Author Archive: Rebecca Gendron

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Celebrate National Drinking Straw Day with a free bioplastic alternative

Celebrate National Drinking Straw Day with a free bioplastic alternative

December 28, 2020 |

In Georgia, single-use dinnerware maker WinCup says it will give away biodegradable drinking straws on January 3, otherwise known as National Drinking Straw Day.  Dubbed phade, WinCup’s straws are made from Danimer Scientific’s Nodax polyhydroxyalkanoate. As long as supplies last, WinCup will send free straws to people who like them on Instagram or friend them […]

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Celebrated chef forms cultured meat joint venture

Celebrated chef forms cultured meat joint venture

December 28, 2020 |

In Japan, Michelin Star chef Shimamura Masaharu has launched a cultured meat startup.   The award-winning creator and owner of Osaka’s Unkaku restaurant has launched DiverseFarm as a joint venture with TissueByNet, a company developing cultured cellular tissue technology for producing lab-grown organs. DiverseFarms hopes that TussueByNet’s process, which uses spheroids and Net Molds to […]

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Plant-based meat makers willing to give cultivated fat a try

Plant-based meat makers willing to give cultivated fat a try

December 28, 2020 |

In Belgium, a cultivated fat startup has conducted a survey showing more than half of plant-based meat producers would “likely or very likely” add cultivated fat to their products to improve taste and texture while preserving their “clean label” branding.  Peace of Meat managing director David Brandes tells FoodIngredientsFirst the results confirm the company is […]

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A greener green tea: Two friends develop teabags made of leaves

A greener green tea: Two friends develop teabags made of leaves

December 28, 2020 |

In Assam, India, two entrepreneurs and childhood friends have created natural teabags made from leaves to replace traditional options made from plastic.  Upamanyu Borkakoty and Anshuman Bharali founded Wooláh to help commercialize their innovation, which they dubbed Truedips. The bags are comprised of two compressed leaves shaped cylindrically and bound with cotton.  “While Truedip’s look […]

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Growing luxury line adds vegan leather made from peas and mushrooms

Growing luxury line adds vegan leather made from peas and mushrooms

December 28, 2020 |

In India, entrepreneur Ambud Sharma is incorporating vegan leather into luxury men’s shoes as his brand begins to expand beyond the Indian market.  The former software engineer launched the Escaro Royale line in 2017, and during the pandemic, began exploring vegan leather made from peas and mushrooms.   “We procure raw material from environment-responsible factories and […]

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Indian startup develops leather using coconut water, hemp, and waste banana

Indian startup develops leather using coconut water, hemp, and waste banana

December 28, 2020 |

In Kerala, India, a two-year-old startup is making a leather-like material from coconut water and waste fibers. Dubbed Malai, which is Hindi for “cream” as well as the milky part of the coconut, the material is textured, water-resistant, and biodegradable.  The company was founded by Zuzana Gombosova, a Slovakian fashion designer, and CS Susmith, a […]

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Bengalaru company finds international success with coconut waste straws

Bengalaru company finds international success with coconut waste straws

December 28, 2020 |

In Bengalaru, India, a startup is producing biodegradable straws from coconut leaves.  Dubbed Evlogical Eco Care Private, the company takes fallen coconut leaves from local farms, gives them an “intense” cleaning, then sells them under the brand name Kocos Leafy Straws.  Manigandan Kumarappan tells The Logical Indian the eco-friendly straws do not get soggy for […]

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Meat milestone: Lab-grown chicken sees first commercial sale

Meat milestone: Lab-grown chicken sees first commercial sale

December 21, 2020 |

In Singapore, cultured meat leader Eat Just has claimed the world’s first commercial sale of a cultured meat product. The news comes just weeks after the company secured regulatory approval for its cultured chicken in Singapore, another world first.  The chicken became available on the menu of restaurant 1880 on Saturday, December 19. Based in […]

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Cell-based milk maker raises $6.2 million

Cell-based milk maker raises $6.2 million

December 21, 2020 |

In Vancouver, cell-based milk firm TurtleTree Labs Pte. Ltd. has raised $6.2 million in an oversubscribed $6.2 million Pre-A round.  TurtleTree, a portfolio company of alternative food investment issuer Eat Beyond Global Holdings,  plans to use the funds to grow its team and accelerate research and production of the highly functional, valuable bioactive proteins and […]

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Fly on the wall: Insects may be building material on Mars

Fly on the wall: Insects may be building material on Mars

December 21, 2020 |

In Singapore, a team of researchers are evaluating how chitin—a material found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans and bugs—can help solve the material sourcing challenges associated with Mars colonization.  Conventional building materials, such as concrete and steel, are astronomically expensive to send into space. To address the infrastructure needs of a such an expedition,, Javier […]

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