The big news this week: Drama in the alt egg arena as Onego Bio took aim at The Every Co in an explosive lawsuit, plus a $50m raise for organic fertilizer co. Nitricity, which says its new plant in Delhi, CA, is already sold out until 2028. We also saw the official release of the MAHA report, prompting relief in some quarters and frustration in others with its emphasis on research over regulation. Elsewhere, Jenn Marston learned about a new partnership exploring nutrient density in...
13 days ago • 5 min read
Another vote of confidence for farm ‘bots this week, with Orchard Robotics raising $22m hot on the heels of recent rounds for 4AG Robotics, TRIC Robotics, and Saga Robotics. Meanwhile, Atarraya is expanding high-tech shrimp production in New Jersey as tariffs on exporters in India, Indonesia, Ecuador, and Vietnam spark fresh interest in domestic alternatives. Elsewhere, Sea Forest signed a deal with Orffa to distribute methane-busting feed supplements; NoPalm Ingredients unveiled plans for a...
20 days ago • 3 min read
Five years ago, Horizon Organic committed to becoming 'carbon positive' by 2025. It has since quietly sunset that goal and shared its new strategy with Catherine Boudreau. Meanwhile, Perennial secured a green light from Verra for its digital soil mapping tool, Artio gave us the lowdown on carbon insurance, and Arva CEO Jay McEntire explained how to quantify the impact of regen ag. Elsewhere, John Deere acquired GUSS Automation, FAIRR issued a stark warning on water insecurity, CPG...
27 days ago • 5 min read
It’s been another action-packed week in agrifoodtech with a merger between indoor ag heavyweights 80 Acres Farm and Soli Organic and sizable funding rounds from mycoprotein co The Better Meat Co and AI-powered CPG manufacturing platform Keychain. On the policy front, Jenn Marston caught up with The Rockefeller Foundation on food is medicine programs, leaked versions of the MAHA report frustrated food policy experts, new details emerged on the US/EU trade deal, and US soybean farmers warned...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
This week, BinSentry raised a cool $50 million for its feed management tech, Hyphen bagged $25 million for its automated makelines, Saga Robotics netted $11.2 million to expand its fleet of ‘bots blasting powdery mildew with UV-C light, and Seadling launched a second facility for producing seaweed-based functional ingredients. Elsewhere, is RuBisCO, the most abundant protein on the planet, finally ready for prime time? We grilled Leaft and Plantible: two key players attempting to turn the...
about 1 month ago • 5 min read
This week, another truly grim quarter at Beyond Meat, which is facing a ticking time bomb in the form of $1.2bn in debt thanks to an offering of convertible notes set to mature in 2027. Crop science giant Bayer, meanwhile, said on its earnings call it plans to have Roundup litigation "contained" in 2026. Elsewhere, we caught up with Dr. David Buckeridge and Steven Finn to discuss the investment landscape ("maybe as bad as it's ever been") and Fresh Del Monte SVP Jorge Pelaez Reyes to address...
about 2 months ago • 5 min read
It's been another big week for ag robotics, with fresh funds for autonomous mushroom harvester 4AG Robotics and TRIC Robotics, which has a fleet of 'bots armed with UV-C light and bug vacuums roaming California's strawberry fields. On a more depressing note, UK-based vertical farmer Vertical Future was put up for sale on an insolvency marketplace, while Belgian startup FlyBlast, which engineers black soldier flies to produce high-value proteins, filed for bankruptcy. Meanwhile, with new data...
about 2 months ago • 4 min read
The big news this week? Two high-profile alt protein startups have called it quits, with Planetarians blaming a "mismatch between the capital intensity required to scale breakthrough manufacturing innovation and the current investor appetite for foodtech" and NovoNutrients blaming the "shifting investment climate.” Both hope their tech finds a new home, however. Planetarians founder Aleh Manchuliantsau insists that "We’re specifically seeking acquirers who will actively utilize and develop...
2 months ago • 6 min read
Everyone has a pet theory about what's gone wrong for alt meat. It's too processed, too expensive, too different from meat... or not different enough. But we may be missing the elephant in the room, claims ex-TiNDLE exec Andre Menezes. “The fundamental issue is that there is no real underlying consumer demand to shift away from meat. If the price is right and consumers like the product, they don’t care if they are destroying the Earth.” So what does this mean for TiNDLE and the broader alt...
2 months ago • 5 min read