Startups Archives – ProVeg Incubator

The chocolate brand championing fair pay and body positivity

Fellow Creatures is a plant-based chocolate company from the UK developing milk-style and white chocolates. Zsolt Stefkovics founded the startup and Fraser Doherty later joined him as a co-founder. The pair are part of the current cohort at the ProVeg Incubator. This is their story.

What does your startup do and what is your mission?

Zsolt: I grew up in a very non-vegan environment; my granddad ran a dairy farm and my uncle is a livestock trader. However, as a kid, deep down, I always felt that the exploitation of animals just wasn’t right. Like all of us, I was conditioned to consume dairy and eat meat, and so I became numb to it, growing up.

Times have now changed, thankfully. My little 8-year-old niece can’t bear the thought of consuming an egg ‘from which little chicks are born’. She also objects to eating meat. My family, like many others, accept that we should all be consuming fewer animal products, not only for our health but for the planet.

Although this all sounds very serious, Fellow Creatures is colourful and fun – it truly jumps out on the shelf.

The curvy characters on the wrappers are half-human, half-animal. They celebrate not only the fact that animals are our fellow creatures, but also that we should be positive about our bodies – whatever shape they are. Growing up as a flamboyant kid in the early 2000s in Eastern Europe, I was picked on, so this is something important for me.

We set out on a mission to bring non-vegans closer to a plant-based diet by showing them what vegan food can be. As well as selling through our own D2C platform, we’re listed in all Planet Organic stores in London, as well as many independents, while we have our eyes set on premium supermarket chains in the UK and Europe.

Three of the flavours from the Fellow Creatures chocolate range

Where did the idea for your company come from?

Zsolt: Fellow Creatures was born out of my (unsuccessful) search for creamy, indulgent plant-based chocolate, since becoming vegan. Having tried literally every plant-based chocolate in the UK and beyond, I found they were all missing the creaminess, sweetness, and fun factor that we all remember from childhood.

I found dark chocolates, which are naturally dairy-free, too bitter; and found the holier-than-thou raw chocolates too gritty to my taste. So, I set out to make my own.

Thanks to my obsessive personality, I got into making my own chocolate at home. I invested in some basic equipment and started experimenting with different replacements for dairy in my recipes.

I found that creamed coconut and almond paste are the perfect replacements for dairy. Together, they give products a pleasantly nutty undertone. Having shared my countertop samples with my plant-based friends and family members, I realised I was onto something.

One morning, I took a deep breath and went for it. I commissioned the fun and playful packaging and logo design, which are reminiscent of 90s packaging designs and started looking for a manufacturer who was happy to take on a then crazy-sounding project.

Tell us about your team. Why are you the right people for the project?

Zsolt: I had been working at a food-and-drink brand-development agency that consulted with many food startups. I always wanted to apply what I had learned in order to develop my own brand, and so I set out to launch Fellow Creatures.

Fraser joined me as a co-founder when the product got to market. He had already founded the well-loved UK jam brand SuperJam when he was just 14. He also later co-founded the world’s most successful DTC beer subscription club Beer52.

Fellow Creatures Founder Zsolt Stefkovics

What are your favourite parts about building your business?

Fraser: Every day brings something new. For us, building a business is a great way to embody our own values through our products. We are truly passionate about promoting a plant-based lifestyle and making it easier and more enjoyable for people to eat products that are made without animal agriculture. We think this is one of the most pressing issues of our generation, for so many reasons, and building a business that promotes these values is something we truly care about.

What have been the main challenges you’ve faced?

Zsolt: What I soon had to realise is that things take so much longer than you’d expect, once other people are involved. It took me about eight months to identify potential manufacturers. Once we’d signed the agreement, it took a further six months to figure out how to upscale countertop recipes without losing their character.

Fraser: It’s tough starting out as a new brand. Perhaps the biggest challenge, as with all new plant-based brands, had to do with perception. A lot of consumers assume that, because something is plant-based, it’s not going to taste good.

We do sampling at non-vegan events and, the people who taste our products are genuinely amazed. They can’t quite believe something ‘vegan’ could be so tasty and indulgent. We plan to do a lot of in-store sampling in order to educate consumers about how great vegan chocolate can taste and, perhaps, make plant-based eating a little more accessible.

What is it that makes your company unique?

Zsolt: It is easy to find plant-based chocolate that is either raw or dark but almost impossible to find premium-quality vegan milk chocolate that does not compromise on taste. I created ‘Milkless’ with a completely new angle in mind; to launch a product that has the exact taste and texture of milk chocolate, without any dairy.

I experimented with a variety of milk replacements and found that using creamed coconut results in a lovely mouthfeel without overpowering coconut notes. I’m also a huge fan of white chocolate. So, after Milkless, I created Raspberry White and Matcha White as well as a Salted Caramel variant. The latter is reminiscent of Caramac, which is a popular childhood favourite.

Fraser: We have ethics at the core of our brand. We fight the exploitation of cocoa farmers by paying more than the fair-trade price for their produce, and save mother cows from exploitation for their milk. Our brand messaging promotes kindness to others and to ourselves. It may be just chocolate but it’s part of something bigger.

Chocolate from plant-based brand Fellow Creatures

Why did you decide to join the ProVeg Incubator?

Zsolt: Fraser and I had been working on Fellow Creatures together and we wanted to expand our network to include other plant-based entrepreneurs going on similar journeys.

ProVeg offered us a fantastic chance to learn from mentors, share lessons with other entrepreneurs, and learn from the Incubator team – who have already supported so many great plant-based food and drink brands. We’re super excited to be a part of this programme!

What do you hope to achieve with your company in the next 12 months?

Fraser: Dairy is over – vegans have long seen it coming. Flexitarians are gradually realising that they feel much better after a no-meat Monday. Or that going dairy-free really clears your facial skin in the long term. Oatly has done loads to bring non-vegans closer to adopting plant-based milk. We want to achieve the same with chocolate.

Zsolt: We set out to become a major plant-based chocolate brand in the UK and beyond. We are currently working on some seasonal, festive flavours, as well as some very exciting new product developments.

Our plan is for the brand to be a platform from which we can extend into other areas of snacking. The mainstream consumer is slowly realising that plant-based eating isn’t that hard. And when it comes to eating plant-based chocolate, it’s now incredibly easy.

December 21, 2020 Louise Cullen Startups No comments yet

Startup advice from founder to founder

Some of the best advice in business comes from the people who have been there and done that. We asked the founders of the six latest startups to join the ProVeg Incubator for their advice to fellow entrepreneurs. Here’s what they told us.

