Podcasts about food tech connect

Regenerative has become a buzzword, with companies big and small making commitments to launch regenerative products. But what does regenerative product design actually look like? And how do we measure the impacts of product design and ingredient choices on people and our planet?  This week, we discuss this and more with Ethan Soloviev, farmer and chief innovation officer at HowGood, a food sustainability rating company. His work with international retailers and CPG brands combines on-the-ground agricultural expertise in 34 countries with sustainability-driven market insights. Ethan has developed environmental and social impact metrics for analysis of more than 3,000 brands, including Ahold-Delhaize, Walmart and Danone. He regularly presents on Regenerative Agriculture and Regenerative Business at conferences around the world, and is the author of “Regenerative Enterprise: Optimizing for Multi-Capital Abundance” and the monthly “Regeneration Newsroom." We discuss: Cultivating a regenerative paradigmHow to provide food producers with the information they need to minimize the negative climate and labor risks of their productsWhere regeneration strategy needs to differ when thinking about large vs small producersWhich metrics companies and consumers need to be looking atThe business benefits of regenerationEthan's optimism around ecosystem service marketplacesWhether it's worth trying to fix modern capitalism or if we should take inspiration from more traditional local systemsWhy Ethan thinks biotech and plant-based innovations are not enough on their own and why they must be used in conjunction with a new mindset Show Notes Chipotle and Kraft Heinz use this start-up to track and prove how green they are: https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/06/chipotle-and-kraft-use-start-up-howgood-to-track-how-green-they-are.htmlWhite Leaf Provisions: https://www.whiteleafprovision.com/Carol Sanford: https://carolsanford.com/One Planet Business for Biodiversity Coalition: https://op2b.org/Ecosystem Services Marketplace: https://www.ecosystemmarketplace.com/ecosystem-services/Regen Network: https://www.regen.network/Nori: https://nori.com/reNature: https://www.renature.co/Burlap and Barrel: https://www.burlapandbarrel.com/Yolele Foods: https://yolele.com/Perennial Agriculture: https://www.perennial.earth/ *Giveaway Details* We've teamed up with our partners at New Hope Network to offer ALL of our listeners an exclusive 25% off discount for an Expo West 2023 badge and ONE lucky listener will have the opportunity to win a free booth at Expo West 2024 ($8k value). To enter, do the following by February 17th: Head to New Food Order's show page on Apple PodcastsMake sure you are subscribedLeave us a review - good or bad - but hopefully good! Scroll to the bottom of the page to do so.Screenshot the review and email it to Meg at meg@savageimpacts.com - if you're interested in the 25% discount to this year's Expo, please call it out in the email.  Lastly, head to newfoodorder.org - select newsletter - and register to receive our newsletters. In addition to New Food Order content, AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect publish the leading newsletters for the food and agtech community.Those who follow New Hope Network, Food + Tech Connect and AgFunder on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn will receive double entry. Subscribe to our newsletters that track all of the business, tech, and investment trends in food: https://tinyurl.com/nfonewsletters Follow us on Instagram: @newfoodorderpod Follow us on Linkedin: @agfunder & @foodtechconnect Thank you to Foodshot Global & New Hope Network for sponsoring the series. And a huge thank you to everyone who helped us bring this podcast to life:  Production: Cam Gray, Cofruition Audio Editing: Tevin Sudi Original Music: Rodrigo Barbera  Art: Lola Nankin Project Management: Patrick Carter

How might we design plant-based, cultivated meat, and precision fermented alternative proteins in the most people and planet friendly ways? In our second design episode, we speak with Sonalie Figueiras, a Hong Kong-based social entrepreneur and founder and the Editor in Chief of Green Queen, a sustainability and impact media platform that educates millions of readers on the connection between health, sustainability and the environment and showcases future solutions from Asia and across the globe. She is also the co-founder and CEO of organic sourcing platform Ekowarehouse and climate tech SaaS Source Green, which helps consumer brands quit plastic packaging thanks to proprietary plastic reduction software. And she's an advisor to multiple mission-driven startups and NGOs, and a venture partner to several VC funds.   In this episode, we discuss: The complexity of designing people and planet friendly productsSonalie's 5 product design principles The good and the bad of plant-based productsSonalie's take on slowing plant-based salesWhy plant-based companies need to focus on the human ethics of their supply chain How biotech companies might think about designing people and planet friendly productsWhy governments need to invest in cultivated meat and precision fermentation technology Show Notes Green Queen: https://www.greenqueen.com.hk/Source Green: www.sourcegreen.coDesign Episode with Julia CollinsNatural Fiber Welding: https://www.naturalfiberwelding.com/Ellen MacArthur Foundation (EMF) Circular Economy & Big Food Redesign: https://ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/topics/food/overviewUNLIMEAT: https://unlimeat.co/What Questions Should We Be Asking About Cell-Based Meats? https://www.forbes.com/sites/errolschweizer/2021/05/06/what-questions-should-we-be-asking-about-cell-based-meats/What Consumers Should Ask About Precision Fermentation: https://www.forbes.com/sites/errolschweizer/2022/03/02/what-should-consumers-be-asking-about-precision-fermentation/Asia Pacific Cultivated Protein Alliance: https://www.apac-sca.org/ *Giveaway Details* We've teamed up with our partners at New Hope Network to offer ALL of our listeners an exclusive 25% off discount for an Expo West 2023 badge and ONE lucky listener will have the opportunity to win a free booth at Expo West 2024 ($8k value). To enter, do the following by February 17th: Head to New Food Order's show page on Apple PodcastsMake sure you are subscribedLeave us a review - good or bad - but hopefully good! Scroll to the bottom of the page to do so.Screenshot the review and email it to Meg at meg@savageimpacts.com - if you're interested in the 25% discount to this year's Expo, please call it out in the email.  Lastly, head to newfoodorder.org - select newsletter - and register to receive our newsletters. In addition to New Food Order content, AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect publish the leading newsletters for the food and agtech community.Those who follow New Hope Network, Food + Tech Connect and AgFunder on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn will receive double entry. Subscribe to our newsletters that track all of the business, tech, and investment trends in food: https://tinyurl.com/nfonewsletters Follow us on Instagram: @newfoodorderpod Follow us on Linkedin: @agfunder & @foodtechconnect This series is sponsored by Foodshot Global & New Hope Network New Hope Network New Hope Network is a media, events and business intelligence company, covering natural products trends, industry insights and marketplace data that educate the industry about key issues, like regenerative agriculture, sustainability, responsible sourcing and more. Visit newhope.com. FoodShot Global FoodShot leverages resources from investors around the world to provide non-dilutive, equity, and post-investment capacities to innovators. Find out more at foodshot.org. Production: Cam Gray, Cofruition Audio Editing: Tevin Sudi Original Music: Rodrigo Barbera 

Is exponential growth possible on a finite planet? How might we balance growth and profit with maximum social and ecological benefit? This is a huge topic that we're just beginning to scratch the surface of. In today's bonus finance episode, we share two differing viewpoints on growth from regenerative economics pioneer John Fullerton and venture capitalist Manuel Gonzalez.  We also include a discussion with Sara Eckhouse, executive director of Foodshot Global, about using Integrated Capital investment models that combine funding from multiple types of financial instruments to fund solutions that address social and environmental issues. Topics covered in this episode include: The failures of the current financial system and the business models within itThe potential benefits of restructuring the ownership of large multinational food companiesWhether we need to build a new system from the ground up with alternative principles and priorities to cope with our current crisesWhat those principles might beThe potential negative impacts of a model that doesn't center growthHow Integrated Capital works and is able to develop novel ideas that could be missed by other financing structures John Fullerton is the founder and president of Capital Institute. He is also an active impact investor and co-founder and director of holistic ranch management company Grasslands, LLC; a director of New Day Farms, Savory Institute, and the New Economy Coalition. Manuel Gonzalez is General Partner at AgFunder, one of the world's most active foodtech and agtech VC investors. Manuel was formerly the global head of innovation for Rabobank, the world's leading food and agriculture bank, and founder of its two startup engagement platforms: FoodBytes! and Terra. Sara Eckhouse is Executive Director at FoodShot Global, whose mission is to empower bold ideas and innovative companies to accelerate the transformation to a healthy, sustainable, and equitable food system. Show notes: Herman Daly Interview Paul Polman Capital Institute AgFunder FoodShot Global - Precision Protein Challenge Donella Meadows: Limits to Growth Neo-Confucianism Karl Popper Albert Michelson S2G Ventures and ocean data David Deutsch: The beginning of Infinity. Timothy Snyder *Giveaway Details* We've teamed up with our partners at New Hope Network to offer ALL of our listeners an exclusive 25% off discount for an Expo West 2023 badge and ONE lucky listener will have the opportunity to win a free booth at Expo West 2024 ($8k value). To enter, do the following by February 17th: Head to New Food Order's show page on Apple PodcastsMake sure you are subscribedLeave us a review - good or bad - but hopefully good! Scroll to the bottom of the page to do so.Screenshot the review and email it to Meg at meg@savageimpacts.com - if you're interested in the 25% discount to this year's Expo, please call it out in the email.  Lastly, head to newfoodorder.org - select newsletter - and register to receive our newsletters. In addition to New Food Order content, AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect publish the leading newsletters for the food and agtech community.Those who follow New Hope Network, Food + Tech Connect and AgFunder on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn will receive double entry. Follow us on Linkedin: @agfunder & @foodtechconnect This series is sponsored by: New Hope Network New Hope Network is a media, events and business intelligence company, covering natural products trends, industry insights and marketplace data that educate the industry about key issues, like regenerative agriculture, sustainability, responsible sourcing and more. Visit newhope.com. FoodShot Global FoodShot leverages resources from investors around the world to provide non-dilutive, equity, and post-investment capacities to innovators. Find out more at foodshot.org.

