February 6, 2023

Photo credit: Rebellyous Foods

By Lynda Kiernan-Stone, Global AgInvesting Media

Founded in Seattle in 2017 by former aerospace engineer Christie Lagally, Rebellyous Foods has developed patented technology that achieves at-cost parity between plant-based and animal-based chicken.

In support of this barrier-breaking work, the startup announced it has successfully raised $9.5 million in equity funding from Clear Current Capital, Fifty Years, Liquid 2 Ventures, CPT Capital, Agronomics, and KBW Ventures to build out its custom production platform called the “Mach 2”. 

“During a tough economic slump, we are thrilled by this testament to investors’ belief in Rebellyous and in price parity as a solution to sustained growth of plant-based meat in the marketplace,” said Christie Lagally, founder and CEO, Rebellyous Foods. “The world is in desperate need of viable solutions to animal agriculture, and we are delighted we are one step closer to delicious, affordable plant-based meat for all.” 

Plant-based chicken is the second fastest-growing category of all plant-based meats, and is positioned to continue achieving significant segment growth, according to the company, which stated that its products are currently available in more than 1,000 U.S. retail locations and 100 school districts. 

“Rebellyous is the only company making meaningful strides towards price parity,” Mike Miller said, board member and partner at Liquid 2 Capital. “The plant-based meat industry has shown us that the status quo isn’t cutting it… and it takes a new style of thinking to look beyond food chemistry to manufacturing.”

Chicken nuggets are extremely popular. According to data compiled by Statista, 73.36 million Americans ate chicken nuggets in 2020. And this is exactly the market that Rebellyous Foods is looking to disrupt, according to Lagally, who told Food Dive that the company is targeting tenders, nuggets, popcorn chicken, and patties – which account for more than 50 percent of chicken products sold. 

And to do this, Rebellyous is starting by rethinking how food is produced. Most plant-based meat products are made using equipment made for processing animal meat. But Rebellyous Foods outlines how its next-generation, continuous production system gives the it the ability to:

~ Reduce production workforce costs by up to 90 percent through automation. 

~ Reduce energy costs by 80 percent through eliminating the need for a chilled environment.

~ Reduce sanitation staff to one quarter. 

~ Reduce material waste by 99 percent through continuous production. 

~ Reduce the footprint of the production floor to one-third that of current production methods. 

~ And eliminate 95 percent of re-work for work-in-progress with quality-at-scale breakthroughs. 

“We’re building a world where food production is not a dirty business,” noted Rebellyous Foods. “Our new manufacturing system is cleaner, more efficient, and better for the people who operate it!”

~ Lynda Kiernan-Stone is editor in chief with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, as well as HighQuest Group’s Unconventional Ag. She can be reached at lkiernan-stone@globalaginvesting.com.

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