Deep dive into our Challenge Lab Partners

Amy’s Kitchen

One of PFI’s long standing partners, Amy’s Kitchen, were part of the 2022 challenge lab. They tasked the team to conduct consumer research to determine the top environmental indicators that consumers relate to the most. The team not only emphasized on the pillars of sustainability that Amy’s should concentrate on after conducting market and consumer research but also created a link between Amy’s commitments and efforts to mitigate climate change with their marketing strategy.

Amy’s Kitchen has been a pioneer in the plant based sector for the past three decades. They are focused on cooking delicious, organic vegetarian meals that everyone can enjoy. Through their food, the company strives to make a positive impact in the lives of consumers, farmers, employees, and the planet

amys.com

Aromyx

Aromyx with their tagline, “Mining biological intelligence for actionable insights”, is a silicon valley based startup that measures and quantifies olfactory inputs and then provides the data to different plant based food companies to more innovative products. The startup tasted the challenge lab team with market research for their product as well as analyzing the landscape of competitors. The team presented the company with a refined value proposition of their product after conducting multiple stages of research.

aromyx.com

Beeflow

With companies working on different aspects of plant-based foods, Beeflow has taken a very unique approach to contribute to and enhance ecosystem services. Beeflow provides innovative pollination services by creating a conducive environment for bees in different ecosystems which in turn increases agricultural productivity. The company creates and manages pollination programs for farmers which increase crop yields by up to 60%.

beeflow.com

Better Food Foundation

Since 2017, BFF has been advocating and taking actionable steps towards advancing a plant based diet. They do so by supporting dietary change initiatives, leaders, change makers working toward an acute reduction in the consumption of animal products worldwide to advance a healthy, equitable, environmentally sustainable, and kinder food system.

The organization tasked their team to pilot BFF’s ‘Greener by Default’ (GBD) campaign in Berkeley which basically puts plant based products as default options in food services. The team’s market analysis led them to present three entry points in the food service sector in Berkeley which included UC Berkeley’s Golden Bear Cafe where they redesigned their food menu for fall 2022. The other two entry points were Peet’s coffee where they pitched to serve oat milk as the default option and Cal Retail, a grocery outlet off campus, where they introduced plant based products for takeaway options.

betterfoodfoundation.org

Cal Dining

Last year Cal Dining piloted their ‘Plant Forward Challenge’ where their chefs were challenged to create plant based dishes which are delicious, nutritious, and sustainable. For the case challenge, Cal Dining took a step further and tasked their team to evaluate and revise their current menu to make it less dependent on animal protein and other products which meet their greenhouse gas emission goals. The team not only renamed more than 70 items on their menu based on their consumer research but also worked with the sustainability team to come up with measures to reduce their GHG emissions and carbon footprint.

caldining.berkeley.edu

CJ Cheiljedang (CJCJ)

CJ Cheiljedang (CJCJ) is the largest food manufacturer in Korea, and they are focusing their efforts on globalization of K-Food, specifically expanding their footprint within the U.S. market. The team came up with market research for a new target audience based on diets, age and location as well as what K-food dishes they should produce and market. The team gave recommendations on what words and terminologies they should use in packaging their products .

cjfoods.com

Huneeus Winery

The family owned winery has recently taken active steps towards biodynamic agriculture with a mission of restoring a well-balanced ecosystem and rich soils that produce nutrient-dense foods while treating the environment, animals and people with respect. The winery tasked their team to conduct consumer research to find out what sustainability indicators appeal most to their consumers. The team also contributed to their sustainability and marketing strategy to make it coherent with their findings.

huneeuswines.com

Meati

With their mission to work closely with mother nature, Meati envisions to provide delicious, nutritious and Earth friendly nutrition to its consumers. The company envisions to achieve their goals primarily through their main ingredient - mycelium which is rich in protein and vitamins. The team worked on a new marketing strategy for the company to tap into the Gen Z demographic. The team highlighted different campaigns such as health benefits and climate change mitigation for various sub-demographics such as Gen Z athletes and activists respectively.

meati.com

Once Upon a Farm

With a strong market hold on children’s nutrition, the company tasked their teams to conduct market research to increase their consumer base to young adults as well as the older demographic for their new fruit & veggie blends in pouches processed under high pressure and not heat making them fresh. The team recommended creating a new segment within their brand and also came up with a possible new name for this segment - OFarms. Their consumer research finding indicated that the company can also change their go-to packing method to appease a new consumer base.

onceuponafarmorganics.com

Plant Based Food Institute

Set up as the first and only trade association in the U.S. representing over 200 of the nation’s leading plant-based food companies, PBFI envisions creating sustainable policies for this sector to grow. The Association tasked the team to analyze the market landscape of plant based foods in terms of their sustainability and then design and create a more extensive pool of indicators which is not limited to GHG emissions.

pbfinstitute.org