The food and agriculture industries are major contributors to today's social and environmental crises. Companies across all industries are being forced to rethink the way they do business, and food and agriculture are no exception. Businesses big and small want to do better and become more resilient, but how? In this episode, we take you on a journey through a few existing and emerging alternative business models that companies and farmers are exploring today that decentralize power, distribute value more equitably across all stakeholders, and aim to have a better impact on our planet.  This week we explore: Different ways of doing business, including cooperatives, B Corps, perpetual purpose trusts, stewardship ownership, DAOs, NFTs, and open source How these models may work better than the norm for the people working withinWhy a better deal for food and agriculture employees can benefit all of usBarriers to entry to these models and how to break them downThe potential failings of emerging business models and the risk of building the wrong thing with good intentionsThe challenge of applying models that have been successful on a small scale, to large food corporationsHow Western business tactics have impacted emerging market farming communitiesBusiness model inspiration from emerging marketsHow sharing knowledge publicly can remove friction for small businessesThe appetite to fund these kinds of businesses Our guests include: Katherine Miller, author and founder of Table 81, formerly of the James Beard Foundation; author and regenerative business pioneer Carol Sanford; farmer and activist Jon Jandai; Adrian Rodrigues, co-founder and managing director at Provenance Capital group and formerly of Patagonia; Snaxshot founder Andrea Hernandez; and Nigel Teh, founder of Next Billion Burgers. *Giveaway Details* We've teamed up with our partners at New Hope Network to offer ALL of our listeners an exclusive 25% off discount for an Expo West 2023 badge and ONE lucky listener will have the opportunity to win a free booth at Expo West 2024 ($8k value). To enter, do the following by February 17th: Head to New Food Order's show page on Apple PodcastsMake sure you are subscribedLeave us a review - good or bad - but hopefully good! Scroll to the bottom of the page to do so.Screenshot the review and email it to Meg at meg@savageimpacts.com - if you're interested in the 25% discount to this year's Expo, please call it out in the email.  Lastly, head to newfoodorder.org - select newsletter - and register to receive our newsletters. In addition to New Food Order content, AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect publish the leading newsletters for the food and agtech community.Those who follow New Hope Network, Food + Tech Connect and AgFunder on Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn will receive double entry. Show Notes: Zebras Unite Co-op: https://zebrasunite.coop/ Democracy at Work Institute: https://institute.coop/ ZingTrain: https://www.zingtrain.com/ Purpose (steward ownership & perpetual purpose trusts): https://purpose-economy.org/en/ Billionaire No More: Patagonia Founder Gives Away the Company: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/climate/patagonia-climate-philanthropy-chouinard.html What Co-ops and DAOs Can Learn From Each Other: https://www.fwb.help/editorial/what-co-ops-and-daos-can-learn-from-each-other Flyfish Club: https://www.flyfishclub.com/ FriesDAO: https://fries.fund/ Subscribe to our newsletters that track all of the business, tech, and investment trends in food: https://tinyurl.com/nfonewsletters Follow us on Instagram: @newfoodorderpod Follow us on Linkedin: @agfunder & @foodtechconnect This series is sponsored by Foodshot Global & New Hope Network And a huge thank you to everyone who helped us bring this podcast to life:  Production: Cam Gray, Cofruition, Anna de Wolff Evans Audio Editing: Tevin Sudi Original Music: Rodrigo Barbera 

This week we have a mini episode featuring snippets from a recent conversation we had with Errol Schweizer, former VP of Grocery at Whole Foods, where we asked him what he sees as the top challenges with the business of food and agriculture. Errol shared many challenges with us, but we are sharing the parts of the conversation we had about short termism, corporate oligopolies, and the concentration of ownership.  Errol has over 25 years of experience in the food industry, from grill cook and stock clerk to V.P. of Grocery at Whole Foods from 2009-2016. He has extensively developed plant-based, organic, non-GMO, and regenerative meat and dairy supply chains and production standards. Supermarket News has recognized Errol with a retail game-changer award and he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from Hemp Industries Association. Since 2016, he has been a board member, co-founder and advisor to over two dozen food retail and CPG enterprises. He is active in municipal food policy and healthy food access. Errol is a Forbes contributor and is the host of The Checkout Podcast.  In this primer episode, we'll be talking about: Oligopolies in the food and agriculture industryShort termism and its impact on public and private companiesErrol's ideas about common and public ownership of food delivery - with some heated debate between Danielle and Louisa!And be sure to stay tuned to the end of the episode for a little bonus!  Episode Resources: ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan) https://www.esop.org/ Subscribe to our newsletters that track all of the business, tech, and investment trends in food: https://tinyurl.com/nfonewsletters Follow us on Instagram: @newfoodorderpod Follow us on Linkedin: @agfunder & @foodtechconnect This series is sponsored by Foodshot Global & New Hope Network New Hope Network New Hope Network is a media, events and business intelligence company, covering natural products trends, industry insights and marketplace data that educate the industry about key issues, like regenerative agriculture, sustainability, responsible sourcing and more. Visit newhope.com. FoodShot Global FoodShot leverages resources from investors around the world to provide non-dilutive, equity, and post-investment capacities to innovators. Find out more at foodshot.org. New Food Order is brought to you by AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect. Visit agfunder.com and foodtechconnect.com to find out more. And a huge thank you to everyone who helped us bring this podcast to life:  Production: Cofruition, Anna de Wolff, Pamela Rothenberg  Audio Editing: Mercy Barno & Tevin Sudi Original Music: Rodrigo Barbera  Art: Lola Nankin & Rekai E. Campbell  Project Management: Patrick Carter

What would it look like if we completely re-designed the food system, product by product? In this week's episode, we speak with Julia Collins, Founder and CEO of Planet FWD, a carbon management platform for consumer companies to bring climate-friendly products to market.  Through her work with Planet FWD and more than a decade of experience leading food companies, Julia also founded Moonshot Snacks, a cracker brand that she designed from the ground up with the goal of ensuring a carbon neutral supply chain from farm to fork. In our conversation, she offers amazing insights and advice for large and next-generation food companies about how to adopt a regenerative mindset. We speak to Julia about:  How businesses can decarbonizeSoil health and regenerative agriculture as a climate mitigation strategyA regenerative approach to product development, marketing, leadership, and organizational designUsing data and software tools to understand, reduce and neutralize brands' carbon footprint and get on a path to net zero emissions. How building a climate-friendly brand can create a deeper relationship with your customersWhat messaging resonates most with eaters around climate-friendly food products Links & Resources: Planet Forward https://www.planetfwd.com/about Moonshot Snacks https://moonshotsnacks.com/  Subscribe to our newsletters that track all of the business, tech, and investment trends in food: https://tinyurl.com/nfonewsletters Follow up on Instagram: @newfoodorderpod Follow us on Linkedin: @agfunder & @foodtechconnect This series is sponsored by Foodshot Global & New Hope Network New Hope Network New Hope Network is a media, events and business intelligence company, covering natural products trends, industry insights and marketplace data that educate the industry about key issues, like regenerative agriculture, sustainability, responsible sourcing and more. Visit newhope.com. FoodShot Global FoodShot leverages resources from investors around the world to provide non-dilutive, equity, and post-investment capacities to innovators. Find out more at foodshot.org. New Food Order is brought to you by AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect. Visit agfunder.com and foodtechconnect.com to find out more. And a huge thank you to everyone who helped us bring this podcast to life:  Production: Cofruition, Anna de Wolff, Pamela Rothenberg  Audio Editing: Mercy Barno  Original Music: Rodrigo Barbera  Art: Lola Nankin & Rekai E. Campbell  Project Management: Patrick Carter

