Jorge Luis Cerna’s Post

My startup's mission is to rapidly change the landscape of our food chain - using insects to help use waste in a more meaningful way. We waste a shocking 40% of all the food we produce and also use a massive amount of energy and resources to feed all of us hungry humans (global food production systems = 37% of total GHG!!! ). Our global population is steadily increasing (10 Billion by 2050), so we have an urgent need to do things differently. So that's the scary part, but luckily Mother nature has given us the perfect solution. We are partnering with her to create mini livestock factories using advanced technology. My startup Good Grub, is part of the wave of transformation using the humble Black Soldier Fly to scale up the incredible bio converting power of this insect in a viable commercial way to address these global issues. The fast-growing black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) market is projected to hit $50 billion by 2029, with a CAGR growth rate of 35%. We are helping to fix our broken food chain, making an amazing alternative protein and bio-fertiliser all at the same time reducing emissions by diverting waste from landfill. We are kickstarting our capital raise and have very ambitious plans, we want to surround ourselves with amazing people who can assist us on this exciting journey. If anyone in my network is interested in BSF protein or Frass fertiliser, exploring collaboration opportunities, forming partnerships, investing, or simply gaining insights into our initiatives, please reach out. This is a pic of me holding the grubs whilst desperately trying not to laugh the whole time - they wriggle a hell of a lot!

As much as I advocate for a healthier and cleaner world, I can’t deny my concerns about the future of food: how can we embrace innovation while striving for equality. The recent $60 million pledge by the Bezos Earth Fund to enhance meat alternatives marks a significant investment in the sustainability push. This move, reported by Bloomberg, not only underlines a commitment to eco-conscious innovation but also spotlights the urgency to address our planet’s food security challenges. As we witnessed Israel pioneering the acceptance of lab-grown proteins, the conversation naturally extends to the equitable distribution of such advancements. The potential for alternative proteins to sustainably feed the global population is immense, yet the hope is that these innovations pave the way for universal access to healthy and nutritious diets rather than widening the gap between nations. It’s time for a global dialogue on how to ethically and fairly integrate these breakthroughs into our food systems. Let’s support innovation while ensuring that progress benefits all, without exception. Are you open and willing to try lab grown proteins? Let me know… #Sustainability #FoodSecurity #Innovation #Health #Equality

Are you a climate conscious investor? Do you think there are better places to invest than faux meat to make a meaningful impact on the planet? Well good news, you're right! Plant based cheese is a solution that people are looking for today, not tomorrow! Our product Pleese® is one of the highest rated plant based cheeses on the planet. We're focused on food service and about to go national in a big way!! What's great about our category, is that you don't need to follow one specific diet to enjoy our products, so the growth opportunity is tremendous. Our competitors have exited at 30x their sales at $400m and $550m without going public. We have been focused on pizza, because there is a $300m+ opportunity in the industry, and our product has consistently been a crowd favorite. We have developed flavors for other applications too. We have grown on a shoestring budget with a tiny team, and need your help to expand. If you want to create a better world for us all, reduce the dependance on animal agriculture and help billions of people who are lactose intolerant enjoy the deliciousness of cheese without the side effects of dairy, please reach out. #impactinvesting #climatechange #climateaction #fundraising #angelinvesting #familyoffice #pizza #cheese #ROI

How do we nourish 10 billion people by 2030 with less land and fewer emissions? That’s the one-billion-dollar question falling squarely in the hands of Dr Andy Jarvis, who leads the Bezos Earth Fund’s Future of Food Program. With a big chunk of money to deploy and an incredibly complex problem to solve, Bezos Earth Fund is championing the urgent need to address food as part of the fight against climate change by supporting the development of alternative proteins as part of the solution. Andy recently sat down with Food Frontier Founder & Chair Thomas King at AltProteins 24 for a Q&A. Here are some key takeaways: - The Bezos Earth Fund is getting behind food because it believes we can't solve the nature or climate crisis without food systems transformation. - The diversity within our food system calls for the embrace of multiple solutions, including in traditional agriculture. - The proof is in the pudding. Taste parity is possible, but prices need to go down, taste needs to get better, and marketing needs to tell a strong story about the health benefits of the products. - Based on numbers alone, what consumers in the APAC region are eating in 20 years is critical to defining the future of food. Consumer shifts could be easier there, as meat is less of a headline act in meals. Plus, in Thailand, being vegan or vegetarian is increasingly seen as “cool” or “edgy” among the youth and middle class. - Philanthropic support is a drop in the ocean compared to what the alternative protein sector needs. Governments need to invest now and create an enabling environment for alternative proteins to succeed. - Alternative protein companies rushed to get venture capital funding without a strong end product in mind. Bezos Earth Fund's research centres aim to go back to the basics to create the foundations that will result in cheaper, tastier, more nutritional products. - How can alternative protein companies benefit from the Bezos Earth Fund investment in research centres? Although still in its early stages, Andy suggests reaching out to the centres now. By doing so, you can help set the agenda by sharing the challenges you're facing and collaborating on research projects. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eqQgeb8t

