Mez Foods

?? Ben Schultz & Bob Schultz co-founded Mez Foods to reimagine #food #processes throughout an evolving, #interconnected trifecta: #agriculture, #nutrition and the #environment. Their first mainstream product—reconsidered from source to launch ? #Chocolate! 126th interview! Featured in the #Makers series at #DesignFeast. ?? https://lnkd.in/djrYVN_b ?? #Photography by J. Ryan Ulsh. #Creativity #Entrepreneurship #Flavors #HealthyEating #Innovation #Sustainability #SystemsThinking?#WellBeing

Let's recap this week in FoodTech: ???What’s up??A new report from?FoodLabs?and?Dealroom.co?presented live at the HackSummit shows that European FoodTech startups?raised over $2 billion in 2023, outpacing the US for the first time. ?? Good Read:?Kamil W?gliński, VC at?Market One Capital?and ClimateHack Ambassador in Poland, wrote?this comprehensive analysis?of the food waste prevention market ?? Exclusive: We spoke to the Winner and Runners Up of the FoodTech World Cup live in Lausanne:?Riccardo Bottiroli, Shobhita Soor and Joaquín Fisch ?? Amusing: Denmark has recalled several flavours of South Korea’s popular instant noodle brand,?Samyang Foods Co., Ltd.,?for being too spicy. ?? US-based?Tender Foodraised $11 million?in a Series A funding round led by?Rhapsody Venture Partners. ?? THIS??secured ￡20 million?in a Series C funding round led by?Planet First Partners. ?? Ever After Foods?secured $10 million?for its cultivated meat bioreactor platform, which it says will allow producers to scale up their manufacturing whilst reducing their costs by up to 90%. ???Kilimo, based in Argentina,?raised $7.5 million Series A funding. ???Inside Scoop:?Sifted?reveals that the elusive world of family offices is showing a?greater interest in ClimateTech. Freya and Sadia spoke to?Nadim El Khazen?of?PeakBridge,?Greg Michel?of?Ananke?and other investors at the HackSummit. ?? Mez Foods?is?using mesquite to create sustainable chocolate alternatives, as cocoa prices continue to soar. ???David Klingen?of?Northern Wonder - Coffee Free Coffee?told Sifted?why adaptation tech might save our morning brew. While also serving 30,000 (reusable) cups of his coffee-free coffee to the HackSummit attendees. ??Perfect Day?has filed a?$200 million counterclaim?against its Italian contract manufacturer?Olon, accusing it of “gross negligence and willful misconduct.” Will no one learn anything from the Meati x Better Meat Co lawsuit? ?? Believer Meats?is partnering with the?AbuDhabi AgriFood Growth & Water Abundance?cluster to?develop its capabilities in the MENA region. ?? YASAI ?and?GreenState AG?are merging, and will work together to provide fresh, locally-grown produce to the Swiss market. ?? US startup?Pastazerts?launched chocolate ravioli. Designed to be enjoyed as?pasta-for-dessert. ?? Grupo Empresarial Palacios Alimentación, is?partnering with The EVERY Company?to use its liquid animal-free eggs in its flagship products. ???Dutch Structuring Technologies (DST)?has developed a novel technology called?Continuous High Shear ???Kellanova?is partnering with?Ahold Delhaize?to develop?Cheez-It crackers made with regenerative wheat ??Article on what drives?VC-style growth?in Food and Agriculture startups by Jaap ???Is there a way to?balance the discussions?on novel processed alternative proteins? asks Maya ?? The ‘most listened to’?science podcast?right now covers?Planet A Foods?and cocoa-free chocolate. Read the full recap: https://lnkd.in/e8itVduG

A drought-tolerant tree that grows throughout Mexico and the southwestern US, South America, Africa, and Asia, #mesquite has long beige-colored pods that can be ground into flour that's "naturally very sweet with rich aromas of chocolate and cinnamon." Chicago-based startup Mez Foods combines it with illipe butter, chufa flour, fermented pea & rice protein, and a small amount of carob flour to create its ‘like chocolate but better’ MEZ bars... Says cofounder Ben Schultz: “We were initially of the mind that we needed to create a brand to showcase mesquite to consumers through something that would play like chocolate and occupy some of the same use cases, but over time would create its own distinct category, offering new flavors and experiences. “And that’s still the goal of our consumer-oriented brand, to try to turn mesquite into a household name that stands on its own." But with soaring cocoa prices driving?industrial chocolate players to more actively explore cocoa and chocolate alternatives, he says, being able to offer wholesale options for bakers and other chocolate buyers looking to reduce or replace their cocoa-based choc started to look like an equally attractive proposition... #cocoa #cocoaprices #chocolate #chocolatealternatives #foodtech #mesquiteflour AgFunder Bob Schultz

Great pitches from all participating brands at Naturally Chicago 2024 pitch slam and showcase of exciting brand disruptors in the natural foods space. Pics feature: Twisted Alchemy, Scott Holstein; Mez Foods, Bob Schultz; winner Lil' Gourmets , Shibani Baluja; AQUA Cultured Foods, Shayna Harris; Daybird, Veena K..

?? Introducing Our 2024 Pitch Slam Finalists - Emerging Brands Edition! ?? This year's Pitch Slam is packed with fresh, innovative brands ready to make a significant impact in the natural products industry. We're excited to present our finalists in the Emerging Brands category: 1. Arch Pet Food - Founded by Gabriel Huertas del Pino 2. Daybird - Founded by Veena K. 3. Mez Foods - Founded by Ben Schultz 4. Unbothered Foods - Founded by Morgan Murdock, RDN 5. Yobee - Founded by Ruchi Gupta, MD, MPH Swipe through our carousel to discover the pioneering spirit of each brand. ?? Join retail leaders and financiers at the Pitch Slam event to listen to their pitches, explore partnership opportunities, and engage in dynamic networking sessions. Don’t miss out on the chance to see these brands compete for nearly $200,000 in prizes! Secure your tickets now and be part of the future of natural products! ? Tickets: https://lnkd.in/gz3xz-wd #PitchSlam2024 #LocallyMade #Finalists #NaturalProducts #Innovation #Entrepreneurship

Our first e-commerce workshop in the books, couldn’t have done it without Nick Hein & the Rebuy Engine team. It was an honor to meet all the amazing founders & brands who came out to hear from inspiring words Monica Royer! ??Congratulations to Mez Foods??, Fillow Inc.??, & Lil' Gourmets ?? on taking home prizes! Connecting our local brands w/ investors Michael LaVitola, Hylton Irons, Aaditi Tamhankar was amazing & excited for what may come!?? Special thanks to Courtney Pearson & Jordan Deodato from deodato.co, Doug Shotwell from Workbox for the amazing location & Tairae Hersemann for providing brands with product photography the same day.?? Wanna be a part of the next one, link in comments to attend or sponsor!????