There is no single right way to build a food company. In the end, you will always want to decide what is best for you and your startup. However, there are some tricks and tips that can help make your entrepreneurial journey less bumpy. And no-one is more familiar with those bumps than the people who have been there and done it themselves.

At the ProVeg Incubator, we’re delighted to be building a lifelong, collaborative community of startup founders. After successfully completing our accelerator programme, startups join our alumni, and we continue to support them for as long as they need us. What’s more, they also support one another by exchanging resources, sharing contacts, and offering advice.

In October, we launched the fifth cohort of startups to join the ProVeg Incubator. We asked the founders of each of the six companies the same question: “In your opinion, what does it take for a startup to be successful?”. Here is what they told us.

Stéphanie from The Fast Good Company:

To begin with, a product that the market needs, a good story that people believe in, and a mission that others can get behind. Once you have established that, you need the right margins and the capacity to be able to scale your products.

Dylan Duinmaijer and Stéphanie de Jong, founders of the Fast Good Company

Dylan from The Fast Good Company:

You need to be prepared, learn to adapt from your mistakes, and make sure that your product is market-ready. Then you need the right network to help take you to market and create some noise around your products. They say that getting in is the easy part – staying around is when the hard work really starts. That’s why we believe that branding, marketing, and collaboration are crucial to a business becoming and staying successful.

Zsolt from Fellow Creatures:

The food and drink market is extremely competitive and there are many new plant-based brands launching all the time. The best way to stand out and to create a product that has longevity is to focus on branding, building a community, and creating a strong and unique company culture.

It isn’t really enough to have a great product anymore. Brands these days need to be living and breathing organisms that join the conversation, tell a joke, and create a community. At Fellow Creatures, we use Instagram to actively engage with our customers. Our page is a social club of chocolate lovers, a place to get inspired and banter with fellow choco-fiends. We actively listen to them and take on their feedback to continuously reiterate our products, messaging, and online experience.

Chocolate from Fellow Creatures

Kushal from Naka Foods:

Persistence: building a business takes a lot of time and you will face challenges along the way. You need persistence and determination to be able to jump those hurdles and keep going. Focus: startups have a lot of moving parts. You need to be able to focus and dedicate your attention to the most worthwhile tasks, the ones that will take you closer to achieving your mission. Finally, timing. Connecting a good product to a gap in the market at the time that consumers are looking for it is key.

Eyleen from Pow! Foods:

Startups have the advantage of being close to their consumers and building a meaningful relationship with them. It is worth taking the time to research and truly understand what your customers are looking for in a product and why they might choose your brand over others.

As companies get bigger, it’s common for them to move further and further away from the people who are buying their products. They become strangers to one another and the company loses this competitive advantage. At POW! Foods, we co-create with our consumers. They are at the centre of the majority of our strategies that focus on what we create and it’s important for us to have a deep understanding of what they want. For us, that’s the key to success.

Two of the founders of Update Foods, Clémence Landeau and Céline Bouvier

Clemence from Update Foods:

Belief, determination, modesty, and resilience. For us, the success of a startup starts with the attitudes of its founders and extends to a range of elements aligning with each other. For example, both the product you are offering and the price have to be correct and your branding should resonate with your audience.

At Update Foods, our definition of success is managing to seduce consumers who are not currently following a plant-based lifestyle to enjoy our alternative dairy products. This will maximise our positive impact as a company, offer our team a fulfilling working environment, and assure that our startup continues to grow and reach its full potential.

Astrid from Haofood:

Put your customer first. Do consumers want your product and does it meet their expectations? Listen to their feedback and incorporate it wherever possible. Aim for excellent quality. From your startup brand to your team to the final product, what you are sharing with the world needs to be worthwhile. To that list, we would also add trust, innovation, and synergy. For Haofood, it’s important for us to know that we are contributing to a global mission that extends beyond what any one company can do alone.

If you enjoyed this blog post, you might like to read more about the startups featured in it. Check out this feature from when the cohort launched, introducing all six companies and the projects they are working on.

December 14, 2020 Louise Cullen Startups No comments yet

Naka Foods: the future of meat in India

Naka Foods is a plant-based food company from India that is developing a range of chicken alternatives for the Indian and Asian markets. The startup was founded by Kushal Aradhya, who is part of the current cohort at the ProVeg Incubator. This is the Naka Foods story.

What does your startup do and what is your mission?

Kushal: Naka Food is developing superfood-based products, mostly to replace products that currently exist, but with more sustainable, healthier alternatives. We use high-quality, naturally derived ingredients in order to create food products that are nutritious and tasty.

The first product developed by Naka Foods was an algae-derived snack bar, which provides a healthier alternative to other options on the market. For our second product, we are developing plant-based chicken. The main ingredients we are using are jackfruit, chickpeas, and spirulina.

Our mission is to help solve inefficiencies in the global food system by introducing more plant-based and sustainable options.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

Kushal: I was involved in a project that focused on between-meal hunger. That’s when I came face-to-face with disturbing data that suggests more than 70% of corporate employees in India are prone to heart disease and lifestyle diseases.

The main cause of these illnesses is unhealthy eating habits. That’s why I decided to dedicate my work to helping to solve this issue. Alternative food products are the answer.

Tell us about your team. Why are you the right people for the project?

Kushal: We are a small team of dedicated people, who have substantial knowledge of the food and biochemistry spaces. We all love food. However, what we can’t stand is the current level of animal cruelty and inefficiencies that exist in the global food system.

We believe that with our previous experience in creating a food product – the algae-based snack bar – all the way from initial idea to lab prototype to commercial launch, we are the right people for bringing a new plant-based meat product to market.

What are your favourite parts about building your business?

Kushal: Acting on an idea that could potentially revolutionise the food system and have a positive impact on millions of lives.

What are the main challenges you’ve faced?

Kushal: Getting appropriate lab access for creating our prototypes was an initial challenge. Distribution was another key challenge for us.

Founder Kushal Aradhya and the Naka Foods team

What is it that makes your company unique?

Kushal: Our past experience in creating a richly nutritious product, together with our approach of minimal processing and using abundantly available jackfruit, makes us stand out. Additionally, we are also reducing our raw-materials usage and improving the lives of farmers in India.

Why did you decide to join the ProVeg Incubator?

Kushal: Because of the ProVeg Incubator’s focus on accelerating plant-based startups. Several friends, who had previously taken part in the accelerator programme, recommended the experience to me.

What do you hope to achieve with your company in the next 12 months?

