Food From Thought: December 2021

Imagindairy closes $13M seed round, a look inside UPSIDE's new production facility, and Unovis welcomes a new Principal.

It’s been a busy end of the year for Unovis. Following the launch of our new website (Unovis.vc) last month, we were also recently excited to announce that Kristen Rocca, who joined the team in 2019 and has been a Senior Associate in our Amsterdam office, has been promoted to the role of Principal.

In her new position, Kristen will be closely overseeing the Unovis portfolio of companies and taking a more active role in the management and oversight of our investments across the alternative protein value chain.

With an MBA from IESE Business School and a Chemical Engineering degree from McMaster University, Kristen has a strong strategic and operations background that is a natural fit for these new responsibilities. Her past work includes product development, operations & sustainability within the energy sector, sustainability consulting for international corporations, and growth strategy for early-stage start-ups. At Unovis, she has brought that skill-set to the future of food, working directly with innovative entrepreneurs who are tackling some of the biggest challenges in our food system and developing new, more sustainable solutions.

We’re excited for Kristen and look forward to many more great years together as we work to create a healthier, better fed, more equitable world.

---

Aleph Farms

• “We grow meat from cells, they are just not connected to a cow”: Didier Toubia on the future of farming

• Lab to table: Israeli tech kitchens cook up future of animal-free food

• Israelis are masters of food innovation. Here’s why

• Aleph Farms and the Embassy of Israel to the United States to host a virtual event to discuss the role of alternative proteins in a sustainable food system

Alpha Foods

• America’s Plant-Based Craving Report

AtLast Food Co.

• ‘Shroom Boom’ Likely to Continue in Plant-Based, Traditional Categories

Black Sheep Foods

• Black Sheep Foods Partners With Equinom For Pea-Based Vegan Lamb

Geltor

• Geltor Announces New Vegan Collagen Brand With Crushed Tonic Founder Sally Olivia Kim

• This Dazzling New Branding is a Lesson in Combatting Scientific Misinformation

Heura

• Free Festive Vegan Sandwiches For Londoners from Heura

Imagindairy

• Imagindairy closes $13m seed round to advance animal-free dairy

• Imagindairy targets 2023 launch for animal-free dairy after successful funding round

Meati

• Top Chef Tom Colicchio Backs Company Making a New Kind of Vegan Meat

• Meati hires General Mills exec to smooth its path to market in 2022

Miyoko’s Creamery

• A YouTube First: Vegan Butter Gets its Own Cooking Channel

Mosa Meat

• Got beef with beef? Mosa Meat shares cultivated meats’ commercial viability

• Where’s the Beef? A First-Hand Assessment of Cultivated Meat Progress

Oatly

• Oatly cuts packaging carbon footprint in half

• Oatly Opens Its First China Factory To Double Down On Asian Market

• Oatly, Fiji Water founders relaunch Good Idea functional sparkling waters

• Oatly Adds New Vegan Ice Cream Bars to Dairy-Free Offerings

UPSIDE Foods

• What Does a Cultivated Meat Plant Look Like? Take a Video Tour of UPSIDE Foods’ New Production Facility to Find Out

• UPSIDE Foods Thinks the Future of Meat Involves Animal Cells, Not Animals

• Can lab-based meat be vegan?

---

Crunchbase: Lab-Grown Meat Is Coming And Has Billions In VC Backing. But Will Consumers Bite?

Food Navigator: When will cell-cultured meat reach price parity with conventional meat?

Green Queen: Switzerland’s Largest Retailer Bets On Microbial Fermentation Seafood

Green Queen: The Rise Of Fermentation: 8 Things You Need To Know About The Third Alt Protein Technology

Just Food: “Our grandchildren won’t believe we consumed milk from cows” – what’s the outlook for animal-free dairy?

Natural Products: Plant-Based Profusion in the UK

The Beet: Beyonce’s Personal Chef Loves this Vegan Protein Made from Lupin Beans

Vegconomist: Plant-Based Celebrities and Product Launches Fill the Bill at Plant Based World Expo

VegNews: General Mills' First Vegan Cheese is Made with Animal-Free Whey

VegNews: Vegan Barbecued Meat Sandwiches Just Launched at 800 7-Eleven Locations in Hong Kong

Vox: Yes, plant-based meat is better for the planet

WellToDo: Is The Climatarian Diet The Next Big Thing In Nutrition?