McCain Foods

A new wave of meat, fish, and poultry alternatives are driving this hyper-growth industry into the mainstream.

Plant-based Meat

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 SIMULATE is a plant-based meat startup founded in 2018, originally called NUGGS, after their flagship product&mdash;a plant-based chicken nugget. The startup was founded by Ben Pasternak and targets mainly millennials and generation Z via smart branding and a D2C subscription model.&nbsp;
 
 
 The startup uses pea protein to produce its faux-meat products which includes plant-based chicken breast, tenders, and nuggets. The company uses technology to collect user feedback and continuously updates the product, engaging the community via &quot;release notes&quot;, which it publishes with every new version. In 
 <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/12759">
 September 2022
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 the company entered the food service sectors with the launch of two new products.
 
 
 Funding and financials
 
 
 In its latest funding round in June 2021, the startup secured USD 50 million in a Series B funding round led by Alexis Ohanian&rsquo;s Seven Seven Six. The proceeds were earmarked for developing new products, increasing headcount three-fold to 50 by 2022, and expanding into international markets and food service locations. 
 
 
 
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Bringing fresh produce closer to consumers with efficient, advanced technology.

Vertical Farming

GoodLeaf Farms, a Canadian hydroponic vertical farm operator, operates a 45,000 sq. ft. vertical farm (Guelph farm) in Ontario, Canada. The company grows and sells microgreens and baby greens to nearby restaurants, fresh produce retailers, and distribution partners. The company also has an R&amp;D facility in Nova Scotia.In September 2023, GoodLeaf Farms completed the construction of its 96,000 sq ft vertical farm facility in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/21871">Calgary</a> upon receiving a grant worth CAD 2.73 million (USD 2.13 million) from Alberta Government’s Investment and Growth Fund in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/7986">November 2021</a>. The company planted its first test crops for the retail and foodservice markets in Western Canada. The farm, slated to begin full production by fall 2023, will produce more than two million lbs of leafy greens annually, with an expected 40 annual harvests of microgreens and 20 annual harvests of baby greens.Key customers and partnershipsTo develop an AI-based platform to supplement its vertical farms, GoodLeaf partnered with multinational AI and technology firm Adastra in <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/9757">April 2022</a>. The platform would optimize growing conditions for crops across the company’s farms in Ontario. The company also received USD 1 million in financial support for the project from Scale AI. In <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/16715">February 2023</a>, the company partnered with Unfold, a California-based seed and digital solutions provider for the vertical farming industry, to commercialize premium lines of vertically farmed spinach and other leafy greens through Unfold's Innovation Partner Program.Funding and financialsIn <a href="https://sp-edge.com/updates/15179">December 2022</a>, Goodleaf Farms raised CAD 150 million (~USD 110 million) in funding led by McCain Foods to expand across Canada, opening new farms in Calgary and the Montreal region.

Sustainably solving the food shortages of the future

Smart Farming

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 Canadian-based Resson provides predictive analysis on farms using aerial images via satellites and drones to provide a complete solution to farmers by using machine learning, AI, and big data. The company aims to venture beyond gathering data from drones and satellites, to scouting every part of the field for anomalies, pests, and diseases. The Resson Agricultural Management and Analytics System (RAMAS) allows cameras to be fitted on drones or tractors, and provides a dashboard view for farmers delivering insights that will improve crop input and yields,  allowing farmers to make better agronomic decisions.
 
 
 In 2018, Mahindra & Mahindra partnered with Resson. The former invested USD 14 million in the company’s Series C funding round. The company expects its strategic partnerships with companies like Mahindra & Mahinda and McCain Foods (international frozen food leader) to allow it to expand the reach of its services.
 
 
 
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Strong Roots is about knowing where you're from so you can grow to where you want to be! Tasty and honest Frozen Vegetable recipes.

Goodleaf Farms focuses on ethically growing simple produce through environmentally conscious agricultural practices.

SIMULATE is an early-stage biotechnology company whose mission is to accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable nutrition. SIMULATE’s first product, NUGGS, is a chicken nugget simulation made from plant inputs. Since NUGGS launched in the Summer of 2019, NUGGS has evolved into the fastest-growing chicken nugget on the planet. SIMULATE is currently developing other products, some that will launch later in the year.

Fiddlehead Technology is taking the art and science of predictive forecasting to a new level. Founded by two highly respected veterans of Canada’s Information Technology sector, David Baxter and Shawn Carver, Fiddlehead works with prescriptive analytics to find elegant solutions to some of the food and beverage manufacturing industry’s most complex problems. The result is more accurate demand forecasts, allowing companies to lower inventory, achieve higher levels of service, and improve their margins in an increasingly complex global market.

Resson Aerospace is a bioinformatics and data analytics company, delivering customized agriculture solutions for large corporate clients. Utilizing recent advances in large-scale cloud-based data processing, swarm robotics, and advanced data analytics, its proprietary Resson Agricultural Management and Analytics System gives the agricultural operator analytical insight and dynamic control over the farm area. Resson Aerospace’s Resson Agricultural Management and Analytics System, data-driven agriculture solution, analyzes crop metrics to assess crop status and health, providing operators with the information required to optimize agricultural operations, improve efficiency, boost yields, and maximize profitability. It is headquartered in Fredericton, N.B.

McCain Foods is a family-owned business and manufacturer of frozen potato products and a global leader in prepared appetizers and snacks.

McCain Foods Makes Largest Global Investment in Company History

A soilless growing method that combines aquaculture with hydroponics. A crop's roots are placed directly in containers of nutrient-enriched water connected to fish farming tanks, allowing crops to absorb a continuous supply of nutrients from the waste produced by the fish.

A soilless growing method that places crops' roots directly in containers filled with nutrient-enriched water.

A soilless growing method that suspends crops in the air with a sprinkler or misting system used to spray the exposed roots with a nutrient-rich solution.

Startups that produce and sell modular growing systems that can be placed within containers (e.g. small containers, shipping containers) and buildings or rooms. The containers can be located in a variety of places, such as retail stores, parking lots, and kitchens.

Strong Roots

Goodleaf Farms

Power Sustainable

SIMULATE

Seven Seven Six

Lerer Hippeau

AgFunder

Imaginary Ventures

Day One Ventures

NOMO Ventures

Giant Ventures

West Quad Ventures

Producers of plant-based chicken, turkey, and duck alternatives using plant proteins such as peas, soy, wheat, etc. Products are manufactured mostly in nuggets or shredded form.

McCain Foods

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