Kushal: We would like to develop strategies for the execution and launch of our plant-based-meat product, as well as developing business and investor connections.

If you enjoyed this blog post, check out this interview with Hafood – the startup making the world’s happiest chicken. Haofood is based in Shanghai, China, and develops plant-based alternatives to fried chicken.

December 10, 2020 Louise Cullen Startups No comments yet

Haofood: the startup making chicken from peanuts

Haofood is a Chinese food company that is developing peanut-based chicken alternatives. The startup was founded in Shanghai by Astrid Prajogo, Shaowei Liu, Jenny Zhu, and Kasih Che, who are all part of the current cohort at the ProVeg Incubator. This is their story.

What does your startup do and what is your mission?

Astrid: We started with the aspiration of helping foodies reduce their meat consumption without losing the pleasure of eating the familiar dishes that they love. That’s why we are developing a plant-based chicken that is specifically designed to be cooked as Asian fried chicken. Our mission is to ensure that eating good, plant-based food is possible.

Our definition of good food is tasty and nutritious products that are healthy, safe to eat, environmentally friendly, and free from animal cruelty. We are committed to giving consumers the foods that they crave, particularly comfort foods, but delivered in a way that’s good for people and the planet.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

Astrid: I love to eat good-tasting food so much. And to be honest, meat dishes, for me, usually taste way more delicious than vegetable dishes. Yet, at the same time, I am fully aware that eating meat, especially from large-scale industrial farms, is dangerous for ourselves and the planet.

Damaging our planet is equal to damaging my own home. Putting our health at unnecessary risk is equal to hurting myself. Although I am fully aware of this issue, it was too difficult for me to give up meat. So, I contemplated deeply as to how I should tackle this conflict within myself.

Then I found out about plant-based meat – a perfect solution for my never-ending dilemma. And so, I decided to go with developing plant-based meat. From there, I met my co-founders and we decided to go along this path together.

Tell us about your team. Why are you the right people for the project?

Kasih: Astrid is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 17 years’ experience in the gastronomy, nutrition, and healthcare sectors. She was also in charge of international gastronomic diplomacy for the marketing campaign Wonderful Indonesia.

Jenny: Professor Shaowei Liu has over 25 years of experience in food sciences and technology. His key focus is on extrusion technology and food safety. During the course of his career, Professor Liu has been published in over two hundred scientific journals.

Shaowei: Jenny has over 20 years of experience in finance, accounting, and taxation. She has created business systems that have improved the efficiency of some of China’s top 50 food companies.

Astrid: Kasih has over seven years of experience in food services and plant-based food marketing and has greatly increased the popularity of products such as tempeh in Shanghai. We are all foodies and all have a strong background and experience in the food industry. The core skills that each one of us brings to the table also complement one another. This makes us the right team to bring our company and our mission to life.

Haofood founder Astrid Prajogo

What are your favourite parts about building your business?

Astrid: I really love making our Tao (business principles and strategy), designing our brand and our products, actually putting our product out there in the culinary world, and being able to engage with so many interesting people from different backgrounds.

What are the main challenges you’ve faced?

Astrid: For me personally, the Chinese language is a challenge, as I am still learning. I am originally from Indonesia but our business is based in Shanghai, so I have been working hard to improve my Chinese vocabulary and accent. Chinese is a tonal language and it works completely differently from any of the Latin-based languages.

I deliberately took on this challenge from the beginning, both because I know it will be worthwhile for building Haofood and also for my own personal development. The moment I am able to speak Chinese fluently, I know, there will be much positive transformation within myself, too.

What makes your company unique?

Kasih: Haofood is a melting pot of science and art. The inspiration for and application of our products are very much grounded in the culinary arts. However, we believe strongly in the ability of science to help people overcome social challenges such as food security.

Our chicken alternatives have been developed during a rigorous, scientific R&D process in order to ensure that the taste and texture meet the expectations of meat-eaters. We’re also one of the first startups in the world to be using peanut protein as the key ingredient in plant-based meat products.

Why did you decide to join the ProVeg Incubator?

Jenny: Our vision is to be a well-known and respected international food company with great longevity. To implement this strategy effectively, we know that we need to collaborate with partners that share our mission. Proveg is definitely an ideal organisation for us to work with.

We hope that joining the Proveg Incubator will help us to accelerate our growth by opening opportunities for acquiring new knowledge, networking, and meeting potential investors. We will also benefit from being a part of a supportive, collaborative startup community with shared goals.

What do you hope to achieve with your company in the next 12 months?

Shaowei: We are going to be focusing on four key topics: product development, commercialisation, funding, and infrastructure. We plan to submit three patents on our product and we’ll also be running market testing, where we are aiming for five-star feedback from our customers.

In terms of commercialisation, we’d like Haofood products to be present in 100 restaurants in China and to be generating $350,000 USD in revenue from those products in a year’s time. Finally, we’ll be looking at raising funding, in two rounds, and we want to be in a position to head up our own R&D facility.

Did you enjoy this blog post about Haofood? Check out this previous Q+A that we did with the founders of Pow! Foods – the Chilean startup making chorizo from peas, corn, and rice.

November 30, 2020 Louise Cullen Startups No comments yet

Pow! Foods: the startup making chorizo from plants

Pow! Foods is an alt-protein company from Chile, that is developing plant-based meat alternatives scientifically designed to contain more protein and less fat than animal-based options. Pow! Foods was founded by Bárbara (Amy) León and Eyleen Obidic, who are both part of the current cohort at the ProVeg Incubator. This is their story.

What does your startup do and what is your mission?

Eyleen: Pow! Foods was founded with the belief that anyone can enjoy and celebrate animal-free food. Our company focuses on improving human health with nutritious products. At the same time, we are helping to reduce an individual’s impact on the environment – one bite at a time.

Amy: We understand that the key factor in reducing global meat consumption is to develop tasty products that people are familiar with – just made with plant-based ingredients instead of the conventional ones. Also, our technology allows us to create food not just to be tasty but also highly nutritious. Our products contain up to three times more protein and 70% less fat than conventional animal ones. Using our approach, we can replicate any product that you consume on a daily basis, but made from plants.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

Amy: For ethical reasons, Eyleen and I have not eaten meat for many years. However, for the majority of our lives, we both loved eating animal-based products because of their delicious taste and texture. We have known each other for a long time. We share the same mission of creating protein alternatives that offer an identical experience, in terms of taste and texture, to eating conventional meat products.

