March 12, 2020

By Lynda Kiernan

A $200 million founders’ funding round backed by founders, entrepreneurs, and global industry leaders has been announced to launch LIVEKINDLY, a new plant-based food platform dedicated to transforming the global food system through shifts toward plant-based eating. 

With this capital, and a goal to become one of the largest plant-based companies in the world, the founders are pursuing company acquisitions, investments in aligned brands, and the acquisition and creation of LIVEKINDLY Media, a digital plant-based media platform dedicated to promoting vegan lifestyles and choices.

The leadership team at the helm of this new platform includes chairman and CEO Kees Kruythoff, who was the former president of Unilever North America and Global Home Care Division; founder and board member Roger Lienhard, who is the founder of food tech investment firm Blue Horizon Corporation; and CEO and founder of LIVEKINDLY Media, Jodi Monelle.

Other food industry veterans on the management team are chief marketing officer Mick Van Ettinger, who was formerly with Unilever as advertising manager and executive vice president of tea; and COO and chief R&D officer Aldo Uva, formerly with Nestle, Firmenich, and Ferrero.

“The LIVEKINDLY Co.’s approach offers a path forward for transforming the global food industry,” said Lienhard. “Our team has built a new formula for success by bringing innovation, experience, resources, and scale throughout the plant-based chicken value chain.”

“It started with bringing together like-minded founders who share a vision for smarter, sustainable living, and allows the food industry to better align around the evolving values of consumers who are focused on climate change, animal welfare, and human health.”

Initial acquisitions made by the company are aligned with LIVEKINDLY’s goal of accelerating plant-based chicken. These include The Fry Family Food Co, – one of the world’s pioneering vegan companies, founded in 1991 – and LikeMeat, the fastest growing meat alternative brand in Germany with distribution across 10 EU countries.

“Fry’s has been a family-run business from day one when we first started making meat alternatives from our kitchen over 30-years ago,” said Wally Fry, co-founder, The Fry Family Food Co. “While we’ve grown over those three decades, moving into global markets and offering multiple product innovations, we’ve always remained family owned and run. We are all really excited about this venture and we see it as a coming together of like-minded brands to create a movement for change. The family is still very involved in the business, and we will continue to create our award-winning products that our consumers know and love.”

Timo Recker, CEO and founder of LikeMeat, added, “Within only six years LikeMeat has managed to become the top brand for meat alternatives in Germany. Over 10 countries in the European Union are supplied by LikeMeat. Our vision is to establish LikeMeat as a global brand to share the enjoyment of plant-based meat with all people worldwide.”

Taken together, these investments, along with an investment in Puris Holding, a vertically integrated leader in non-GMO, plant-based ingredients, makes LIVEKINDLY the only plant-based company to own and operate its entire value chain of production. 

“Unlike any other company in this space, the LIVEKINDLY co. is creating a movement that will drive impact at scale and at speed,” said Kruythoff. “We are starting with one of the world’s most consumed meats–chicken-by providing outstanding, tasty, plant-based foods that are more sustainable and environmentally friendly. We’re also partnering with incumbent poultry companies including PHW in Europe and RCL Foods in South Africa, who are committed to embracing plant-based options.”

Plans are for the newly-acquired brands to have U.S. launches in the second half of this year, reported Food Dive, with additional product launches to happen under the LIVEKINDLY brand. Additional acquisitions and partnerships are also in the pipeline, according to Kruythoff. 

“We also signed with a partner in Asia, (and) two are about to sign in the U.S. We should have five partners by the end of the year,” Bjoern Witte, managing partner at Blue Horizon, told Reuters.

Global protein consumption is expected to climb at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.7 percent, reaching 943 million tons by 2054, according to Lux Research. Over this same time period, alternative protein sources are forecast to command up to a third of the protein market as they fill the void created by slowing growth in meat and seafood production, and demand shifts within the consumer market.

And as these shifts become more of a mainstream consciousness, LIVEKINDLY stated that  plant-based protein alternatives have the potential to reach 9 percent of the global meat market, estimated to be valued at $2.7 trillion by 2040. 

“We call it plant-based food for humanity because that is obviously where the big shift needs to happen,” said Kruythoff. “Why are we different and why is it so unique? … We are a global business from the start. We really think about how we can be a global plant-based food business.”

– Lynda Kiernan is Editor with GAI Media and daily contributor to the GAI News and Agtech Intel platforms. If you would like to submit a contribution for consideration, please contact Ms. Kiernan at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.com.