Carbon markets are emerging as a leading tool for tackling our climate crisis, but are they actually getting to the root of the crisis?  In this episode, we speak with Tom Goldtooth (Dine' and Dakota), executive director of the Indigenous Environmental Network, an organization of Indigenous Peoples building economically sustainable, environmentally just, healthy communities. Tom is particularly knowledgeable about the growing use of regenerative agriculture to capture carbon in our soils to sell as carbon credits, but has concerns about how it is progressing as a new form of colonization and corporate ownership of lands, and through that, our food supply. So in this conversation, we speak with him about how businesses and communities might approach the climate and social crises. We discuss: Tom's take on carbon marketsThe commodification of nature and how corporations can decolonize themselvesWater rightsCultivating an indigenous mindset both at an individual level and from a business perspectiveThe role of technology in food sovereigntyWhat an ‘Indigenous Just Transition' should look like Tom has been recognized for his achievements throughout the past 40 years as a change maker within the environmental, economic, energy and climate justice movement and is the recipient of numerous awards including the 2015 Gandhi Award and in 2016 was presented Sierra Club's highest recognition, the John Muir award. He co-produced an award-winning documentary film in 1999, Drumbeat for Mother Earth, addressing the effects of the bio-accumulation and biomagnification of toxic chemicals in the natural food web and bodies of Indigenous Peoples. Links & Resources: Indigenous Environmental Network: https://www.ienearth.org/ Drumbeat for Mother Earth (film): http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/dfme.html  Just Transition: https://www.ienearth.org/justtransition/ Vandana Shiva: http://navdanya.org/ Global Alliance on Rights of Nature: https://www.garn.org/ Subscribe to our newsletters that track all of the business, tech, and investment trends in food: https://tinyurl.com/nfonewsletters Follow us on Instagram: @newfoodorderpod Follow us on Linkedin: @agfunder & @foodtechconnect This series is sponsored by Foodshot Global & New Hope Network. New Hope Network New Hope Network is a media, events and business intelligence company, covering natural products trends, industry insights and marketplace data that educate the industry about key issues, like regenerative agriculture, sustainability, responsible sourcing and more. Visit newhope.com. FoodShot Global FoodShot leverages resources from investors around the world to provide non-dilutive, equity, and post-investment capacities to innovators. Find out more at foodshot.org. New Food Order is brought to you by AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect. Visit agfunder.com and foodtechconnect.com to find out more. And a huge thank you to everyone who helped us bring this podcast to life:  Production: Cofruition, Anna de Wolff, Pamela Rothenberg  Audio Editing: Mercy Barno  Original Music: Rodrigo Barbera  Art: Lola Nankin & Rekai E. Campbell  Project Management: Patrick Carter

“We're in the beginnings of a total revolution, and I'm excited about it.” This week's guest is reflecting on the transformation occurring across the food and agriculture industries. Not since the Green Revolution has the industry seen such change. It hasn't happened overnight. Over the past decade, entrepreneurs, corporates, activists, investors, and policy makers have been working to transform our food system. But what will it take to actually transform the system to make it way better for all people and our planet? What are the key levers for total transformation?  Louisa and Danielle speak about the food revolution that's underway with Sam Kass, former Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition in the Obama administration, Executive Director of Michelle Obama's Let's Move! Campaign and the Obama family chef. Today, Sam is a partner at Acre Venture Partners, a venture capital fund investing in the future of food with a mission to improve human and environmental health in the food system. In this lively and extensive conversation, we cover: Sam's personal journey from chef, to nutrition policy advisor for the Obamas, to Venture CapitalistCarbon marketsThe importance of mindset and cultural shift in agricultureThe Inflation Reduction Act Nothing in this material is (or should be considered to be financial, investment or other advice on which reliance should be placed. No opinion given in the material constitutes a recommendation by the guest or hosts that any particular investment, security, transaction or investment strategy is suitable for any specific person. Their trading strategies do not guarantee any return and New Food Order shall not be held responsible for any loss that you may incur, either directly or indirectly, arising from any investment based on any information contained herein, or any loss that you may incur, either directly or indirectly, arising from any investment based on any information contained herein. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results. Links & Resources: Carbon resources https://medium.com/@pledge_app/a-beginners-guide-to-navigating-carbon-markets-ec290a6d1bdf https://carboncredits.com/what-are-carbon-credits-in-agriculture/ https://www.ctvc.co/giving-carbon-credit-where-its-due/ https://www.ctvc.co/the-dirt-on-soil-carbon-sequestration/ https://agfundernews.com/carbon-is-not-a-dirty-word-the-case-for-recarbonizing-our-soils https://agfundernews.com/the-carbon-question-making-global-carbon-markets-work-for-farmers https://agfundernews.com/the-pros-and-cons-of-government-involvement-in-carbon-credit-markets https://agfundernews.com/agri-carbon-market-map-companies-helping-harness-benefits-regen-ag https://agfundernews.com/carbon-credits-in-ag-dishing-the-dirt Sam's firm: https://acre.vc/  Startups https://www.loambio.com/ https://meati.com/ https://inari.com/   Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/public-and-social-sector/our-insights/the-inflation-reduction-act-heres-whats-in-it (edited) Subscribe to our newsletters that track all of the business, tech, and investment trends in food: https://tinyurl.com/nfonewsletters Follow us on Instagram: @newfoodorderpod Follow us on Linkedin: AgFunder & Food+ Tech Connect Thank you to our partners New Hope Network & FoodShot Global New Hope Network New Hope Network is a media, events and business intelligence company, covering natural products trends, industry insights and marketplace data that educate the industry about key issues, like regenerative agriculture, sustainability, responsible sourcing and more. Visit newhope.com. FoodShot Global FoodShot leverages resources from investors around the world to provide non-dilutive, equity, and post-investment capacities to innovators. Find out more at foodshot.org. New Food Order is brought to you by AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect. Visit agfunder.com and foodtechconnect.com to find out more.

From food and agriculture to fashion and economics, 'regenerative' has become a buzzword over the last few years. But regeneration is not a new concept at all. It is a paradigm and set of agricultural practices that indigenous peoples have practiced for millenia.  This week, Danielle and Louisa speak about looking to our indigenous past for a regenerative future with Nathalie Kelley, an actress of Quechua descent, most recently starring in the #1 Netflix series The Baker and the Beauty and the Fast & the Furious movie series. With a background in social science and policy, Nathalie strives to tell stories that educate and inspire. She is on the boards of both Kiss The Ground and the Fungí Foundation, using her platform to elevate Indigenous wisdom and technologies as a means of coming back into justice and harmony with our ecosystems. She is in deep devotion and service to the entire web of life, advocating in particular for the health of our soil, water, the fungí and forests. Her mission is the preservation of biodiversity, including cultural and myco-diversity on the planet.  In this powerful, inspiring, and, at times, heartbreaking conversation, we discuss: The human and environmental costs of our climate crisis and industrial agriculture The connection between personal health and planetary healthWhy and what we can learn from indigenous peoples to build a regenerative future and feed the worldIndigenous and low tech solutions to combating climate change issuesNathalie's regenerative learning journey Tips for starting your own regenerative learning journeyPractical changes we can make in our everyday lives Warning: Some of what is shared in this episode may be upsetting or could be triggering, especially for Indigenous listeners. Links & Resources: Fungi Foundation: https://www.ffungi.org/ Kiss The Ground (documentary & movement): https://kissthegroundmovie.com/ SEED, the untold story (documentary): https://www.seedthemovie.com/ Ninth Revolution (book by Professor Sayed Azam-Ali): https://sayedazamali.com/?page_id=47 Ernst Gotsch - syntropic farming founder: https://believe.earth/en/ernst-gotsch-the-creator-of-the-real-green-revolution/ Ecosystem Restoration Camps: https://ecosystemrestorationcamps.org/ New Food Order is brought to you by agfunder.com and foodtechconnect.com  Subscribe to our newsletters that track all of the business, tech, and investment trends in food: https://tinyurl.com/nfonewsletters Follow up on Instagram: @newfoodorderpod Follow us on Linkedin: @agfunder & @foodtechconnect This series is sponsored by New Hope Network & Foodshot Global. New Hope Network New Hope Network is a media, events and business intelligence company, covering natural products trends, industry insights and marketplace data that educate the industry about key issues, like regenerative agriculture, sustainability, responsible sourcing and more. Visit newhope.com. FoodShot Global FoodShot leverages resources from investors around the world to provide non-dilutive, equity, and post-investment capacities to innovators. Find out more at foodshot.org. New Food Order is brought to you by AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect. Visit agfunder.com and foodtechconnect.com to find out more. Production: Cofruition, Anna de Wolff, Pamela Rothenberg Audio Editing: Mercy Barno Original Music: Rodrigo Barbera Art: Lola Nankin & Rekai E. Campbell Project Management: Patrick Carter

What does it actually mean to build a people and planet-friendly company? In this episode, Danielle and Louisa speak to Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever from 2009 to 2019 and Co-Author of “Net Positive: how courageous companies thrive by giving more than they take.” Paul Polman works to accelerate action by business to achieve the UN Global Goals, which he helped develop. He has been described by the Financial Times as “a stand-out CEO of the past decade”. In this conversation they discuss: What it means to be a net positive businessSpecific steps leaders and companies can take to become more people and planet friendlyThe business case for net positivity Links & Resources: Net Positive: how courageous companies thrive by giving more than they take.Race to Zero CampaignFirst Mover CoalitionInternational Sustainability Standards BoardImagine Thank you to our partners: New Hope Network New Hope Network is a media, events and business intelligence company, covering natural products trends, industry insights and marketplace data that educate the industry about key issues, like regenerative agriculture, sustainability, responsible sourcing and more. Visit newhope.com FoodShot Global FoodShot leverages resources from investors around the world to provide non-dilutive, equity, and post-investment capacities to innovators. Find out more at foodshot.org. New Food Order is brought to you by AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect. Visit agfunder.com and foodtechconnect.com to find out more. And a huge thank you to everyone who helped us bring this podcast to life: Production: Cofruition, Anna de Wolff Evans, Pamela Rothenberg Audio Editing: Mercy Barno Original Music: Rodrigo Barbera Art: Lola Nankin & Rekai E. Campbell Project Management: Patrick Carter