Around the world, there are plenty of people like us, who enjoy animal-based meat but who want to be more respectful with regard to their food choices. Many of those people would like to give up meat completely, but it’s difficult for them to change their habits. Delicious, affordable, available alternatives will help enormously with that.

Eyleen: Amy started the research upon which Pow! Foods is based while at university, which is where she created our first product: a chorizo alternative. Chorizo is one of the most commonly purchased and consumed foods in Latin America. Our chorizo has been developed to reproduce the flavour and texture of animal-based versions. In this way, it will appeal to all consumers, not just those who nourish themselves through a plant-based lifestyle. Pow! Foods’ chorizo also supports human health by providing up to three times more protein and 70% less fat than conventional meat products.

Pow! Foods was founded by Bárbara (Amy) León and Eyleen Obidic

Tell us about your team. Why are you the right people for the project?

Eyleen: Amy studied food technology with an international specialisation in food development, innovation, and entrepreneurship, and has more than five years’ experience in the food industry. Amy always wanted to create a food tech company with the purpose of encouraging people to reduce or eliminate their consumption of animal-based meat products.

Amy: Eyleen is the CMO – she studied Marketing at Duoc UC in Chile and has more than three years’ experience in marketing and sales. Eyleen previously held positions at marketing agencies working with food companies, including Danone and Carozzi. She is in charge of Pow! Foods’ marketing and sales strategy and her work has brought us 30 active clients in less than a year.

Eyleen: We also work with Rubén Bustos, our Head of R&D. Rubén has a PhD in chemical engineering and more than 28 years’ experience working in research and academia, as well assessing companies in the areas of R&D and biotechnology.

Amy: We are confident that we are the right team to lead this project because of everything we have achieved so far. In less than a year, we have designed a unique process that allows us to replicate the texture and flavour of meat products with plants – specifically peas, corn, and rice. We have built our company from nothing and have already moved from a laboratory prototype of our products to a pilot project. Our pilot products are available at more than 30 locations around Chile.

What are your favourite parts about building your business?

Eyleen: At Pow! Foods, we believe we can help to create change in the world, one bite at a time. Every time someone buys our products, they are making a powerful and conscious statement about choosing more sustainable foods. It is very moving for us to have the opportunity to create a business with tremendous purpose. We have the ability to impact positively on the lives of many people by helping them to change what they eat.

What have been the main challenges you’ve faced?

Amy: When we moved from creating prototypes in laboratories to producing products on a larger scale, we faced challenges. We managed to scale our production capacity to match consumer demand in less than a year. However, this took months of investigation and testing, as well as improving and optimising our processes. After this, we have continued increasing the production capacity in order to supply more B2B clients.

What makes your company unique?

Eyleen: We understand that there are many people looking for new, tasty animal-free alternatives to incorporate into their meals. Not all of the products currently available on the market are satisfying to consumers. They are still searching for that combination of taste and nutrition coming together in alternative products. That is what we are going to give them – the food of the future.

Why did you decide to join the ProVeg Incubator?

Amy: Proveg is a unique organisation that is focused on boosting plant-based startups from all over the world. We know that startups in the food industry face challenges in R&D, production, marketing, and market penetration. The Proveg Incubator can support us in those areas with a great network of mentors, entrepreneurs, and R&D experts that would be difficult or even impossible to access otherwise. It’s an honor to be part of this intensive programme that will help us to improve our business with the input of experts and to have the opportunity to find investors that share our mission.

What do you hope to achieve with your company in the next 12 months?

Amy: We aim to be one of the plant-based market leaders in Latin America, with a strong portfolio of meat-alternative products. Within the next year, we want the Pow! Foods brand to be recognised as a pioneer with regard to the quality, flavour, and texture of our products. We also want those products to be widely available across Chile, Brasil, Colombia, and México.

Did you enjoy this blog post? Check out this previous Q+A that we did with the Fast Good Company – the startup turning fast food into fast good.

November 23, 2020 Louise Cullen Startups No comments yet

The Fast Good Company: turning fast food into fast good

The Fast Good Company is a plant-based ready-meal startup from the Netherlands. The company was founded by Dylan Duinmaijer and Stéphanie de Jong, who are both part of the current cohort at the ProVeg Incubator. This is their story.

What does your startup do and what is your mission?

Dylan: Our mission is to turn fast food into fast good, with the power of frozen plant-based ready-meals. We produce products that are good for you and great for the planet. By freezing our ready-meals when they are fresh, we not only lock in the health benefits of the ingredients, but we’re also helping to reduce food waste. Consumers can keep our products for up to 12 months, without losing any of the nutritional goodness inside.

Stéphanie: A third of all food produced for human consumption is discarded as waste, amounting to around 1.3 billion tonnes every year! We believe that it’s time for this to change. With our mission of supporting the planet, we strive towards waste-free operations. We plan on setting an example for the entire food industry. Together, we can drive positive change – for people and the planet – while having some fun along the way.

Where did the idea for your company come from?

Dylan: While running a catering company, I started looking for a more sustainable way to give people easy access to healthy, plant-based food. I did some research and discovered that a third of all of food produced for human consumption is wasted! That’s when I came up with the idea to start producing frozen plant-based meals.

I really believe that food needs to taste great and fuel your body in a positive way. That’s what inspired the idea of creating fast food which is good for you. To ensure that our meals are healthy, we focus on protein content and high nutritional values, without the need to add preservatives or refined sugars.

Tell us about your team. Why are you the right people for the project?

Stéphanie: Dylan is the original founder of the business. He previously owned and ran a catering company and has a great passion for food that provides healthy fuel for the body. He is the one with the product-development knowledge, who comes up with tasty new products. This, in combination with a qualification in International Business, makes him the right person for R&D, sales, and directing the company.

Dylan: Once Stéphanie heard about the idea, she decided to join forces with me since the company matches her beliefs and personal mission. With her academic background in creative business, Stephanie has built a solid portfolio in marketing, communications, and branding for several companies This makes her the right person to build the Fast Good Company’s brand and to get the story of our products to consumers.

The Fast Good Company taste test. Photo credit: Eduardus Lee

What are your favourite parts about building your business?

Dylan: That moment when everything works out. You have been building and working on your concept for an extended period of time before people actually see your product. This teaches you to appreciate the process – and have fun along the way.

Stéphanie: The fact that while your business grows, you, personally, are also growing. And once you can show off your product, share your mission, and get people to support you – that is priceless.

What are the main challenges you’ve faced?

