NotCo

NotCo is a Chilean startup producing plant-based alternatives for milk, mayonnaise, ice cream, and burgers. The company has a unique method relative to its competitors, using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop products that match the taste, texture, and mouthfeel of animal products. NotCo’s AI, named Giuseppe, is trained by chefs attempting to recreate plant-based substitutes for food by mixing ingredients and describing the properties of taste, texture, and mouthfeel. These comments are collected as data and then used to train the algorithms. The AI, using this data, along with access to the underlying chemical components, then attempts to predict the recipe that most closely resembles the properties of the actual animal-based product. NotCo was granted its fifth US patent in March 2021 for its “Giuseppe” AI technology.

NotCo’s Not Milk uses a blend of pea protein, chicory root fiber, pineapple juice, coconut oil, sunflower oil, and cabbage juice. In August 2022, the company launched a plant-based milk cream made with chickpeas, “NotCreme”, during an episode of Masterchef Brazil. The company exited the refrigerated milk segment in the US in August 2023 to focus on creating a presence in the shelf-stable segment. The company then launched NotMilk Barista –a shelf-stable oat-based milk designed for foodservice using NotCo's AI technology and input from professional baristas–into US foodservice.

Key customers and partnerships

In February 2022, NotCo teamed up with Kraft-Heinz to form a joint venture (JV) to leverage the strengths of both companies and develop a line of plant-based food. The JV, called The Kraft Heinz Not Company LLC, will operate under the control of Kraft-Heinz and will be headquartered in Chicago, with R&D facilities in San Francisco. In October 2022, the JV debuted its first product, NotCheese American Style plant-based slices. This was followed by the launch of NotMayo in March 2023, and Kraft NotMac&Cheese in November 2023.