founders: Basia & Brian McWhorter
Headquarters: Krzywda, Poland
Cultured Foods is a Polish startup that is creating a number of vegan alternatives, including pancake mixes, ready made curries and burger patties, but their star product is a vegan egg. Called Veggs, the powder-form product, which comes packaged in a distinctive pulp carton, is made from tapioca flour, potato starch, psyllium husk, inulin and salt, and can be used to replace any recipe that calls for eggs as a binder rather than scrambled or fried eggs. According to the startup, Veggs is best used for everything from baked goods to stuffings, dumplings and casserole dishes. It is currently distributed across Poland, Germany, Portugal, Bulgaria, Hungary and Lithuania.
Lead image courtesy of Zero Egg.