Next Gen Foods introduces Tindle to the European market in six Amsterdam restaurants. Whole Foods Market publishes their food trends for 2022. Future Farm (aka Fazenda Futuro) secures $58 million in a series C investment round. Nature’s Fynd announces a new 200,000 square foot production and R&D facility on Chicago’s south side. Switzerland’s largest retail company and supermarket chain Migros begins selling the first vegan hard-boiled egg.
Nicole Astra: Welcome to Talking Plant Protein. I am Nicole Astra and this is Trending News.
Whole Foods Market global buyers and experts unveiled their top 10 anticipated food trends for 2022. Buzz-less spirits, yuzu, Reducetarianism, sunflower seeds, moringa, and functional beverages made with prebiotics and botanicals are among the food influences expected to rise in popularity in the next year. Of the 2022 predictions, Sonya Gafsi Oblisk, Chief Marketing Officer at Whole Foods Market said “As the food industry slowly adjusts to a new normal, we expect to see consumers prioritize food and drink products that deliver additional benefits—like functional sodas and tonics— and products that support their sense of well-being, like urban garden greens and products grown with farming processes that help address soil health.”
Future Farm, also known as Fazenda Futuro, has secured 58 million in a Series C investment round. That brings the company’s valuation to $400 million dollars. After launching in the US last summer, the new funding will be used to further international expansion and innovation. Passionate about changing the way the world eats, Founder Marcos Leta said “by making slaughterhouses and animal-protein products obsolete, we will continue bringing consumers into the category with quality, variety and flavor, and delivering joy and deliciousness to the experience of plant-based eating.”
Next Gen Foods continues to march across the globe. The latest conquest is the launch of Tindle in the European market, specifically Amsterdam. We were fortunate enough to host Co-Founder and CEO Andre Menezes in the TalkLab studio getting his take on what this move does for their plant-based chicken product:
Andre Menezes: The launch in Amsterdam represents expansion into Europe and it makes us truly a global player. From Asia, to Middle East, Europe, and soon the US, we’re going to be present everywhere in the world.
Nicole Astra: Nature’s Fynd is expanding production of their newly launched meatless and dairy-free foods with a new Marina Crossings facility in Chicago’s south side. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot welcomed the project stating, “One of Chicago’s newest unicorns, Nature’s Fynd, is reinventing the future of food on the South Side of our city by reclaiming the old Stockyards as an up-and-coming world leader in new protein.” The expansion will support Nature’s Fynd rapid growth by increasing their footprint by 200,000 square feet and it will add a new, state-of-the-art R&D and Innovation center.
Switzerland's largest retail company and supermarket chain, Migros, is the first to introduce a plant-based hard-boiled egg to the market. Part of their product line called “V-Love” these vegan eggs titled “The Boiled” were developed in-house and are manufactured in Switzerland by its subsidiary ELSA. The egg alternative is based on soy protein and consists of an outer white shell and inner yellow mass. When cut in half, it looks like an ordinary hard-boiled egg. It is now available in Migros locations in Zurich, Basel, Lucerne, and Geneva.
And with that, I’m Nicole Astra for Talking Plant Protein and that’s your Trending News.