An Alt Protein Menu Worth Celebrating

“The Future of Food” isn’t a place we arrive, it’s a destination we're always moving towards. I’ve spent the last 10 years focused on that destination and right now feels like a moment on the journey worth celebrating. Last week we hosted 19 companies for an investor showcase at KITCHENTOWN 's new Pilot Facility in SF. I can honestly say that I was truly impressed by the quality and variety of the foods we ate. There is a lot of media today that wants you to think alt protein is a failing fad. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Is there still work to be done? Of course. But that’s exactly why we all keep showing up to work every day. We’re just getting started and I want to take a moment to acknowledge the entrepreneurs who are making it happen and the progress that has been made.??

Five years ago I organized a “taste of the future” cocktail party at a conference. We kept hitting dead ends. At the time, precision-fermentation egg and dairy proteins were not yet GRAS, and the conference venue’s procurement team had a very short list of available plant-based dairy. Most of the plant-based meats were still really missing the mark on flavor and texture. We could see the future we wanted, but couldn’t quite taste it. Last week we got to taste all of that and more.?

That’s because the slow and steady beat of innovation is doing its thing. Humans are impatient. We want new, perfect, healthy, sustainable, delicious, and affordable foods. But big changes are complex and take time and what we’re seeing now is the result of people not giving up when things aren’t quite good enough.?

The most notable thing about last week’s showcase was the variety of both production methods and product types on display:

?? Mycelium and koji are bringing awesome flavors and textures by figuring out exactly what fungi is best at.?

?? ?? ??Fermentation is brewing an impressive variety of beverages: from coffee to palm wine, to animal-free egg protein.

?? Cell cultured, after decades of R&D, is finally actually edible and marks a totally new method to produce foods ranging from wagyu beef to chocolate.?

?? Plant-based is making super craveable and nostalgic foods with really clean labels and better nutrition.?

???????? Analogs keep getting more convincing and companies are constantly working to improve the products and give eaters exactly what they want.?

??? And finally, I think I’m most excited about the products that are moving beyond analogs and focusing on creative culinary preparations that make plant-based just taste really good (while also still being nutritious and clean label).

You no longer have to be an industry insider to try most of these products. You can find them in retail, on restaurant menus, or DTC.

This progress has not been easy. The companies at our showcase collectively have raised hundreds of millions of dollars and have poured countless hours into product development. The work is showing. At the same time, macroeconomic forces are making this moment a very challenging one for food startup founders. But, the truth is, industrial animal agriculture is hugely problematic for people and the planet, and we really have no choice but to continue doing something about it. So we keep moving forward.?

I’ve spent plenty of time over the last 10 years feeling very skeptical (even pessimistic?) about where the industry is going. There are still enormous challenges ahead with climate catastrophes and biodiversity loss and chronic disease and food waste and food justice and affordability. Last week I was able to snap out of that panic for a few hours and celebrate just how far we’ve come. As I said, we’re just getting started.