Dylan: Convincing the Dutch market that frozen food is cool and can be good for you. Compared with some other countries, the Netherlands’ frozen-food sector needs to update its image. Luckily, the image of frozen food is slowly starting to change as the plant-based sector grows.

Stéphanie: A further challenge we’ve faced is being able to scale a product. We need to make sure that the quality of our products remains the same when they are being produced on a large scale.

What makes your company unique?

Dylan: Our business is unique because we believe that fast food can actually be good food. Our plant-based dishes retain their high nutritional values because they are frozen while fresh. As our ready-meals have a shelf-life of up to 12 months, consumers will always have the option of a comforting, healthy meal that’s also convenient and perfectly portioned. You won’t have to cook or feel like a jerk for throwing away food that you forgot about!

Stéphanie: Of course we want to stay unique, but we also hope to inspire others to create more products in the plant-based and frozen sectors. We believe we are stronger together and would love to see more brands enter this space and collaborate.

Why did you decide to join the ProVeg Incubator?

Stéphanie: The ProVeg Incubator programme is giving us the opportunity to learn and to get advice directly from experts in the food industry. As a startup, it sometimes feels like we are chartering unknown waters. Especially on the retail side, we don’t have much experience, and getting this type of support really helps us. In addition, by joining the Incubator, we are getting the valuable opportunity of building a network and getting investors on board.

What do you hope to achieve with your company in the next 12 months?

Dylan: First, we hope to raise investments to successfully launch in retail, both in the Netherlands and Germany, with our main focus on Germany. In addition, for the Dutch market, we want more people to understand the positive power of frozen food and become familiar with our products. We want to go out and speak publicly about the benefits of frozen food and why it’s important in terms of decreasing food waste.

Additionally, we would like to get more people on board the plant-based train. We hope to inspire more people to eat plant-based, including non-vegans. With fast, good food, we hope that more people will choose a sustainable alternative.

November 16, 2020 Louise Cullen Startups No comments yet

Stand up for Startups: Meet Jack part 2

In our latest Stand up for Startups webinar, we sat down with the founders of Meet Jack, Kaline van Halder and Marjolein Pleune. This female-led company is a pioneering food startup that is taking jackfruit mainstream. We’ve summarised all of the best bits from our interview across two blog posts. This is part 2.

If you haven’t read the first post in this two-part blog series, we suggest you start there. In that one, we covered how Meet Jack got started, how the company is coping with the coronavirus pandemic, and why jackfruit is a plant-based star.

In this part, we’re focusing on female entrepreneurship, advice for fellow founders, and why people thought Marjolein and Kaline were crazy for launching a startup with no previous experience in the food industry. Let’s dive back into the interview…

Meet Jack on female entrepreneurship

In terms of gender diversity, the food industry is improving, albeit slowly. In 2020, it remains the case that the majority of companies are founded by men and that an extremely small amount of VC funding (1-2%) is invested in businesses led by women. We were interested to get Meet Jack’s take on female entrepreneurship.

Kaline: The industry that we work in is male orientated. Production companies, catering companies, packaging companies, chefs – nearly everyone we meet is male. We are an exception in the industry and this has led to advantages for us. People are curious about what we do and how we are doing it, and I think we can stand up very well in comparison to other startups.

Personally, I haven’t experienced many closed doors – I’ve seen more doors opening. We are very passionate about what we do and I think that draws people in. We are excited about our products and that energy can be infectious.

“Let’s make sure that in 10 years, at least half of the people in this space are female. Let’s change the industry together.”

Marjolein: Kaline and I are both very partnership-driven. We are not from the food industry, except for some time spent waitressing in our university days, and that meant that we needed to speak to as many people as possible. The feedback that we mostly got in our first year was that we were rookies and didn’t know anything, rather than the focus being on us being female entrepreneurs. They just thought we were crazy to start a food business with no background in this area at all!

That said, the industry does continue to be male-dominated and everyone seems to know one another. I can understand how that could be intimidating. However, I would say to other female entrepreneurs, just go in there, and don’t be scared. Let’s make sure that in 10 years, at least half of the people in this space are female. Let’s change the industry together.

Meet Jack on advice

Marjolein and Kaline may have been food industry rookies when they started Meet Jack. However, after speaking with them during the webinar, it’s clear that they’ve learned a lot and are really carving out a meaningful nook for themselves in the food space. We asked them what advice they’d give to other entrepreneurs.

Meet Jack founders, Kaline van Halder and Marjolein Pleune

Kaline: Find a business partner. I could not have done this if I started this company by myself. Meet Jack is successful because of Marjolein and Marjolein always says the same about me. Of course, you can ask others for advice but even then it would be really difficult to do this alone. We are very lucky to have each other as co-founders and also to have a great team.

Marjolein: Never be too proud to ask for help when you need it. Everyone in the food industry is willing to lend a hand. We’re both really good at asking for help and, up until now, no one has ever said ‘no’. We give a lot to others and people give a lot to us in return.

“You’re always on it. A company is a commitment that’s 24/7”

Kaline: It’s also important not to be naive about having a company and the glamour that comes with it. Firstly it’s not really glamorous at all. It’s a lot of fun, but it’s also hard work. You’re always on it. You wake up with it and go to bed with it, and then you wake up with it again. A company is a commitment that’s 24/7.

We started Meet Jack in our 40s, so we had many years of working experience already. That, combined with the network that we had built around us, were key factors for success. You can really count on that community. We have such a big network and we can easily ask them, “hey I did so many things for you, can you do me a favour here?”. We really use our network wisely and, if you’re straight out of school, you don’t have that yet. You need time to build a network and gain experience.

Meet Jack on the future

Kaline and Marjolein are looking to launch Meet Jack products in supermarkets in the Netherlands early next year (2021) and are already planning to expand rapidly after that.

Marjolein: Our next stop will be retail and food-service in Germany and we are in talks about launching in the UK, France, and Scandinavia. We also want to work towards creating local impact in Asia. In the next four to seven years, we want to take our jackfruit products to the Asian market. We see a lot of potential to expand globally and we want to stay ahead of the competition. We absolutely embrace competitors. There is room in the plant-based space for multiple jackfruit companies – but we want to stay in a pioneering position.

Hanging Jackfruit, the world’s largest hanging fruit

Kaline: We are also investigating opportunities to integrate Meet Jack products into a circular economy. We want to experiment with the seeds of jackfruit, and with the skin, since at the moment it is wasted. We are thinking of creating sustainable fibres out of it and using those fibres in the production of textiles. Ultimately, we want to be experts in the field that we operate in. That’s certainly enough to keep us occupied.”