Our current global food system contributes to one-third of greenhouse gas emissions each year. It is a system that has profited hugely at the expense of people and our planet. As the need to tackle our climate crisis becomes ever more urgent, is it time to ask ourselves whether we need a New World Order for food; a ‘New Food Order'? In this brand-new podcast series, journalist Louisa Burwood-Taylor and entrepreneur Danielle Gould embark on a journey of discovery, speaking to farmers, entrepreneurs, executives, investors, celebrities, advocates, and more. Through nuanced conversation with diverse voices, New Food Order explores how we might rethink and redesign our food system to have maximum positive impact for people and our planet. In this first episode, Louisa and Danielle invite us to leave our egos at the door and to step into the conversation with an open mind and an open heart. They introduce us to some of the key ideas and concepts that they'll be exploring throughout the series and they experience a sharp reality check with the very first question they ask their guests! Join us on this journey and subscribe now! About Our Hosts: Louisa Burwood-Taylor is Head of Media & Research at AgFunder and chief editor of its news site AFN, with 15 years of financial journalism experience. She has covered a range of financial products and markets during her career, from equities and institutional investment in Asia to structured bonds in Europe, before turning her attention to food and agriculture nearly 10 years ago. She's been responsible for launching two publications: an institutional investment intelligence service for the Financial Times and the first-ever title focused on agriculture investment, Agri Investor. Danielle Gould is the Founder and CEO of Food+Tech Connect, the first community for food innovation that is best know for their weekly newsletter that tracks all of the business, tech and investment trends from farm to fork. She is also the co-Founder and co-CEO of Alpha Food Labs, a consultancy where she works with some of the world's largest companies to create products and innovation strategies that are better for people and our planet. Danielle was named one of Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business and one of Fortune and Food & Wine Magazines Most Innovative Women in Food. Thank you to the guests featured in this episode: Carol Sanford, Executive Producer at The Regenerative Business Summit Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin, Co-Founder at Regenerative Agriculture Solutions Paul Polman, Business leader, campaigner and co-author of ‘Net Positive: how courageous companies thrive by giving more than they take'. And a huge thank you to everyone who helped us bring this podcast to life: Production: Cofruition, Anna de Wolff Evans, Pamela RothenbergAudio Editing: Mercy BarnoOriginal Music: Rodrigo BarberaArt: Lola Nankin & Rekai E. CampbellProject Management: Patrick Carter About our Partners: New Hope Network: New Hope Network is a media, events and business intelligence company, covering natural products trends, industry insights and marketplace data that educate the industry about key issues, like regenerative agriculture, sustainability, responsible sourcing and more. Visit newhope.com FoodShot Global: FoodShot leverages resources from investors around the world to provide non-dilutive, equity, and post-investment capacities to innovators. Find out more at foodshot.org. New Food Order is brought to you by AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect. Visit agfunder.com and foodtechconnect.com to find out more.

The Future Food News Review is part of a collaboration between AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect to host meaningful conversations about the future of our food system on Clubhouse and other platforms.The Future Food News Review features leading journalists in foodtech and agtech sharing and discussing their top headlines of the week, hosted on Clubhouse.See below for a list of participating journalists and the articles they introduced; some of them joined purely for the discussion and debate. We always strive for diverse voices on Future Food News Review, so if you're a journalist covering food systems, agtech or foodtech, or know someone who is that would make a great edition, please reach out to danielle@foodtechconnect.com or louisa@agfunder.com.Sonalie Figueiras - Green Queen MediaArticle: Food System Change: ‘Who's Making Decisions, Who's Benefiting, Who's Gaining The Wealth?' Errol Schweizer's Got QuestionsErrol Schweizer - Forbes/TheCheckOut Article: How New York City Delivery Workers Are Rewriting The Rules Of Gig WorkArticle: Not Just Junk: Why We Need To Re-Think Food ProcessingLouisa Burwood-Taylor - AFNArticle: Bowery bags ‘biggest-ever' vertical farming raise with $300m Series CPodcast: Up, up and away! Irving Fain on building Bowery's biggest vertical farm yetChloe Sorvino - ForbesArticle: JBS Cyberattack Shines A Spotlight On The Biggest Risk To Big Meat: ConsolidationJenn Marston - The SpoonArticle: Tesla May Soon Open Its Own RestaurantSam Silverstein - Grocery DiveArticle: Amazon to open its first Fresh supermarket with checkout-free technologyKristen Hawley - EaterArticle: Delivery Apps Are Making Concessions to Restaurants. But Who Pays?Thin Lei Win - ThinInk

The Future Food News Review is part of a collaboration between AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect to host meaningful conversations about the future of our food system on Clubhouse and other platforms.The Future Food News Review features leading journalists in foodtech and agtech sharing and discussing their top headlines of the week, hosted on Clubhouse.See below for a list of participating journalists and the articles they introduced; some of them joined purely for the discussion and debate. We always strive for diverse voices on Future Food News Review, so if you're a journalist covering food systems, agtech or foodtech, or know someone who is that would make a great edition, please reach out to danielle@foodtechconnect.com or louisa@agfunder.com.Esther Honig - The NationArticle: The Story Behind Your Salad: Farmworkers, Covid-19, and a Dangerous CommuteSonalie Figueiras - Green Queen MediaArticle: Cell-Cultured Meat Pioneer Memphis Meats Is Now UPSIDE Foods, First Chicken Product To Launch This Year Pending Reg. ApprovalErrol Schweizer - Forbes/TheCheckOut Article: What Questions Should We Be Asking about Cultured Meats?Article: How Fast Food Workers Are Finally Getting $15 an HourElaine Watson - Food NavigatorUSAArticle: Brave New Animal Free WorldJoe Fassler - The CounterArticle: Regenerative Agriculture Needs a Reckoning Luke Winkie - VoxArticle: Right-wing coffee companies want to make coffee great againLouisa Burwood-Taylor - AFNArticle: Ginkgo Bioworks to go public at $15bn valuation as agrifood SPAC frenzy continuesChloe Sorvino - ForbesBettina Makalintal - VICE

The Future Food News Review is part of a collaboration between AgFunder and Food+Tech Connect to host meaningful conversations about the future of our food system on Clubhouse and other platforms.The journalists joining this week are:Ximena Bustillo - POLITICO (https://www.politico.com/newsletters/weekly-agriculture)Sam Silverstein - Grocery Dive (https://www.grocerydive.com/news/amazon-unveils-aplenty-its-newest-private-label-food-brand/598223/)Leah Douglas - FERN (https://www.motherjones.com/food/2021/04/a-year-later-conditions-for-many-food-workers-at-high-risk-of-covid-19-remain-the-same/)Jenn Marston - The Spoon (https://thespoon.tech/restaurants-breakup-with-single-use-plastics-has-begun/)Lela Nargi - The Counter (https://thecounter.org/funding-investment-plant-based-proteins-meat-consumption/)Chloe Sorvino - Forbes (https://www.forbes.com/sites/chloesorvino/2021/04/15/maker-of-mushroom-sourced-bacon-raises-40-million-to-reach-grocers-at-scale/?sh=498070b472d1)Louisa Burwood-Taylor - AFN (https://agfundernews.com/grab-confirms-record-breaking-40bn-spac-deal-archrival-gojek-nears-18bn-merger.html)Errol Schweizer - Forbes/TheCheckOut (https://www.thecheckoutradio.com/podcast/episode42-ufcw)Elaine Watson - Food NavigatorUSAMegan Poinski - Food DiveSign up for the Food+Tech Connect newsletter hereSign up for the AgFunder Weekly newsletter and research here

We're mixing things up here at Future Food and have partnered with Danielle Gould from Food+Tech Connect to host deep discussions about the future of our food system and we're going to be bringing those conversations to the Future Food podcast. Expect fireside chats, book clubs, and the format for this episode, the Future Food News Review. The weekly Future Food News Review features leading journalists in foodtech and agtech sharing and discussing their top headlines of the week, hosted on Clubhouse. This was our second edition and featured:~ Kim Severson, The New York Times~ Chloe Sorvino, Forbes~ Greenaway, Twilight, Civil Eats~ Megan Poinski, Food Dive~ Kate Cox, The Counter~ Cathy Erway, New York Magazine~ Kristen Hawley, Expedite~ Monica Watrous, Food Business News~ Brett Anderson, NYT~ Sonalie Figueiras, Green Queen Media~ Leah Douglas, The Food & Environment Reporting Network~ Jennifer Marston, The Spoon~ Errol Schweizer, Forbes~ Elaine Watson, FoodNavigatorExpect a nuanced conversation about alternative proteins, picking up on news about Eat JUST's $200m funding round and consumer survey, the approval of the organic label for hydroponically-grown produce, how farmers are responding to the pandemic-induced restaurant industry shutdown in choosing what to plant, how states are rolling out Covid-19 vaccines for food system workers,  how junk food companies are using TikTok to advertise to young people, and many more!We're still testing out this format and would love to hear your suggestions for great journalists for us to include to ensure we're bringing diversity of thought to the headlines discussed.

