Letter 4 8 CONTENTS FEBRUARY 2025 TRENDING The rise of hybrids. And the history of food villains. THE ALT-MEAT OF THE MATTER Columnist Karsten Schellhas on what early alt-meat makers overlooked. How alt-meat companies are reducing production costs and generating new revenue. Hiring for aptitude and attitude is among the best steps an alt-meat startup can take. Innovative approaches to building a happy workforce. Scientists are using thoughtful processes and unique methods to lower cultivation costs. Alt-meat companies have just a short time to grab shoppers’ attention; here’s how to maximize it. PIZZA Testers were split on the salty-spiciness of the plant-based pepperoni. Serious stuff have the words to fully explain the joyously terrible dichotomy inherent in being a parent at this stage. Sometimes, it’s all fun and games — making faces in the mirror, watching him eat his feet and singing silly songs. But other times, it’s weigh-ing the risks and benefits of healthcare decisions, com-forting him while he screams for no discernible reason or dragging myself out of bed at 4 am to make a bottle. Covering the alterna-tive meat industry has the same vibes: Sometimes, I’m geeking out over a cool, but complex, science concept (see IntegriCulture’s biore-actors on page 29) or taste testing a new plant-based CPG product (page 37). But other times, I’m considering what it takes to build a non-toxic corporate culture as a startup (page 14) or how nutrition history shapes the current consumer market (page 4). Pictured above is Baby Travis, ponder-ing these serious mysteries of the universe with me. All that to say, this issue is loaded with interesting stories, great advice and fresh insights on the plant-based meat market (see page 30 and page 8) as well as cellular agriculture (see page 10 and page 26) for 2025 and beyond. As this new year rolls into full gear, it brings myriad uncertainties along with it: Will Vow be approved to commercialize in Australia? Will plant-based alt-meat companies find a new source of funding capital? Will the novel foods regulatory pro-cess completely stall in the United States? I don’t know the answers, but I know Alt-Meat will be here to help make sense of it all. 10 WASTE NOT, WANT NOT 14 MERGING MISSION WITH MECHANICS 20 HUMAN RESOURCES A s you’re reading this, my son is about eight months old, and I don’t 26 MAKING MEAT ON A BUDGET 30 GONE IN 17 SECONDS Melissa Sue Sorrells, managing editor 37 TASTE TEST: DAIYA DAIRY-FREE MEATLESS PEPPERONI Awarded three Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Awards for Best Scientific Content and Best Podcast by the Software & Information Industry Assn. EDITOR IN CHIEF: Lisa M. Keefe lkeefe@alt-meat.net 312/274-2212 VICE PRESIDENT, GROUP PUBLISHER: Bill Kinross bkinross@alt-meat.net 312/274-2214 MANAGING EDITOR: Melissa Sue Sorrells msorrells@alt-meat.net 312/266-1950 SALES: Jeff Sutley, sr. account exec jsutley@alt-meat.net 312/274-2210 John McMillan, sr. account exec jmcmillan@alt-meat.net 308/272-1288 Karen Moriarty, sr. account exec kmoriarty@alt-meat.net 630/579-9850 ART DIRECTORS: Steve Vanden Heuvel svandenheuvel@mtgmediagroup.com 312/274-2218 Bert Ganzon bganzon@mtgmediagroup.com 312/274-2227 VICE PRESIDENT, MARKETING: Laurie Hachmeister lhachmeister@mtgmediagroup.com 312/274-2203 PRODUCTION: Karen Ruesch kruesch@mtgmediagroup.com 312/274-2204 2 Alt-Meat February 2025 Copyright © 2025 by Marketing & Technology Group Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission is prohibited For further information go to www.alt-meat.net
Alt-Meat February 2025: Page 2