With cow burps responsible for 70% of agriculture’s dangerous methane emissions, new food supplements that reduce the belches of both dairy cows and feedstock beef cattle could help slow down global heating. But as is so often the case with potential solutions, there’s a real risk that the associated financial burden on cattle farmers will be too heavy. As Forum’s Principal - Food and Regenerative Agriculture Duncan Williams told Reuters: “No other industry in the world is being asked to make this kind of sacrifice.” In this Reuters article Duncan argues for a far more holistic approach, including innovation to drive down emissions through selective breeding programmes and giving methane a value, “so farmers get paid for selecting low-emission cows.” https://ow.ly/4Te450SqjjA Find out about our work on scaling just and regenerative food supply: https://ow.ly/G3Xn50Sqjjz

From the team at the ReFED Conference: "Food waste is a solvable problem, but it takes all of us." The key is finding the "highest and best use" for all food waste. The best part?! Solutions for food waste should (ideally) primarily benefit food insecure people. Some Takeaways from the panels and conference: 1) Collaboration poses challenges for 'legacy' food companies, yet it is essential and has clear economic, social, and planetary benefits 2) Shared language and resources can facilitate opportunity identification - let's all call the same foods, the same thing 3) Investment is currently sporadic and catching up with solutions 4) Current solutions rely on robust partnerships across non-profits, government bodies, startups, established companies, and consumers What's next? Check out the ReFED 2030 Roadmap https://lnkd.in/g8RAdnzy and find a way to get involved. How can you best participate? For me, it's creating systems that bolster collaboration across different silos of the food industry and streamlining the movement of edible food and excess inventory.

Jeff Bezos is pumping money into revamping alternative proteins. His Bezos Earth Fund will spend $100 million to open Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein around the world. They’ll conduct research on precision fermentation, cultivated meat and plant-based alternatives in a bid to create meat- and dairy-free options for the growing global population. One such hub was opened this week at Imperial College London to advance research, including into bioprocessing and automation, nutrition, AI and machine learning. It follows an announcement of a center at North Carolina State University last month. The fund has a total $1 billion to give away to tackle food’s climate impact, and the need to find alternative protein sources to meat has been singled out as paramount to helping the planet. Livestock is estimated to contribute roughly 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, is a huge drag on land and water resources and damages biodiversity. “We are not turning everybody into vegetarians, but we are trying to improve the choice and the health and the vitality of the agricultural system,” Andrew Steer, president and CEO of the Bezos Earth Fund, said at the London launch event on Monday. The goal is to cut alternative protein costs, improve the taste of products and create something that’s less environmentally harmful, he said. The alternative protein industry needs help. Cultivated meat has been struggling to scale up, a problem compounded by diminished venture-capital investment into the sector. Sales of plant-based meat substitutes have been hit by food inflation, unsatisfactory taste and concerns over nutrition. Just this week, a top McDonald’s executive reiterated that the company’s previous US test of McPlant burger didn’t work out and added that the chain’s diners don’t go to its restaurants for plant-based proteins (Source: Bloomberg, 28-Jun-2024).

Bezos Earth Fund's recent $60 million allocation for R&D is a game-changer for sustainable protein innovation. Discover how this investment aims to revolutionize the alt-protein landscape, tackling challenges in cost, quality, and taste. But what does this mean for investors and consumers alike? Dive deeper into the market signals and consumer adoption outlook in our latest article. Article: https://lnkd.in/eWWZxktf #sustability #foodinnovation #alternativeprotein #foodnews

Innovating for a Sustainable Future: Introducing Savor's animal-free butter 🥞 🍃Incredible development in the world of sustainable food production, brought the pioneering California-based startup, #Savor. Backed by visionary leaders like Bill Gates, Savor has developed a revolutionary dairy-free butter alternative (and not only), that promises to transform our approach to food and environmental sustainability. 🥛Using a sophisticated thermochemical process, Savor builds fat molecules from chains of carbon dioxide, hydrogen, and oxygen, eliminating the need for animal-based products. This innovation doesn't just match the taste of traditional butter—it significantly reduces the environmental impact. The carbon footprint of Savor’s “butter” is projected to be less than 0.8g CO2 equivalent per calorie, compared to the 2.4g CO2 equivalent per calorie for conventional butter. 🍞As Gates highlighted in his recent blog post, the shift to lab-made fats and oils may initially seem unconventional. However, the potential benefits for our planet are profound. By embracing these cutting-edge technologies, we move closer to achieving our climate goals and ensuring a healthier planet for future generations. 🌱Searching for updates, 🧈Eat well ~ Source: https://lnkd.in/eC5Vp7yx #Sustainability #Innovation #ClimateChange #FoodTech #GreenFuture #BillGates #Savor

🌱 Exciting news from Bezos Earth Fund: They've announced a groundbreaking $60 million initiative to launch the Bezos Centers for Sustainable Protein. This unprecedented investment signals a major opportunity for collaboration among public and private funders to advance alternative proteins. From startups to major food companies, policymakers to producers, this funding will propel innovation in taste, convenience, cultural adaptation, and cost reduction, thus leveling the playing field for protein production, retailing, and consumption. 🔬 Our recent research, 'Charting Asia’s Protein Transition', highlights the critical role of alternative proteins in decarbonizing the region. In addition to mitigating environmental impacts like deforestation and pollution, alternative proteins promise healthier diets, improved public health, and reduced animal and antibiotic use. 💡 While funding for this sector still lags behind renewable energy, this injection signifies a significant step towards a more humane and sustainable future. Who will step up next? Read more: https://lnkd.in/ew8Tw648 #SustainableProtein #Innovation #ClimateAction #Sustainability #AlternativeProteins #ProteinTransition