sustainability

Unscrambling Go-to-Market and Brand in Alternative Protein, with Tanja Bogumil, Perfeggt

Unscrambling Go-to-Market and Brand in Alternative Protein, with Tanja Bogumil, Perfeggt

Let’s talk about eggs.

Hardly anything can match the egg for complete versatility. Eggs are a critical ingredient to unlock the tastes, textures, and experiences we take for granted in everything from a simple home omelette to food manufactured on an industrial scale.

So, how would you approach replacing the egg with a plant-based alternative?

This week on EggTech…So What?, we spoke with alternative-protein entrepreneur Tanja Bogumil. Tanja is the Co-Founder and CEO of Berlin-based Perfeggt, a company working to bring plant-based egg alternatives to market, starting with a liquid substitute for scrambled eggs and baking.

Investing Beyond the Farmgate with Ben Barlow, New Edge Microbials

Investing Beyond the Farmgate with Ben Barlow, New Edge Microbials

Biologicals in agriculture have a wildly exciting future. It’s a segment responding to innovation in science, changes in markets, and the urgent pressures of adapting to climate change. And while the buzz from new entrants inspires thinking about the future, New Edge Microbials (NEM) is an established player with products in the hands of farmers today.

Managing Director and veteran agribusiness executive Ben Barlow has spent years executing a growth strategy that has weathered all of these forces, plus the additional logistics chaos of COVID-19 in recent years.

Meeting in the Middle on Sustainable Supply Chains, with Jessie Deelo, Vayda

Meeting in the Middle on Sustainable Supply Chains, with Jessie Deelo, Vayda

According to Jessie Deelo, Chief Hub Officer at Vayda, leading companies are moving toward sustainability targets that are measurable, integrated, and connected to the real world challenges of on-farm sustainability. In her work improving the environmental and social impact of supply chains, Jessie is seeing a huge opportunity for farmers that already embrace sustainable production methods to connect with brands that need inputs with impact.

100th Episode Special: soil carbon & the future of agtech

100th Episode Special: soil carbon & the future of agtech

For our 100th episode (hooray!), we’ve brought back some of our most popular guests to check in on what’s changed in their businesses and in agtech since we spoke, and the new technologies and opportunities we can all be looking out for. This episode features Mark Wootton, Stu Austin, Sarah Mock, and Derek Norman.

Biologicals and chemistry: finding ways to commercialize the science

Biologicals and chemistry: finding ways to commercialize the science

In agtech, cutting edge science and flashy technologies are just not enough to solve problems on farm and realize impact and returns for investors. In this episode, we chat with two scientists who, instead of viewing the publication of their research as an end point, have made it the beginning of a venture-backed startup journey. Our guests are Dr. Jacqueline Heard, CEO of Enko Chem, and Dr. Nancy Schellhorn, CEO of RapidAIM.

Biologicals: snake oil or science, and how do we know?

Biologicals: snake oil or science, and how do we know?

Farmers are under pressure to shift toward lower chemical intensity production. Biologicals are touted as one possible solution, promising natural, chemical-free alternatives to fertilizers and pesticides. But biologicals also have a reputation for being ‘snake oil,’ with companies making claims that are too good to be true, or that don’t stack up outside the lab. So what’s the science behind biologicals, how do we know they work, and how can they get to scale?

This episode features Jarrett Chambers, founder and President of ATP Nutrition, and Shane Thomas, author of Upstream Ag Insights.

Sustainable Supply Chains: eliminating waste and unlocking business opportunities

Sustainable Supply Chains: eliminating waste and unlocking business opportunities

Agrifood value chains are known for their efficiencies: they’ve been optimized to grow, process, and deliver massive amounts of safe food all over the world. But efficiency is no longer enough. Consumers and investors want supply chains that are climate resilient (or positive), sustainable & ethical, and free from waste.

In this episode we examine how farmers can capitalize on the increasing value of growing sustainable food, the opportunities for new players such as Goterra and Apeel, and new technologies to remove food waste and packaging from the supply chain, and signals indicating that the mood around sustainability might be about to shift.

Lean Farming - Jana Hocken brings Toyota’s famous operating model to agriculture

Lean Farming - Jana Hocken brings Toyota’s famous operating model to agriculture

Jana Hocken is a dairy farmer and “lean farming” consultant. After an international career in engineering at Toyota, including training staff in the principles of lean manufacturing to increase efficiency, eliminate waste, and encourage continuous improvement from the team, Jana moved to farm in New Zealand with her husband. At the time, she knew very little about agriculture, but she quickly realized that the principles of lean could also be applied at her own farm….and on many others.

New Zealand’s dairy pollution problem: how an urgent issue is driving innovation

New Zealand’s dairy pollution problem: how an urgent issue is driving innovation

New Zealand is on a mission to clean up its waterways and restore its ‘clean and green’ image, after the problems of nitrate runoff from dairies made international headlines. It’s now requiring all farmers with over 20ha to report on their pollution levels and sustainability measures. In this episode, dairy farmer Mat Hocken and sustainability veteran Brdgit Hawkins discuss what these regulations mean for innovation and whether they will act as a driver for agtech adoption.

The promises and pitfalls of making livestock sustainable

The promises and pitfalls of making livestock sustainable

Livestock, and especially cows, get a bad rap when it comes to climate change. But is this fair? There’s no doubt that cows emit methane; however, scientific advancements are increasing our understanding of how methane contributes to global warming, and emerging companies are developing solutions to reduce enteric emissions through advancements such as feed additives and methods to accelerate genetic progress. This episode features Professor Frank Mitloehner, air quality specialist at UC Davis, and Kerryann Kocher, CEO of Vytelle.


Can big brands like McDonald’s be global leaders in sustainability?

Can big brands like McDonald’s be global leaders in sustainability?

Is it possible for large food corporations like McDonald’s to “scale for good?” Nicole Johnson-Hoffman is in charge of supplying beef to McDonalds through the OSI Group, and doing so sustainably.

She believes it’s only the big companies that have the power to change entire supply chains. This view comes from years as an industry insider, having even defended the beef industry during the infamous feud between Oprah and the American Cattleman’s Association in the 1990s.

Ep 68: David Carter on becoming the world's only carbon neutral fishing company

Ep 68: David Carter on becoming the world's only carbon neutral fishing company

David Carter is the CEO of Austral Fisheries, one of Australia’s largest integrated commercial fishing companies. Austral Fisheries has a reputation as a market leader: they are the only commercial fishing company in the world to be certified as Carbon Neutral, and have been offsetting their emissions to zero since 2016.

In this episode we talk about:

  • David's path from deckhand to CEO

  • Austral's journey from commodity to branded, premium product

  • The bold goals that Austral have set on issues like bycatch and carbon emissions

  • How technology is helping Austral respond to consumer demands and address social license issues

  • The 'unlikely alliances' powering Austral Fisheries’ market leading position

Episode 48: Peter Thompson (Responding to climate risk)

Episode 48: Peter Thompson (Responding to climate risk)

Today’s episode is the 4th in the theme Responding to Climate Risk, brought to you in partnership with the Australian Farm Institute. Check out episodes 42, 44 and 46 to hear more on this theme. 

Today’s guest is Peter Thompson, a farmer based in rural Queensland, Australia that has been farming regeneratively before the word existed. He and his wife Nicki run grassfed beef cattle, do broadacre cropping, and have about 6000 acres of wilderness conservation country.