Welcome to Season 2! Mercedes talks about highlights, media features, and collaborations from Season 1. She finishes the episode with an Ask Me Anything segment and a sneak peek for the new season. Mentioned in this episode How to Support Black Owned Restaurants & Food Businesses Long-Term guide Ep 17: Improve your food photography skills with food blogger Anela Malik The Food Truck Scholar Podcast 20 Food Podcasts by Black Women on soulphoodie.com Pro Food Maker was featured in MOFAD, Food + Tech Connect, Washington City and more (Pro Food Maker Press page) Pro Food Maker was featured by Apple Podcasts Houston Sauce Co Favorite Black Owned Restaurants in Houston 2020 Edition on profoodmaker.com Listen to this episode Apple Podcasts | Libsyn | Soundcloud | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | Spotify   Subscribe to the RSS feed: http://profoodmaker.libsyn.com/rss Reach out to the Pro Food Maker Podcast  Website: profoodmaker.com Instagram: instagram.com/profoodmaker Facebook: facebook.com/profoodmaker Twitter: twitter.com/profoodmakerpod Hashtags: #profoodmaker #profoodmakerpodcast

Welcome to Part 1 of our adventures at the first Ironbound Food Ballers Retreat November 4-5, 2019, hosted by food pirates Benjamin Walmer, of Highlands Dinner Club, and Mike Lee of Food+Tech Connect, The Future Market and Alpha Food Labs in NYC. Held onsite at the beautiful Ironbound Farm, home of NJ's finest Ironbound Hard Cider it was a 2-day food filled fire fest. Viva la Mother Fire!

In today’s episode I got to hang out with Mike Lee who is Mr Food Innovator. Mike is all about food innovation. He is the founder of Alpha Food labs which works with medium to large FMCG companies to help them stay ahead of the curve in innovation. Mike also has two sister companies, Food Tech Connect which merges what’s happening in food and technology space, I highly recommend signing up to their free bi-weekly newsletter for awesome insights and what’s going on in this space, and the third company Mike runs is the Future Food Market. Mike uses platforms which are used in the car industry to help explore the future of food in 5 to 10 years through concept stores and product concepts. Mike is full of insights, information and delivers numerous awesome knowledge bombs about his world. Was great hanging out with a forward thinking in the food space and I hope you enjoy this episode.

At its core, Alpha Food Labs has a simple mission: research, invest in, and create innovative foods that are more sustainable, healthy, and tasteful than what currently exists today. And co-founder and co-CEO Mike Lee is committed to bringing the conversation around the future of food and its current problems to the community.“The future of food is everything,” says Lee. “We want to inspire and educate the food industry on where the future of food might go. We’re not dictating what the future of food will be—we’re offering opportunities for conversation and inspiration.”While growing up in Detroit, Lee loved to go to The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) every year. He most loved to see the cars that were not going to be for sale: the concept cars. Lee eventually began to ask himself: “Who is doing concept car level stuff in food?” Concept cars are designed to inspire other automakers; he wanted a food company that did the same for the industry.And consumers are asking for it. “People have woken up to the fact that food impacts your body and the environment in very profound ways,” says Lee. Plant-based has become a billion dollar industry, and what started as a niche market is becoming a key investment for companies like Tyson Foods.Alpha Food Labs also includes companies Food+Tech Connect and The Future Market. Food+Tech Connect specializes in providing the most up-to-date research on what is currently happening in food technology, while The Future Market offers concept food products and experiences largely based on that research.Lee and his company have been involved in flavor development for a number of products, including plant-based yogurt Lavva. The yogurt uses plant-based ingredients—including Pili nuts, young plantains, coconut, and cassava—that together create a creamy, delicious taste eerily similar to that of animal-based yogurt.Lee does not advocate for any particular diet, and is determined to maintain a critical eye on all types of products—whether animal-based or plant-based. “There is no such thing as one optimal diet,” adds Lee. “At the end of the day, it’s not about the right diet. It’s the diet that’s right for you.”Listen to the above episode of Food Out Loud to learn more about the future of Alpha Food Labs and the ever-evolving problem of sustainability.

