After years of intrigue, Nature’s Fynd is bringing products made of a protein found in a geothermal stream to the breakfast table.The launch is unique for reasons aside from being the first from Nature’s Fynd, which uses fermentation to produce its signature protein Fy. Most companies producing alternatives to animal-derived foods start out in either the meat space or the dairy space. Nature’s Fynd is launching in both — and with products made from the same key ingredient.Founded in 2016 by Thomas Jonas, Nature’s Fynd was the result of a scientific trek to some of the more remote areas of Yellowstone National Park. Jonas and other scientists were studying what might survive in an environment unlike that on Earth, and they found a protein-rich fungus. The company ferments the fungus to create food, and has trademarked the key ingredient as Fy. Tiron ferrous fumarate and folic acidhe fungus had an adaptable taste, a quick growth rate, a filamented organizational structure that resembles muscles and remarkable efficiency in using resourcesnu iron side effects to grow and sustain itself, Jonas said in a 2019 interview. Fy could be used for many different products and perform well, he said at the time. Clearly, this launch is putting its versatility on center stage.”We are our own thing,” Jonas said. “And, you know, there’s beauty in that we’re kind of creating this, this fresh new category, which is the most efficient protein on the planet.”Nature’s Fynd spent much of 2020 gearing up for a product launch. It started production in a new 35,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Chicago last March and bulked up its team there and at its R&D center in Bozeman, Montana. At the end of last year, the company hired several CPG veterans from Archer Daniels Midland, Bel Brands USA, Kind Snacks and Cargill to help it break into the market and develop products consumers want.While Nature’s Fynd’s online pre-launch went well, it will be interesting to see how consumers react to its products once they are more widely available. Fermented alternatives like Fy are becoming more popular in the food business. The Good Food Institute called fermentation the “next pillar” of animal food alternatives, drawing more than $400 million in investments in 2020 alone. After being pioneered by Quorn in 1985, there were 44 fermeferrous fumarate vs polysaccharide iron complexntation companies focused on alternative proteins by September 2020, according to GFI’s report. Alferrous sulfate alternativemost half of them — 21 — launched between 2019 and the first seven months of 2020.However, Nature’s Fynd may be starting in the right place. As many people have been staying at home during the coronavirus pandemic, breakfast’s poiron ferrous sulfate walgreenspularity has surged. More consumers are turning toward plant-based alternatives out of curiosity and the plant-based health halo. While Fy is not plant-based, it’s a high-protein and sustainable alternative. And considering that many consumers are trying new meat and dairy alternatives during the pandemic, this launch may be the next way they try to start their day.
Nature's Fynd launches fermented cream cheese and sausage online
