July 23, 2020

By Lynda Kiernan, Global AgInvesting Media

New York-based Cooks Venture, a next generation food company rooted in regenerative agriculture and transparency, announced it has closed on a $10 million Series A led by  SJF Ventures and Cultivian Sandbox, and including Larry Schwartz and John Roulac, executive producer of Kiss the Ground, an upcoming documentary on regenerative agriculture. 

This funding follows six months after the company announced it had raised $4 million in capital from Golden West Food Group as part of a long-term strategic partnership agreement, and less than a year after it closed on a $12 million investment from Amerra Capital. 

One of the founding principles driving this startup is the knowledge that sequestering just 1 percent more carbon on agricultural land can reverse climate change. Through its business, the company aims to improve the agricultural supply chain through the integration of crop science, genetic IP, and regenerative production methods at all stages, for a superior, transparent food system.

Upon its launch in early 2019 by Matthew Wakiak, founder and former COO of Blue Apron, the startup also announced its acquisition of an 800-acre farm in Arkansas and two processing facilities in Oklahoma. 

With these assets in hand, Cooks Venture breeds and raises proprietary slow-growth heirloom chickens using methods that account for the health of both the animals and the environment. After 10 years in development, Cooks Venture re-imagined how selective breeding is conducted integrating more natural criteria and heritage lines.

As the only vertically integrated chicken producer in the U.S. that breeds through selection and not genetic engineering, the company poses a stark contrast to the factory farming operations that dominate the U.S. broiler industry.

Through its dedication and work, Cooks Venture has resulted in a system that provides significantly improved animal welfare, strong natural pathogenic resistance for food systems, healthier bottom lines for farmers and employees, vigorous demand for regenerative agriculture crops, and noticeably better tasting chickens for consumers. 

“As the structural flaws in the meat industry have recently become painfully clear, we know our vision could not come at a more important time,” said Wadiak, founder and CEO of Cooks Venture and former COO and founder of Blue Apron.

“We are working hard to drive the agricultural industry toward greater biodiversity, breed diversity, and true transparency for consumers. Our innovations provide food security while supporting regional communities.”

After its launch, Cooks Venture rapidly forged relationships in support of the scaling and commercialization of its business model and products. The company partnered with FreshDirect to make its slow-growth, heirloom chickens available across the U.S. Northeast, and two months later, partnered with fourth generation meat distributor Gold Gate Meat Company, which expanded its reach to customers, restaurants, and food retailers across Northern California.

Today, Cooks Ventures has announced another partnership with Food in Depth (Food ID) – a platform that tests for antibiotics and other adulterants through a near real-time proprietary and scalable process – providing customers with a fully verified claim of “no-antibiotics”.

“We know that label fraud is a serious problem in the poultry and larger food industry,” said Wadiak. “Over 70 percent of the total use of antibiotics globally are used in animal agriculture and lead directly to antibiotic resistance in people.”

Wadiak continued,“False ABF (Antibiotic Free) and NAE (No Antibiotic Ever) claims are a critical problem and the USDA’s criteria for understanding these issues make it impossible to accurately test the majority of foods consumed by Americans.”

“Cooks Venture is forging a whole new way to raise chicken, “said Bill Niman, co-founder of Food ID, and founder of Niman Ranch and BN Ranch. “By using superior breeds and raising them on pasture, they are making tastier, more nourishing meat. By partnering with FoodID, they are creating full transparency in their process. They are the first company in the United States with a fully verified claim that their meat is truly antibiotic free.”

Through the partnerships that Cooks Venture has established over the course of its existence, it is the first company in America to test for synthetic inputs, and now with its tie-in with Food ID, is the only company that can independently verify the absence of antibiotic and the use of non-GMO feed for its birds.

“We have read about misleading claims in agriculture for years, along with concerns over antibiotic resistance. In partnering with FoodID, we have independent, scientifically verified data to prove that we are true to our claims – we never use antibiotics and our chickens are 100 percent non-GMO,” said Wadiak.

“We took the initiative to validate our work so our customers can be confident in our claims and rest assured that they are eating nutritious and high-quality meat from a verified source,” added Wadiak. “Mislabeling is bad for consumers, worse for the planet and damaging to farmers like us who work hard to raise good meat.”

– Lynda Kiernan is editor with GAI Media, and is managing editor and daily contributor for Global AgInvesting’s AgInvesting Weekly News and  Agtech Intel News, and HighQuest Group’s Oilseed & Grain News. She is also a contributor to the GAI Gazette. She can be reached at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.com.