If you enjoyed this blog post, check out this previous Q+A we did with Kaline and Marjolein when they were taking part in the ProVeg Incubator programme.

November 5, 2020 Louise Cullen Events, Startups No comments yet

Stand up for Startups: Meet Jack

Meet Jack is a pioneering, female-led food startup from the Netherlands that produces meat alternatives from unripe jackfruit. In our latest Stand up for Startups webinar, we sat down with the founders to chat about their entrepreneurial experiences. We’ve summarised all of the best bits for you across two blog posts. In part one, we focus on jackfruit as a star of the plant-based sector, and how Meet Jack is coping with the coronavirus pandemic.

Meet Jack founders, Kaline van Halder and Marjolein Pleune, met over 25 years ago at university. They had always talked about setting up a company together, usually over a couple of beers. In 2017, those chats finally turned into a tangible plan, when they decided to take the plunge and start a business making meat alternatives from jackfruit.

Since then, the pair have created a full line of products and raised two rounds of funding. They have participated in several incubators and accelerator programmes (including the ProVeg Incubator), and are now in talks to launch Meet Jack with Albert Heijn, the biggest retailer in the Netherlands.

Meet Jack team in Bali

Kaline says that a major turning point for them was raising 130% of their target during a crowdfunding campaign. “In order to launch the campaign, we had to make sure many other elements of the business were ready, for example, the packaging, branding, and product and strategic plans.

“As a result of the campaign, we had resources, we had some money, and we had validation. When people choose to fund you, they are not just enthusiastic about your company, they are actually putting their money where their mouth is. That is very meaningful.”

Meet Jack on jackfruit

Kaline and Marjolein were inspired by jackfruit while travelling in Asia and, as Kaline is half-Filipino, she already had some experience with the fruit. But what makes jackfruit such an attractive ingredient?

Marjolein: Jackfruit is completely unprocessed. We use unripe jackfruit, which has natural meaty fibres, a neutral taste, and contains no sugar. In terms of processing, the jackfruit is taken out of the skin and put through a blast freezer. It’s then transported from Asia to Europe where it’s seasoned and cooked. This is very different to what happens to [more processed] soya products, for example.

Meet Jack jackfruit tacos

Kaline: We really thought about where we can create impact. We want to create meaty, savoury street food dishes that would satisfy carnivores. Jackfruit naturally offers the attributes that we need to achieve that. Our best-selling product is a plant-based alternative to the traditional dutch bitterballen which can be found on every menu in the Netherlands

We have set ourselves the challenge to be THE bitterball on the menu. We don’t want our products just to be in the vegan section. Eventually, we hope that you will order a portion of bitterballen and have no idea that there is no animal meat in it. You will just eat it with your beer and think, ‘wow this is delicious’. Our whole product line is targeted in this way – to seduce meat lovers in order to reduce global meat consumption.

Meet Jack plant-based jackfruit Bitterballen

Meet Jack on COVID-19

During the webinar, Kaline and Marjolein emphasised that launching a startup has not all been plain sailing. There have been plenty of challenges along the way – not least, the coronavirus pandemic.

Kaline: COVID hit us really badly because we were moving to get a piece of the pie from the food-service sector, and were not yet looking at retail. Prior to the emergence of the coronavirus, people had been ordering hundreds of kilos of our products for events and festivals, and restaurants were calling us every day. February was our most successful month since we started our company, and, then in March, we shut down. No clients, no phone calls, nothing. After two years of working on Meet Jack, Marjolein and I took our first salary in February, and, in March, we felt like it was all over.

Meet Jack food truck at a festival

Kaline: For two weeks, we thought, what do we do now? We just had to jump back on the horse – it was either eat or be eaten. So we decided to move into retail. This was also around the time that we got accepted to the ProVeg Incubator. That really helped us to move into retail at a faster pace. We developed new products and started knocking on doors. Now, in autumn, retailers are getting interested and we’re in talks with them.

“We just had to jump back on the horse. It was either eat or be eaten”

Marjolein: COVID was a new starting point for us and now we think we can be successful in the retail market. Although we were growing very fast in the food-service sector, behind the scenes, we were not ready for that growth. This COVID-19 period gave us an opportunity to better organise and structure ourselves. We hired two people to work on marketing and operations and we closed a partnership deal with a logistics company. COVID-19 may have set us back from a financial perspective in 2020, but, in the long term, this has been a beneficial time for us.

We’ll be posting part 2 of this blog post next week, focusing on female entrepreneurship and advice for fellow founders. In the meantime, check out this previous Q+A we did with Kaline and Marjolein while they were taking part in the ProVeg Incubator programme.

October 29, 2020 Louise Cullen Events, Startups No comments yet

Come meet our latest startups

We are excited to be launching our fifth batch of pioneering startups at the ProVeg Incubator. Over the next three months, we’ll be working closely with the founders of these innovative companies to help them take their businesses to the next level. Read on to meet the startups.

From algae-based dairy alternatives to the world’s first chicken made from peanut protein, these startups are ready to disrupt the global food industry. This week, we are officially launching the latest cohort of pioneering companies to join the ProVeg Incubator.

In total, we’ll be working with six startups from around the world, including China, Chile, India, and several European countries. The companies were selected from a record number of startup applications to the Incubator and we’re really looking forward to supporting their growth.

Due to the ongoing pandemic, we’ll be hosting this batch of startups online, just as we did earlier this year with our fourth cohort. We already know that the format works well, and in these trying times we want to offer startups all the support we possibly can. So, without further ado, here is our fifth cohort!

Meet the startups

Two of the founders of Update Foods, Clémence Landeau and Céline Bouvier

Update Foods

Update Foods is on a mission to help more people around the world tackle the difficult challenge of ditching dairy. Clémence Landeau, Céline Bouvier, Gaëtan Gohin, and Franck Manifacier founded the company in France. Together, they are producing algae-based milk and other dairy alternatives.

The team is motivated by the conviction that it’s time to step back from animal-based products and embrace plant-based eating. To help more people take the plunge into a new lifestyle, Update Foods offers a line of nutritious, affordable alternatives. They taste like dairy, but without any of the negatives.

Haofood

One of the first startups in the world to use peanut protein as the key ingredient for creating plant-based meat. Haofood’s initial product is a fried plant-based chicken, developed using a rigorous, scientific R&D process.

The company was founded in China by Astrid Prajogo, with the aim of helping flexitarians to reduce their meat consumption without foregoing the pleasures of the meals they know and love. Haofood’s plant-based chicken is targeted for use in familiar Asian dishes. These include Chinese street-food fried chicken (鸡排), chicken katsu, and the Indonesian speciality ayam geprek.