Nina Meijers discusses FoodBytes! (San Francisco event showcasing startups disrupting the food and agriculture space) and former FoodBytes! alumna Claire Schlemme, CEO & founder of Oakland-based Renewal Mill that is fighting food waste by upcycling okara.Transcripts:Lisa Kiefer:This is Method to the Madness, a public payer show on KALX Berkeley celebrating Bay Area innovators. I'm your host, Lisa Kiefer and today I'm speaking with Nina Meyers of Foodbytes and Claire Schlemme, CEO and founder of Oakland based and alumni startup of Foodbytes Renewal Mill. Welcome to the program.Nina Meyers:Thank you.Lisa Kiefer:I'm particularly interested in what's coming up next week with Foodbytes, but first of all, Nina Meyers, tell us what you do for Foodbytes, how it got started, what's the history and what's the problems that you're trying to solve.Nina Meyers:Sure, happy to and thanks for having us. Pleasure to be here. Foodbytes quite simply is a pitch competition and networking platform for sustainable food and AG innovators. So it started four plus years ago. We're actually about to do our 15th Foodbytes, which is in San Francisco, which is where it all began. So it's founded by Rabobank. Rabobank is one of the largest food and agriculture banks in the world and in North America, our clients are some of the largest and mid sized food and AG companies. We started to see that we're working with a lot of our corporates and they're facing a lot of challenges in innovation where we're all faced with this idea that we're going to have 10 billion people on the planet by 2050. We need to feed those people and we need to do so efficiently. There's lots of environmental challenges and there's a lot of startups that are starting to create nimble ways and test and experiment and are basically building technologies and products that are solving those challenges.So we, four and a half years ago said, we want to do something that's just for food and AG. There's lots of pitch opportunities out there for tech startups. There's lots of things that are cross-disciplinary, but we said, let's bring our knowledge to the table. Let's bring our corporates to the table and investors that are just looking at food and AG start to create an ecosystem where those startups can make the connections to help scale their technologies and on the converse side of that that the corporates can start to build relationships and really start to think about these ways that innovation is happening to bring it to their own businesses.Lisa Kiefer:Tell me how it operates. Is it a competition?Nina Meyers:Yeah, so it is a competition in its most essential form. We look through hundreds of applications. We score them and we come to 15 startups that we select to come and pitch from all around the world and we're looking at on the product side, on the tech side, on the agriculture tech sides. We're looking at like AG tech, food tech and food products and they basically have a two day experience jam packed, but we basically bring together our network of mentors in the room, experts in legal deal structuring, branding, PR and they have intimate mentor sessions with them. They get to build camaraderie and relationships with one another as the entrepreneurs. They get to practice their pitches for the judges that are going to judge them the next day and they really have this full day of just like, it's kind of like a mini business school. Learn as much as you can.Lisa Kiefer:Do you find that many of these startups don't have business skills?Nina Meyers:I wouldn't say that. I think it's like you're just trying to build your business day in and day out and you have to focus on that and this, we're doing this one day kind of takes them out of it a little bit and that they're like, "Oh I've been a tech company. I've been really focused on how do I build a relationships with corporates or how do I build the MVP of my technology, but I wasn't thinking about the brand. I wasn't thinking about how I should structure my series B round when I'm fundraising, when I'm just in this infancy of my seed stage." They start to just have a lot of information around them.Lisa Kiefer:It would seem like creativity doesn't have to go hand in hand with business skills. I mean getting the right people together.Nina Meyers:To an extent. It depends on which entrepreneur, which startup, but I would say that they kind of say, "I took a day out of my life, my building, my business life, but I got to get all these different intros and different insights and also of course the insights from the other entrepreneurs that are there who are facing similar challenges, building similar businesses." So they do that and then there's a pitch day, which is a traditional pitch competition. There's hundreds of people in the room. It's focused on investment, but it's also focused on Rabobank bringing our corporates into the room so that they can pitch for these potential partners.There's a lot of media there covering it to see what's kind of the cutting edge of food and AG innovation and then what we started with was this pitch competition. Now it's built into two days and we started to build a continuous community around that. We say, "Hey, do you want to meet with X, Y and Z?" They're really interested in thinking about partnering with you. We have a database of thousands of startups and we're always thinking about how can we continue to build relationships?Lisa Kiefer:Do you sometimes do that with those who maybe didn't make it, but they have a great idea? Maybe they don't have the right skills but you match them up with somebody else?Nina Meyers:Yep, absolutely. So we have a database of thousands of companies that have applied, but we also, we have 250 now alumni of the platform. We're looking at everyone who's ever sort of come across our radar who is an innovator in this space. So that's what happens over the two days, but we kind of say that it's a discovery platform, but it's also like the beginning of a relationship where Rabobank can kind of be this connector, be this matchmaker, be this champion for both sides of-Lisa Kiefer:Tell me about the judges. How many and who are these people?Nina Meyers:They change. Every food rates has had a different grouping of judges. I think we've had something like 75. It's probably closer to a hundred and mentors, but essentially they're some of our sponsors and partners. They're legal experts who work with startups to help them structure their deals and figure out how to engage with investors. They are actual investors in need of a CPG space or on the tech side. They are sometimes policy experts who are really focused on sustainable food policy and-Lisa Kiefer:So some academics?Nina Meyers:Yeah, academics. Exactly. So literally we've had judges sort of from all across the board. We've also started having an alumni come on as a judge to sort of speak from that first hand perspective of this is what happened when I was there. We have-Lisa Kiefer:That's a great idea.Nina Meyers:Yeah, we have Abby Ramadan from Impact Vision who is an alumni of our platform and she's been very involved. She's also based out here. We want the judging panel to be able to provide varying expertise.Lisa Kiefer:Does it always happen in the same city?Nina Meyers:It's global. We've been in San Francisco the most. We've been in Silicon Valley the most. This is our sixth San Francisco edition, but we've been in Australia. We've been in London. We've been in the Netherlands, New York. We're headed to Chicago in September. Oh, we were in Boulder. We were in Austin, but yeah, we're-Lisa Kiefer:So how many times a year are we talking?Nina Meyers:So we were doing three to four for awhile globally for 2020 and 2019 we're doing two so that we can really focus on doing more and providing more value for everyone in our ecosystem and the in between.Lisa Kiefer:So this year you have how many participants?Nina Meyers:We have 15 companies.Lisa Kiefer:And two are from the Bay Area?Nina Meyers:Yes.Lisa Kiefer:One of them I'm particularly interested in. That's SnapDNA.Nina Meyers:Yes. We talk a little bit about some of the challenges that the companies are solving and one of them is sort of this idea of transparency. It's this idea of we all know about recalls that are happening in food all the time and there's a lot of opacity around what happens from the fields to your plate or wherever it comes from. So there are companies, there are a lot of innovation in this space that's happening around food safety and pathogen detection. So that SnapDNA is one of those companies that's really creating a real time test for folks in the food supply chain to get that information on whether food is safe or whether it has certain pathogens and we've seen a number of different sort of innovators come through that are focused on this, but this is something as a point I just made that's very, very well event to the corporate focus in the room.Lisa Kiefer:That can save so much money.Nina Meyers:It's about efficiency. It's obviously about safety. It's about consumer trust, which we know consumers want safer food, more sustainable food, healthier, more nutritious, cleaner and they're willing to pay more for it as well. So this is something that's important to all those players.Lisa Kiefer:Okay, and the other one is Planetariums and they're out of Palo Alto. Do you know much about them?Nina Meyers:Yes I do and the Planetariums is an up cycling company, which what does that mean? So it's and Claire I'm sure will talk more about this, but it is a waste stream that's up cycled into a new food essentially. So they are taking defatted seeds, which are a byproduct of the vegetable oil process and they are basically making that into a very nutritious protein rich flour. So they just announced today that they got, that they just raised a $750000 seed round and one of their investors is Barilla, which is the largest pasta producer in the world. So for a company like Barilla, to just give you an example is looking at this up cycling space and saying, "Yeah, of course we make pasta out of wheat, but we know that consumers want different things. Consumers want chickpea pasta. They want gluten free pasta. They still want traditional pasta, but let's look at ways that we can really provide something that consumers are starting to relate to.Lisa Kiefer:That's interesting. I've had a couple of your alumni on this show and one of them was Andrew Brentano who does cricket protein.Nina Meyers:Yes.Lisa Kiefer:And the other people were in perfect produce and they also, we're trying to save money by getting rid of waste in the food marketplace.Nina Meyers:Yep.Lisa Kiefer:If you're just tuning in, you're listening to Method to the Madness, a biweekly public affairs show on KALX Berkeley celebrating Bay Area innovators. Today I'm speaking with Nina Meyers of FoodBytes and Claire Schlemme, CEO and founder of Oakland based Renewal Mill. So I want to kind of shift over here to Claire Schlemme and Claire, you were an alumni of Foodbytes a couple of years ago.Claire Sclemme:Yes.Lisa Kiefer:We got up to the point where it's talking about judging. You made it to the finals.Claire Sclemme:Sure.Lisa Kiefer:What happened?Claire Sclemme:So as Nina mentioned, it's really it was a two day event for us. So the first day before the actual pitch competition, we had the opportunity to talk to a lot of different experts in different fields, which was, which was really great. So I think going back to that point, even with some business experience under our belt, it was a lot of really quick concentrated information that we were able to get from that day, which was excellent. So a lot of touching on all these legal issues, packaging issues, marketing issues, so really being able to touch all those different points and then also being able to have a pitch in front of the judges before the actual competition was also-Lisa Kiefer:So like a practice pitch.Claire Sclemme:It was a practice pitch. We got feedback on it, which was great. We could incorporate the feedback into our pitch for the next day, which was also very helpful and it really-Lisa Kiefer:Maybe you should tell us about your company.Claire Sclemme:Absolutely. So, so I'm the cp-founder and CEO of Renewal Mill and Renewal Mill up cycles byproducts from food manufacturing into high quality ingredients and products. So essentially we're building a portfolio of ingredients that are all being sourced from different byproducts. So the first-Lisa Kiefer:Like what?Claire Sclemme:So the first ingredient that we brought to market commercially is called Okara flour and it's made from the byproduct from soy milk production. So it's basically taking the soybean pulp that's generated when soy milk is made. We dry it, mill it and turn it into a high fiber, high protein, gluten free flour. So that's one example. There's a lot of other other places in the food system where this type of waste is happening. So particularly in food manufacturing waste is a really good place to be looking at food waste because it's kind of low hanging fruit in terms of being able to attack the food waste problem.Things coming out of a food manufacturing facility are food safe already because they're in this facility and they're often very concentrated in their scale because it's food production is pretty concentrated. So you have the ability to hit that economy of scale that you need to make a profitable business or make a business that can make sense. So we're focused primarily on these fibrous byproduct streams. So anything that's coming from really coming from that first step of bringing in anything from the field, the fruits, the vegetables, the beans, things like that and you get a lot of fiber rich byproducts because a lot of what we're processing out of our food system right now is fiber.Even though that's the one macronutrient that western diets are very deficient in. So we're starting with Okara. Okara production in the US is very concentrated actually. There's just a handful of major production facilities. So it's a strategic starting point for us from that point of view. From there we're looking at other byproducts of nondairy milk production. So within this big world of fibrous byproducts, we're looking specifically at these nondairy milk byproduct streams. So the byproducts coming out of almond milk production, oat milk production, that's where we're going to be headed at next.Lisa Kiefer:So anything with [holls 00:12:31].Claire Sclemme:Exactly, yeah.Lisa Kiefer:So you're up before the judges and you know your company well. What happened? What did they ask you? Give us the scenario.Claire Sclemme:That's it. That's a great question. So a lot of the feedback, the feedback always helps you kind of see things, obviously from outside eyes that haven't heard your story a million times. Basically a panel with different backgrounds be able to weigh in on things that are causing confusion for them or things that didn't quite come across.So really being able to make sure that we can really hone in on the right story that we want to be telling and making sure that it's coming across that way and being received that way by the judges and also making sure that we're presenting all the information that somebody would want to know. So making sure that we've addressed issues like competition in the field or kind of what our growth strategy is and making sure that we haven't left something kind of major out that a judge would want to see. So that was very helpful and I think it was also just helpful to get a sense of what the space is like and it's a pretty big event with quite a few attendees. So it's nice to feel comfortable on the stage and in front of the judges [crosstalk 00:13:35].Lisa Kiefer:How many minutes are you up there?Nina Meyers:It's three minutes now. So as far as-Lisa Kiefer:Wow, that's not much time.Nina Meyers:[inaudible] competitions, it's pretty tight, but the judges also ask questions after the companies go. So that it's like another layer of sort of engagement and that's-Lisa Kiefer:And do they get materials ahead of time?Nina Meyers:Yes. So they spend, obviously they're with each other the day before, but they also get materials many days in advance and they now they have meetings with some of the startups. So Claire participated two years ago and we've really continued to evolve what the programming looks like as people. We always get feedback. So the entrepreneurs say, "I actually want more time with investors that are, I know I'm going to meet the right investors." So we're doing actually an investor power hour for the first time this time around where we're strategically matching them with one or two investors and we're doing, it's not a speed dating because it's like 20 minutes, but basically meetings with those specific folks whose investment these align with what the startups are doing.Lisa Kiefer:Is the networking what they win or do you actually get funding?Nina Meyers:There isn't direct funding as a result of Foodbytes, but there are a number of prizes. One of the main ones is for all the three winners is that they, Rabobank hosts a huge summit in New York at the end of the year. So December and all of our corporate clients, so big food and AG companies are there and the winners across all the events from that year get to come and pitch and have targeted meetings with the corporates that are relevant for their businesses and they have a few days where they're just really targeted and meeting with folks that can potentially help them as partners. So that's one main prize and then a lot of our sponsors who are, like we said, experts in many different fields, there's also consultations with them so that they can get five hours of legal consultation on how to structure their deal. They can get PR consultation and branding consultation on how to build the best investor materials and DAX and present their brand in the best possible way.Lisa Kiefer:Claire, what was it you found to be the most useful out of winning this competition?Nina Meyers:So we weren't the winners from our cohort. We were in the finalists but actually kind of going back again to all the people that we meet during the two days, that was a very valuable thing for us that made the participation in the event very worthwhile for us. So we actually continued to have some conversations with some of the lawyers that we met there to talk about some of the legal structuring, some of the agreements that we were currently in the process of structuring and we also had continued conversation with folks that were very knowledgeable about packaging for food products because there's a lot that goes into making sure that the product fits all the legal regulations and the requirements. That was great to have both of those connections coming out of Foodbytes.Lisa Kiefer:Once you get involved with say a VC or some sort of funding source, do you ever worry about losing your company's mission? That it will begin to sort of move away from you?Claire Sclemme:Yeah, that's a great question. So actually one of the things that we did when we first founded the company thinking about that very point was that we incorporated as a public benefit corporation. So we wanted that to be really built into our mission and so we structured that into the type of business we actually were and one of the pieces of kind of feedback that we got at the very beginning was that maybe you don't want to do that because you might be closing yourself off to investors that aren't interested in investing in a benefit corporation and we said, "That's exactly why we want to do this, because it essentially is going to kind of self select the types of investors that we're looking for." So that was kind of the first layer and then the second of course is making sure that when we're talking to investors that we do have that mission alignment as we're taking on investment.Lisa Kiefer:Getting back to you, Nina, you've done this for several years now. What trends in agriculture are you seeing pop up from the startup companies? I mean, you talked about some of the problems in the AG industry. What are you seeing overall?Nina Meyers:Yeah, well a major trend. I'd say a cross food tech, AG tech and CPG as is this idea of waste mitigation. So up cycling is one avenue in which that's happening. Another one is of course packaging. We're seeing more and more edible packaging. We're seeing more compostable packaging, plant based packaging. We have a company that's pushing in Foodbytes called Coremat and that's exactly what they're doing. They're making compostable, plant-based packaging that's basically-Lisa Kiefer:That's awesome because all these cities are now saying it's too expensive to recycle.Nina Meyers:Exactly and from a regulatory perspective that this sort of clampdown is increasing. It's happened in Europe, forcing lots of innovation in the packaging world in Europe and it's starting to happen here. That's one massive trend and huge need that startups are really looking to solve and obviously an incredible opportunity for collaboration on the corporate side of things as they start to realize we really, really need to be focusing on it. It's happening [crosstalk 00:18:31-Lisa Kiefer:Why are you giving me a plastic bag?Nina Meyers:Why are you giving me a straw? Right, exactly. So that's one place where we're seeing a lot of innovation and then on the waste mitigation side as well, right? Stopping waste before it can happen. So more and more technology companies are saying, let's use data and technology to stop waste before it can happen. So a company like [Winnow] who's come through our platform, they basically have a scale for food service and back of house at restaurants that weighs waste as it's going out and then gives restaurants a better picture of their wastage so that they can decrease that. That's the-Lisa Kiefer:What's the incentive for someone to reduce their waste at the restaurant level?Nina Meyers:Money. They save restaurants globally $25 million a year and they're not that big yet. I mean they're just starting out. So it's money.Lisa Kiefer:It sounds like you've put together a lot of qualitative data.Nina Meyers:Yes, we, like I said, we started with a very, very small team and over the last year or so we've built up the team like I said. So we've just brought in a data analyst who is amazing and we're sort of at the tip of the iceberg for what data are we sitting on and what are we saying? But yes, we have a really good picture of trends that are happening. That's one major, major trend that we're seeing. The other one is sort of just the environmental impact of food-Lisa Kiefer:Climate change?Nina Meyers:... Production, of climate change and also to hand in hand with that that consumers have more and more knowledge of that and are demanding better, cleaner products.Lisa Kiefer:Yeah, look at the Midwest right now.Nina Meyers:Yes.Lisa Kiefer:All the flooding and that used to be our bread basket.Nina Meyers:That's when it has to change and startups are really heeding that call on the plant based foods side of things as well. Just if we're talking about packaged foods in general, we're seeing so much innovation in that space. We're seeing at least 40% of the companies that apply that have a product that apply to Foodbytes are in some way related to the plant based space. To sort of talk about some of the companies that are pitching coming up in San Francisco we're seeing new and novel plant based proteins. So we have a company called [Tali] and they are making waterlily seed puffs. So we see the puffs as like a huge category in the food product world, but this is a new type of puff. It's basically bringing in an heirloom varietal.It's gotten more protein, more nutritious. They're doing some really interesting flavors. So we're seeing companies like that who are bringing this plant based protein view to snacking. We also have a company called Gem and they basically have the first FDA regulated supplement product, food supplement. It's for women by women. It's made from algae and a number of different plants. Real food. It's clean food. So we're seeing things in that type of space. I was just at Expo West, which is the largest natural foods show in the country and I think it's 1500 exhibitors, 90000 people.Lisa Kiefer:Where was it?Nina Meyers:It's in Anaheim. It's 90000 people. So it's very, very intense and there's a lot of companies that are doing very similar things. There's the plant-based trend just continues to grow year over year. So whether that's new algae products, that's lots of cauliflower products, you see the confluence of a lot of trends.Lisa Kiefer:Are any UC Berkeley professors or policy people judging this year?Nina Meyers:Not this year, but next year we're going to make it happen.Claire Sclemme:Oh excellent.Lisa Kiefer:Can anyone go to this?Nina Meyers:Yes. It's open to the public. We really want people there who care about these issues, who care about sustainable food and AG, who want to see what the innovators at the bleeding edge of sustainable innovation are doing. Next Thursday, the 28th of March, starting at 2:00 PM, it's really an opportunity to see these 15 startups pitch, to engage with them and see their products and technologies, have some delicious food and drinks and if you want to get into food or if you're a journalist or if you're a student and this is where the world you think you want to go into, we absolutely encourage you to come. If you're an investor or you're a food corporate and you're trying to figure out what's next, we 1000000% encourage you to come.Lisa Kiefer:And you have a website?Nina Meyers:Foodbytesworld.com. Instagram is Foodbytes by Rabobank. We've profiled all the companies who are going to be pitching. There's lots of content. Claire's on there somewhere. So check us out on Instagram, Linkedin, Twitter, and then Foodbytesworld.com is where you can get tickets to come and see us next week.Lisa Kiefer:And Claire, your business is located where?Claire Sclemme:Oh, we're in Oakland.Lisa Kiefer:Okay, what have your challenges been since you participated in Foodbytes?Claire Sclemme:Oh, that's a good question. Our biggest challenge I would say is that, so working in the byproduct space, we're really a bridge builder between the production and then bringing that into the market. We have less control over being able to scale in a way that other companies might be able to have as they're creating products. So we're really bound to the amount of byproducts that are coming out of certain facilities. So being able to match that production with the sales is really, I would say one of our biggest challenges. So it kind of swings back and forth from having more demands than we have a production for to having more supply of the ingredient than we currently have sales force. So it's kind of bouncing back and forth as we try to strike that perfect balance as we bring these ingredients on board.Lisa Kiefer:And are most of your sources local?Claire Sclemme:So right now they are. So our first source is in Oakland, which is why we started out in Oakland and why we're based there. So our first partner facility is Hodo Foods and they're a tofu manufacturer. So the first step of making tofu is making the soy milk and so that's where we're basically harvesting the Okara from is from Hodo and our next two facilities that we will likely be using as our sources of production are also in northern California.Nina Meyers:When you sort of spoke about what do they get out of this, the alumni who come through our platforms have raised a combined 550 million. I believe it was something like 150 last year. So even though it's not directly a prize, this is what we've seen as the companies who've come out of who we've chosen, who we've selected, this is how they're moving forward and getting that investment to scale their companies.Lisa Kiefer:You must be checking the failure rate of these companies as they-Nina Meyers:Yes.Lisa Kiefer:... they leave Foodbytes. What is the failure rate?Nina Meyers:It's under 10% because we're doing really like a lot of due diligence in the process of picking the ones that we think are really going to be successful. It's relatively low. It's lower than the average.Lisa Kiefer:Do you have a business background?Nina Meyers:I actually went to college in upstate New York at Skidmore college. I studied at a liberal arts school and I had was working in a sustainable restaurant, a farm to table restaurant the summer after college and my Mom is a chef and so I grew up around food. Food is my whole life and I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do next when I moved to New York during the recession in 2009. I started working for a restaurant company in New York in the creative department. I got sort of my foot in the door there and started working on marketing and design for the restaurants.So that was really a sort of honed my skills there on the marketing side of things. Started to realize through being in New York that what I really cared about was sustainability in food and agriculture and trying to figure out what to do next. I then went onto work for Food Tech Connect, which is a site of record for food innovation essentially. We did a lot of events in this space and meetups and consulting and hackathons, which is really all focused on sustainable food and agriculture. So I was there. I was working with startups directly. Spent about four years there and then we started working together with Rabobank to build Foodbytes out from its infancy.Lisa Kiefer:Claire how did you get into this pat of the world?Claire Sclemme:Yes. So my background is actually in environmental management. So I have in my masters in environmental management from the Yale School of Forestry. I had primarily actually been involved mostly in the space of sustainability and energy and so I'd worked at a renewable energy startup in India and worked with UN climate change, but I started to realize how important the food system is in the space of sustainability and I, kind of my first transition into into food was actually co-founding a juice company in Boston where I was living at the time. So we started as a food truck and we were connecting farmers to folks in the city through juices and smoothies and then in that process saw how much waste is created when you're juicing. It was really kind of like this moral issue.At the end of the day we'd sourced all this great produce from these farmers and it was all organic. It was mostly local. You'd spend a lot of money to buy all this produce and we're throwing out a huge amount of it at the end of the day, ll that pulp that's left over from juicing. On the the other side, of course we're selling the product that we are making, we're selling at a price point that's pretty high for the, it wasn't a super affordable food for much of the city and so those two pieces together kind of where you know really struck me as a challenge and that was a space that I really wanted to continue working in after I left that company.So when I had really just a fortuitous conversation with the owner of Hodo Foods in Oakland, the owner of the tofu factory and saw that he had this challenge with his byproduct that he was producing, which was very similar to what I had seen at the juice company, but at this much bigger scale and that it wasn't just a Okara, it was lots of different opportunities and lots of different sources of these types of byproducts. That was really the beginning of Renewal Mill was looking into how we can solve both food waste and also increase affordable nutrition in the food system.Nina Meyers:Claire really pioneered this space and now there's a company that's much younger than you, but it's called Pulp Pantry and they're doing, they're solving the problem that Claire just outlined. It's like entrepreneurial serendipity. They saw the same problem and they're making value added snacks out of juice pulp.Lisa Kiefer:Wow, you should all join forces and become the next Nabisco.Claire Sclemme:I know. Exactly, exactly.Nina Meyers:[crosstalk 00:28:19].Lisa Kiefer:[crosstalk] better.Nina Meyers:That's exactly what Foodbytes wants to have happen.Claire Sclemme:Yeah.Lisa Kiefer:Well, was there anything else that is coming up with Foodbytes besides this conference next week?Nina Meyers:Rabo has a whole other food and AG innovation platform called Tara. It is basically the next step in the cycle for startups to engage with Rabo after Foodbytes. That's what Tara is all about. We're going into our fourth cohort and applications are open now. Tara is like, how can we do the best possible matchmaking for startups and corporates? So applications are open now. That website is Taraaccelerator.com. They're open. They close on April 26th. So any startups, anyone you think is interested, you can learn about the corporates that are participating to see and so you can learn more there.Claire Sclemme:In addition to kind of all of the structured support that's coming out of Foodbytes, I think the other piece that was really valuable to us was actually meeting the other companies that we're pitching and there there's been some valuable connections that we've had in terms of the the business and actually finding uses for our flour with some of the other companies that have been on the platform, but also just really to talk to other entrepreneurs and be able to just talk about some of the other challenges that you're facing from a business perspective and also from a personal perspective as well. So it's a really, I think it's a really great community of entrepreneurs that are being brought together as well.Lisa Kiefer:Well thank you so much for being on the show.Claire Sclemme:Thank you.Nina Meyers:Thank you for having us.Lisa Kiefer:You've been listening to Method to the Madness, a biweekly public affairs show on KALX Berkeley, celebrating Bay Area innovators. You can find all of our podcasts on iTunes University. We'll be back again in two weeks. [music] See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Danielle Gould is the Founder and CEO of Food+Tech Connect, the site of record and connector for the food tech sector. Danielle and I sat down to talk about everything from the future of the food industry, to what’s finally prompted her to start taking on outside funding (and why she’s waited so long!) A truly insightful episode on taking your roughest moments as an entrepreneur and changing them into positives, as well as the challenges facing the food industry now and going forward.

