Higher Nature: Protein With out Compromise

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Plant-based consuming is all the craze proper now – and never simply throughout Veganuary! The variety of folks adopting a vegan weight loss program skyrocketed by an astounding 40% in 2020, as well being and sustainability turned high priorities for a lot of.

Higher Nature was created to deliver to market scrumptious and nutritious meat alternate options. With a 14-fold improve in gross sales throughout the final 12 months*, Higher Nature is stocked in 200 places throughout the UK and just lately launched with Conscious Chef to deliver plant-based improvements to much more households throughout the nation.

We sat down with Higher Nature’s 4 co-founders, Christopher Kong, Amadeus Driando Ahnan-Winarno, Elin Roberts and Fabio Rinaldo to seek out out what’s in retailer for the model.

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What’s Higher Nature all about?

At Higher Nature, we make protein with out compromise – all-natural protein merchandise which are simply as nutritious as they’re scrumptious. We do that utilizing tempeh – a plant-based protein originating in Indonesia, sometimes made by fermenting soybeans! Tempeh is excessive in protein and fibre, filled with micronutrients and is superior for the intestine. It’s additionally extremely versatile, that means we will use it to create a complete vary of thrilling plant-based, protein-packed merchandise. 

What have been you doing earlier than this that bought you enthusiastic about disrupting the plant-based market? 

Earlier than founding Higher Nature, all 4 of us have been working in fairly completely different fields. Driando was working laborious on his PhD on tempeh fermentation on the College of Massachusetts, Amherst, Chris was interning at McKinsey in addition to working with some startups to assist them elevate funding, Fabio was working as a product developer on the meat-free firm 3FBio, and Elin was working as a advertising and marketing strategist in advert company Golley Slater. 

We got here collectively by an uncompromising love for folks, the planet and animals – and tempeh, after all! Although we have been all comparatively younger and inexperienced in our fields, we knew that we have been onto one thing actually thrilling with tempeh and have been assured we had the ability units to deliver this imaginative and prescient to life as we hoped to. It’s been a little bit of a whirlwind since then, however we’re so glad we took the plunge and dedicated ourselves to creating protein with out compromise!

Meat-free is a sizzling subject proper now – what does Higher Nature provide that different rivals available in the market don’t? 

Whereas there are such a lot of unbelievable meat-free merchandise on the market proper now, there’s a very heavy concentrate on replicas. There may be actually an enormous (and rising!) demand for these, however as flexitarians make up about 35% of the UK inhabitants and they’re 18% extra prone to need a plant-based protein that doesn’t replicate meat moderately than one which does, we really feel there’s a actual hole available in the market for pure meat alternate options which are simply as nutritious as they’re scrumptious. That is the place we are available in! Reasonably than making an attempt to completely replicate meat, we’ve as an alternative centered on creating meat alternate options which are tender, juicy and extremely moreish, whereas additionally being filled with vitamins like protein, fibre, calcium and iron. Fortunately for us, tempeh has given us the proper option to just do that!

How did you go about growing the know-how for meat alternate options that doesn’t embody something synthetic?

We will’t take an excessive amount of of the credit score – tempeh does a variety of the laborious work for us! The 300-year-old technique of tempeh fermentation that we innovate upon has been the important thing to Indonesians consuming tempeh as a pure meat various for hundreds of years. It’s due to this fermentation course of that we will naturally produce merchandise with a meaty style and texture, utilizing no matter bean, seed, grain, or legume we ferment! That is how we create naturally scrumptious, tender and satisfying merchandise with out the necessity for any synthetic components. 

So as to create the tastiest, most high-quality merchandise potential, our superb R&D group is engaged on cutting-edge tempeh analysis to optimise our tempeh fermentation and enhance the dietary and sensorial properties of our merchandise. Our unbelievable Product Growth group then takes it from there, testing out a lot of thrilling new flavours and codecs for this optimised tempeh, to essentially deliver its full potential to life. 

What have been a number of the most vital development milestones for the corporate thus far? 

There have been so many thrilling milestones, however we now have to say that submitting our four patents have been actual highlights. They show that what we’re doing is completely distinctive and novel, increasing the meals trade’s potential to create all-natural, hyper-delicious and versatile plant-based merchandise which are as interesting and accessible to a variety of individuals as potential. For us, that’s what it’s all about!

What merchandise do you presently provide and which of them are you engaged on within the pipeline for the long run? 

We’re kicking issues off with our all-natural meat alternate options vary. We have already got our tasty natural Tempeh, Tempeh Rashers and Tempeh Mince in the marketplace and in Might are increasing to some scrumptious BBQ Ribz, Candy & Smoky Rashers, Roast Bites and Kebab Strips. Down the road, we’ll be releasing our Higher Burger, made utilizing our Higher Matrix – a juicy, meat-like matrix, made utilizing tempeh (after all!). After that, we’ll be releasing our tempeh-based protein powder Betterein, which will even type the idea of plant-based dairy merchandise, confectionery and snacks. There’s little or no tempeh can’t do, so we now have a lot of thrilling product concepts lined up. Watch this house!