The Fast Good Company

An impact-driven, plant-based-food startup, founded by Dylan Duinmaijer in the Netherlands. The Fast Good Company’s mission is to turn fast food into fast good with the power of plant-based ready meals.

Currently, the Fast Good product line consists of three different dishes: Lasagna Bolognese, Sweet Potato Pie, and Tikka Masala. The meals are 100% plant-based and free of any added sugars or preservatives.

As well as being passionate about reducing global animal consumption, the Fast Good Company also aims to reduce food waste.

Founders of the Fast Good Company, Dylan Duinmaijer and Stephanie de Jong

Naka Foods

Naka Foods was founded by Kushal Aradhya R, in India, in order to create innovative alternatives to animal-based foods, using microalgae and plant-based-superfood ingredients. The company develops sustainable products, with a focus on nutrition, taste, and high-quality, natural ingredients.

Naka Foods’ first product, the 4pmbar, is a plant-based chocolate bar made using algae-derived spirulina and probiotics. Now, the startup has set its sights on the plant-based meat sector. Naka Foods has produced a chicken alternative that is specifically designed to suit Indian and Asian cuisine.

Fellow Creatures

Fellow Creatures is taking plant-based treats mainstream by showing just how delicious vegan food can be. The startup was founded by Zsolt Stefkovics and Fraser Doherty, in Scotland, in order to create chocolate that causes no harm.

The current Fellow Creatures range consists of five flavours (creamy hazelnut, raspberry white, salted caramel, matcha white, and the basic milkless option). The conventional dairy element is substituted with creamed coconut.

Humans are continually striving to make progress towards a better world, and that includes making conscious food choices. This might be just chocolate – but it’s part of something much bigger.

Chorizo alternative from Pow! Foods

Pow! Foods

Pow! Foods produces meat alternatives that are scientifically designed to contain more protein and less fat than their animal-based counterparts.

The startup was founded by Amy Leon in Chile. Her team has researched the interaction between different plant proteins and used that knowledge to design a unique biotech process that replicates the flavour and texture of meat without the need for animals or additives.

Pow! Foods has a strong focus on minimising the involvement of animals in the global food system and lessening the impact of our food choices on the environment.

Be sure to stay up-to-date with our blog. We’ll regularly be posting news and information about the startups in our latest cohort here. Meanwhile, if you’re the founder of a startup and would like to join the ProVeg Incubator in 2021, then apply now.

October 27, 2020 Louise Cullen Inside the ProVeg Incubator, Startups No comments yet

Protein, the better way

Better Nature is an alternative-protein company based in Indonesia and the UK. The founders joined the ProVeg Incubator programme with their tempeh startup, back in 2019. Since graduating, they’ve gone on to hit some major milestones in the plant-based space.

Tempeh was discovered more than 300 years ago in Indonesia. It is made via the process of fermentation, where soybeans (or other legumes) bind together to form a meaty block. The resulting product is plant-based, high in protein and fibre, and it’s good for the gut, too.

Due to its meaty texture and the variety of ways in which it can be prepared, tempeh is most often used as a meat alternative. However, until recently, it wasn’t particularly well-known outside of Indonesia, where it is a street-food staple.

That’s where the team at Better Nature spotted an opportunity. They wanted to build a company that would take tempeh mainstream, while introducing more plant-based and planet-friendly food options to the market.

Better Nature Co-founder Chris Kong pitching at the ProVeg Incubator. Pictured above with Co-founder Elin Roberts.

With two of the founders having grown up in Indonesia, and the others bringing a passion for plant-based nutrition and fitness to the table, it was a match made in veggie heaven.

Better Nature joined the ProVeg Incubator in 2019. They went on to be named Best Startup of the Cohort at the end of the programme. Let’s take a look at the team’s top five achievements since then.

Taking retail by storm

Since graduating from the ProVeg Incubator, the team has launched several new products including tempeh rashers, mince, and better bites. Consumers eager to hop on the tempeh train can find these in over 120 retail locations in the UK, with more product variants in the pipeline. Better Nature has also tripled its revenue since March.

A cash injection

In early 2020, the Better Nature team raised seed funding of £430,000. The funding round was led by serial investor and technologist Nicholas Owen Gunden, along with Capital V founder Michiel van Deursen.

Van Deursen was previously responsible for overseeing the expansion of The Vegetarian Butcher across Europe. At the time, he commented to The Grocer that Better Nature was “very well positioned to play a huge part in the consumption of future foods”. The funding will be used for accelerating new product development and marketing.

Tackling the plastic plague

In July, Better Nature became the first plastic-neutral meat-alternative company in the world. That means that the team is contributing to the removal of the same amount of plastic from the environment as it uses in its packaging and shipping. The company is achieving this impressive feat through its partnership with rePurpose Global.

Due to the complicated food-safety aspect of tempeh production, it’s difficult to remove plastic completely from the packaging. However, the team admits it is something that frustrates them and that they are working on.

They’re making progress, however, but it’s a long process, and going plastic neutral provides them with a feasible interim solution.

Expanding horizons

Following a successful launch in the UK, Better Nature’s products are now available in Germany. You won’t see them in retail stores just yet, however. Instead, you can purchase the company’s full range on Amazon.

And they didn’t stop there

The startup is continuing its European expansion, with its next port of call being Scandinavia. Better Nature has teamed up with one of the ProVeg Incubator’s partners, Kale United, to take their products to the region.

Keep your eyes peeled for these protein-packed products, which will soon be appearing on supermarket shelves across Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Iceland.

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August 10, 2020 Louise Cullen Startups No comments yet

Incubator success: Mondarella marks major milestone

One of the ProVeg Incubator’s alumni is making waves in the alternative dairy space. Mondarella, a plant-based cheese company, was part of our second cohort of startups and founder Piero Brunetti is now taking an exciting leap forward in his entrepreneurial journey.

One of the ProVeg Incubator’s alumni startups has just reached a major milestone. Plant-based cheese company Mondarella is launching its first product, a plant-based mozzarella, onto the mass market.

From summer 2020, customers can find the cheese alternative in nearly 4,000 European supermarkets, including 3,200 Lidl stores and about 700 branches of Kaufland.

Piero Brunetti founded Mondarella because he wants to have an impact on the global food system. He says he spends a lot of time thinking about how to improve the way humans nourish themselves and the part he can play in that.