Danielle Gould is the founder and CEO of Food+Tech Connect, the site of record and community for the food tech sector. She works with companies of all sizes to understand how technology, collaboration and innovative business and investment models can be used to create a food future that's better for people, profit and the planet. In 2009, she started Food+Tech Connect to help people get the information and connections they need re-engineer the food system. In 2010, she hosted the first food hackathon, and she continues to work with game-changing companies like Applegate, Google and Chipotle to build a community of innovators tackling big challenges. Most recently, she launched Food+Tech Ed, which offers online and in-person business courses for food entrepreneurs and those looking to advance their career. Danielle regularly speaks and consults on food, technology and open innovation, including presentations at The G8 Conference on Open Agricultural Data, SXSW, Menus of Change, Expo West and East, The Aspen Institute, Health Datapalooza, Edible Institute, CropLife America National Policy Conference, SOCAP, Internet Week and Social Media Week. She is a founding member of the Culinary Institute of America's Business Leadership Council, a member of the Google Innovation Lab For Food Experiences and a mentor for Accel Foods and Food-X. She is also a contributor to Forbes and The Huffington Post. Her work has been featured prominently in the media, including in The New York Times, Fast Company and The Guardian. Prior to FTC, Danielle worked on PR and business development at BrightFarm Systems (now BrightFarms).