How would you describe your organization tradition and has this modified in any respect as the corporate has grown? 

Since beginning Higher Nature, we’ve all the time caught by six core model values: Human, Courageous, Optimistic, Enjoyable, Curious and Higher-Sure (sure, we made this one up – it means being dedicated to residing life with out compromise!). For us, these six phrases completely encapsulate the sort of firm and model we wish to be, and we do no matter we will to foster this in our group and naturally the work all of us do. This contains relaxed weekly catch-ups with completely different group members, an incessant sharing of GIFs on Slack, free psychological healthcare by Spill, an bold Belonging (Range & Inclusion) Framework, an surroundings that encourages and celebrates new, progressive concepts and a lot extra. Whereas the corporate tradition naturally has developed as we’ve grown, with new group members becoming a member of particularly, we all the time stick to those core values and don’t plan for that to ever change!

What’s one piece of buyer suggestions that meant probably the most to you?

That our merchandise have helped somebody eat extra plant-based meals of their weight loss program. We all know that consuming extra plant-based meals can typically be a problem, whether or not by an allergy, struggling to really feel full, not with the ability to discover the tasty, all-natural merchandise you’re searching for. These are all issues we’ve actually tried to bear in mind as we develop our merchandise, and proceed to take action as our new vary comes out in Might. Whereas after all we will’t be every thing to everybody, listening to that individuals are actually capable of eat a extra plant-heavy weight loss program with the assistance of our merchandise is all of the encouragement and motivation we want, and drives us to maintain making protein with out compromise!

What are you wanting ahead to most about this crowdfund?

We’re simply so excited to have our buddies, household and fantastic, loyal neighborhood of consumers and followers grow to be an excellent larger a part of our journey and (hopefully!) reap the rewards as we proceed rising. It’s such a singular alternative to incorporate extra folks in our enterprise and we simply couldn’t be happier with the overwhelmingly supportive response we’ve had thus far!

What’s your favorite meat-free product on provide proper now?

That’s a very good query! Past our personal scrumptious tempeh merchandise which we eat about 99% of the time (no joke), all of us have completely different favourites: 

Elin: I’m actually loving Robust Roots’ Kale & Quinoa burgers in the intervening time – they’re so tasty and satisfying! 

Chris: I really like a very good spag bol – whereas I often have it with our Tempeh Mince, typically I combine it up with a Meatless Farm mince which is absolutely scrumptious!

Driando: I really like Inexperienced Butcher’s meatless maranggi satay in Indonesia! 

Fabio: I actually just like the HECK Final Vegan Burger – I really like the truth that they’re made up of pure components like beetroot and mushroom. They’re actually tasty as nicely!

What’s one piece of recommendation you’d give to somebody new to plant-based consuming? 

One other nice query! 

Elin: I’d say simply take it gradual and concentrate on discovering meals that you just actually take pleasure in which are plant-based, moderately than pondering an excessive amount of about what you want to lower out. By doing it that method I used to be capable of correctly take pleasure in exploring new meals and see how nice I felt consuming extra plant-based, which simply spurred me on to maintain going!

Chris: Adopting a plant-based weight loss program is a marathon not a dash, however in contrast to most marathons there’s no end line, no pacer and no must even end for those who don’t wish to! As such, simply take it one step at a time and don’t go into it too headstrong. For instance, after watching Cowspiracy, I began off by lowering my consumption of crimson meat and, when I discovered that I truly felt nice in consequence, eliminated it from my weight loss program. As soon as the snowball began rolling, there was no going again.

Driando: Discover your personal tempo that’s pure and sustainable! Take one step at a time, forgive your self throughout low occasions, perceive the science, hearken to how your tastebuds and physique react, respect your emotional must ‘say goodbye’ to your childhood meals (after some time, you’d be shocked by how in another way you understand these meals in comparison with what you had in your reminiscence), hang around with fellow plant-based eaters and hang around with animals — and most significantly, benefit from the nice feeling of doing one thing good in your physique, the planet, and animals!

Fabio: Probably the most thrilling components of a plant-based weight loss program is all the brand new meals there are to expertise. So reap the benefits of a brand new motive to develop your culinary horizons. Make some Indian meals, or go to a Thai or Mexican restaurant and take a look at new dishes to get you impressed. Permitting your self to expertise all these new flavors and textures will take your consideration off of what’s lacking out of your plate, and shift it to what’s new and attention-grabbing!

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To search out out extra about Higher Nature, and for the prospect to take a position, go to the pitch now.

*Based mostly on unaudited administration accounts.