Piero thinks that, in a few years, “it will be completely normal to mainly eat healthy vegetarian food and to only consume small portions of animal products”. That’s why he is creating plant-based products that pique the interest of consumers and introduce them to new ways of eating.

Mondarella burgers with hummus and courgette

Italian roots

In originally choosing which type of product to focus on, Piero decided to follow his Italian roots. When transitioning to a plant-based diet himself, he admits that giving up mozzarella, a beloved Italian staple, was his biggest challenge. This led to years of research, recipe testing, and product development, all of which culminated in the Mondarella that you will soon be able to find on supermarket shelves.

“Italian cuisine is straightforward, works well, and is absolutely scrumptious. In most cases, it’s the simplest things that turn out great” – Piero Brunetti

The mozzarella alternative is made with 20% almonds in combination with other natural, raw ingredients and contains no sugar, gluten, or soy. The cheese is produced in a facility just outside of Berlin and the company only works with environmentally-friendly almond farmers.

In 2019, Piero joined the ProVeg Incubator in order to take his growing business to the next level and completely changed his go-to-market strategy as a result, so as to enter the market in just the right way. He says that working with startups for several years, before founding his own company, helped him tremendously. He also stresses that entrepreneurs need to be passionate and unwavering in their mission to achieve success.

Piero Brunetti at the ProVeg Incubator Startup Demo Day

Rising demand from consumers

According to Research and Markets, the global plant-based cheese market is expected to reach $4 billion by 2028. With rising consumer demand, the sector represents a key opportunity for innovation.

In 2019, ProVeg conducted a survey of over 6,000 people in order to canvas opinions on plant-based products that are currently available on supermarket shelves and to determine which consumers would like to see more of in the future.

In general, survey respondents reported being relatively satisfied with existing plant-based products. However, the category that they were least impressed by was plant-based cheese. In terms of taste, texture, and value for money, current products are not quite hitting the mark.

Mondarella samples with tomato and basil, photo by Jan Michalko

This means that there is space in this sector for innovation and for startups to populate this potentially very large niche with new products. The survey indicates that there is definitely a demand – when consumers were asked which type of plant-based products they would like to see more of, given the choice between 16 different options, plant-based cheese was the clear winner.

Piero says that he is extremely happy with the positive market response he’s already receiving for Mondarella’s plant-based cheese products. He also confirmed that the team is already developing further varieties, as well as working on some completely new ideas. Watch this space.

Feeling inspired?

Are you feeling motivated by the startup story you’ve read here today? We are currently accepting applications from founders looking to join the ProVeg Incubator. If you are working on an exciting project, then we want to hear from you! Apply online before the deadline on July 31.

July 6, 2020 Louise Cullen News, Startups No comments yet

Meet Jack: the startup making meat from jackfruit

Meet Jack is a plant-based food startup from the Netherlands developing alternative meat products from unripe jackfruit. The startup was founded by Kaline Van Halder and Marjolein Pleune, who are part of the current cohort at the ProVeg Incubator. This is their story.

While on vacation in Asia back in 2018, Kaline Van Halder and Marjolein Pleune fell in love with jackfruit. The enterprising duo discovered that the fruit has a natural meaty texture and they were inspired to establish a startup with this ingredient as the star.

Kaline and Marjolein founded Meet Jack that same year in Haarlem, in the Netherlands. The startup is focused on producing plant-based meat products, such as burger patties, gyros, rendang, meatballs, and sausages from young, unripe jackfruit. We spoke to Kaline and Marjolein about their startup journey with Meet Jack so far.

What is your favourite part of your work?

We consider ourselves adventurers and impact makers and ever since we started, our startup journey has been one big adventure and one very steep learning curve. Not a single working day is the same and we truly love the dynamics. Our work is so hands-on, action-based, and full of fun moments. Best of all, we have an impact along the way.

Meet Jack founders, Kaline Van Halder and Marjolein Pleune

What have been the main challenges in setting up your business?

With no background in running a food startup or any knowledge of product development, we run into challenges all the time. Scaling a product, which tastes delicious when designed by a culinary chef, but completely loses its greatness when producing it on a large scale is a major hurdle to tackle.

Aside from this, difficulties arise in the areas of logistics as we try to establish a sustainable supply chain with frozen goods. Price-quality is another thing; how to build a brand, with hardly any marketing budget; how to stay sane, and many many more.

Can you tell us more about how you source the jackfruit?

Jackfruit is considered a multi-crop (instead of a mono-crop) and grows naturally at its best in an agroforestry environment. There are no large scale farmyards yet, so we work with a community of farmers.

They source the unripe jackfruit in eastern Thailand and then transport it within the country to be cut up. Here individually quick frozen (IQF) technology is used to preserve the freshness and natural look of the food before it is shipped overseas.

Although jackfruit is not officially organic certified, no pesticides and chemicals are needed for it to grow. Jackfruit trees also require very little water. You can really consider the crop to be a good solution in terms of food security.

Tacos made with Meet Jack jackfruit chunks

Why did you join the ProVeg Incubator?

Our raw, frozen jackfruit (and products) are sold to the food service and hotel industries, food producers, and catering companies. However, our ambition is to sell a new, innovative product line to retail on an international scale. The ProVeg Incubator can help us to do that. It accelerates our ambitions and provides us with the network, knowledge, and skills to be well prepared for this next stage of our journey.

What do you hope to achieve in the next 12 months?

We hope that people can find Jack in many stores and on the menus of their favorite restaurants. It would be great to see Jack’s fanbase really grow and to get the feedback that people are loving Meet Jack.

For us, we will continue on our path of inspiring others through product innovation and working on regenerative agriculture. We’ll also be planting some jackfruit trees along the way.

Meet Jack team in a rice field in Bali

Internationally, the demand for meat alternatives is increasing. The market is forecasted to be worth €118 million in 2020. In addition, some 75% of consumers admit that they would like to eat less meat.

Although there are many plant-based brands already on the market, Kaline and Marjolein believe that there is a gap for products that truly deliver in terms of texture and taste – particularly when it comes to feeding flexitarians or carnivores.

Meet Jack is positioning itself as a company for meat lovers, due to the unique meaty texture of jackfruit. This means that it can be easily used to create alternatives to well-known and beloved products such as the typical Dutch ‘bitterballen’, burger patties, and meatballs.

Do you feel inspired by the startup story you’ve read here today? The ProVeg Incubator is currently accepting startup applications from founders looking to join the next cohort. What are you waiting for? Sign up today!

June 29, 2020 Louise Cullen Startups No comments yet