Danielle Gould is a food futurist and the founder of Food + Tech Connect. To help us understand what lies ahead, and to accelerate the good food movement, she culls information from the excitingly diverse and intersecting worlds of food, tech, data science, entrepreneurship. On today's episode of Speaking Broadly, Gould shares her thoughts about individualized nutrition, biomes, urban farms and more. Plus she speaks candidly about some of the personal risks of launching a business. Speaking Broadly is powered by Simplecast

"What does the grocery store of 2065 look like? What are the hot topics at start-up conferences around the world? On this episode we talk with Danielle Gould founder/CEO Food + Tech Connect and Mike Lee, Founder/CEO Studio Industries. Since they were last on the show, they’ve joined forces in life and business, with their new Alpha Food Labs an innovation lab for next-gen food startups and corporations building products that are better for by people, planet, and profit. Hungry for more? Listen to Episode #5 Food Design & Supermarket 2065 with Mike Lee, and Episode #20 Danielle Gould Founder of Food+Tech Connect.

OH SNAP!  We just hit our TWENTIETH episode!  Didn’t think we’d make it this far?  Well neither did we!  To the hundreds of you who have been downloading our episodes, thank you so much for tuning in.  We hope that these episodes are at the very least, educational, and hopefully, as inspirational to you as they were to us.  This week’s episode highlights the many things that characterize Hidden Apron: tangents and twisting paths, serendipity and “success”, and not entirely being sure where the delicious roads of our lives will lead.  Our guest for today is Seth Syberg, who caught my attention at a Food Tech Connect event here in NYC with his story of how he founded, ran with, and grew his company Cocoburg.  Cocoburg produces what they call the world’s only raw, vegan, paleo, gluten-free, soy-free, Coconut Jerky, which by the way, is sourced, handled, and produced in the Philippines!  They operate under the motto: “Just Eat Real Food".  Now, you may be thinking: "OK, Seth’s probably some hipster, warrior vegan who bikes everywhere and wears Vibrams, hellbent on changing how people eat.  Well, there’s some truth to that.  He does describe his diet as "vegan-ish", bike competitively, and wants to use Cocoburg to offer people healthier snacking options BUT, he also spent two decades in the world of tech doing everything from app/database development, programming, and even teaching.  He describes himself as a complete dilettante having done things like become a car mechanic, a woodworker’s apprentice, a CTO for an e-commerce platform for small farms, and with this current venture, an entrepreneur, a label he himself did NOT realize applied to him until a year into running his company.  Now his product is in Whole Foods, retailing nationwide, and is creating lasting change for his partners in the Philippines.   It’s a longer episode filled with a lot of unexpected turns.  We talk about: - A programmer’s approach to recipe testing and building a business, - How testing for failure actually led to massive success, - The dilemma of educating consumers a product they’ve never heard of, - Product development and the challenges of operating in the Philippines, - Using business for good, - And just what the hell even is Coconut Jerky?   Seth is a great example of how there are many, many roads to your destination and you don’t have to fit the textbook formula for your given field.  Play a little!  Give this one a listen, and again, thank you for keeping us rollin' on this unexpected ride of a podcast. More information can be found at hiddenapron.com/podcast, contact us at hiddenapron@gmail.com, or catch us on Instagram @hidden_apron.

How do you keep up with all the start-ups, meet-ups and hackathons? You plug into to Food + Tech Connect. Over the past six years, Danielle Gould’s personal blog has grown into a leading aggregator of news and event programming in the food and tech space. In this episode of Tech Bites, she talks about the evolution from blog to business and what’s coming next on the food tech horizon. This program was brought to you by Myriad Restaurant Group. “People always talk about voting with your wallet…if you can communicate with a food company and tell them exactly what you want, what a great way to change the industry.” [23:00] “Stay curious, test different ideas…but always think about how you’re going to make money [When starting a business].” [30:00] — Danielle Gould on Tech Bites