Tom Simmons was on the verge of what
many in the food world are now calling a monumental breakthrough in plant and
carbohydrate science, when his research funding abruptly came to an end.
It was 2017, and Simmons was living with his wife in Cambridge, UK. After
grad school, he had become a postdoctoral researcher at the University of
Cambridge — studying plant science and carbohydrates — and searching for ways
to improve the world with his growing expertise.
In particular, he was looking to join the growing number of innovators (including ReGrained, WellVine and The Wonderful Company, to name but a few) that have developed novel uses for low-value, often unused,
agricultural plant fiber — something he often described as “the most abundant,
underutilized natural renewable resource in the world.”
His research up to that point had focused on using plants for biofuels, and he
had imagined a rewarding career in academia. Over time, though, he began to
question whether that was where he could have the biggest impact. He published
some research and read widely but found that a lot of the most interesting plant
science didn’t get applied in the real world.
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“These things get lost in academic literature,” he explained. “They get lost in
the journals and don’t go anywhere. I wanted my work to be meaningful, and to
have a real impact.”
So, he signed up for a postdoctoral fellowship, the purpose of which was to
launch a business.
“At this point, I had a number of research ideas that I could have
commercialized — the challenge was in determining which one would have the
greatest chance of success, and the greatest positive impact.”
Eventually, it became clear. He decided that his company,
Supplant (then called Cambridge Glycoscience) was
going to help solve the sugar problem in food science.
“I’d love to say that there was some big eureka moment, like when Newton was
hit by the apple; or that I had always known I would help solve this problem
because of some deep lifelong connection to it. But the truth is, it was a long
and winding journey with a lot of experimentation, setbacks and numerous small
serendipities that led to a moment of commitment, when I committed myself fully
to helping solve this particular problem.
“Much of the world is overweight, and much of it is malnourished,” he explains.
“The irony is, we’re failing to deliver nutrition even where we deliver the
right quantities; and often we’re not doing either — or doing it at a severe
detriment to the planet. Sugarcane is a big part of this health problem; and the
environmental impacts are pretty unsavory, too. We believe we can help solve
this.”
The solution Simmons found was deeply interdisciplinary. There were a number of
novel techniques within plant science literature for breaking down plant fiber
into sugar using fungal processes — but no awareness of these within the food
industry, and no commercial innovations that leveraged this science to create
things that people could actually eat.
“I think this is how breakthrough innovation often works,” Simmons says. “We’re
generating so much knowledge as a species; but often one arm isn’t talking to
the other one, so to speak. When we connect previously unconnected domains in
novel ways, interesting things become possible.”
Simmons developed a number of techniques for breaking down low-value or
typically wasted agricultural plant fiber with fungal enzymes and turning it
into “Sugars from Fiber” — an entirely
new category of sugars that perform like sugar in the kitchen (including
browning and caramelization), while retaining the nutritional properties of
fiber. They also have prebiotic qualities and are good for digestive health.
“Sugars from Fiber looks, tastes and feels like sugar; but it’s nutritious, too.
It has half the calories and doesn’t cause an insulin spike like refined sugar.
And because we make it from otherwise unused agricultural plant fiber, it’s good
for the planet, too — especially biodiversity.”
The only trouble was, this moment of discovery and commitment came at the exact
time that his research fellowship funding ran out. It was the culmination of 2.5
years of hard work, but he was broke.
“We were basically living off of baked beans. We had no money left; but we had a
very exciting idea.”
Undaunted, Simmons filed his first patent for Sugars from Fiber. It gave the
company’s business plan enough credibility to apply, and be accepted into, the
respected startup accelerator Y Combinator in March 2018.
Simmons used that time to refine the processes for isolating Sugars from Fiber
and turn it into a marketable ingredient. The company made enough progress to
raise $5 million in a seed round that following September. Things were looking
good.
Soon after, Simmons reached out to Anna Bolz — former pastry chef New York City's Per Se, one of several three-Michelin-starred
restaurants by renowned US
chef Thomas Keller. Simmons was eager for feedback,
and for any advice on how Sugars from Fiber could be incorporated into the
recipes of top chefs.
Intrigued, Bolz introduced him directly to Chef Keller — also behind three-Michelin-starred California restaurant The French Laundry — who was
immediately fascinated. He wanted to know if Supplant’s Sugars from Fiber could
be incorporated into his award-winning dishes and still delight his guests.
They began collaborating on recipes.
“We wanted to see if we could make the same time-tested recipes that people
loved, that they found nurturing and comforting — like ice cream, chocolate,
cookies — but with Sugars from Fiber, and the improved health profile that this
new ingredient brings,” Keller said.
Supplant Sugars from Fiber officially launched in spring 2021, in partnership
with Chef Keller, at an event outside of his Bouchon Bakery in Yountville,
California. Ice cream, cookies and chocolate featuring Supplant’s
fiber-derived sugar were served to passersby and received an overwhelmingly
positive response.
“Since then, we’ve launched a number of retail food products together —
including a chocolate bar and shortbread,” Keller says. “We’re excited to keep
collaborating and exploring how else we can use these Sugars from Fiber.”
For Simmons, he’s happy with his success so far, but remains laser-focused on
the overall mission.
“The diabetes epidemic is out of control, in both wealthy and low- and
middle-income countries. And the way we produce cane sugar is deeply
unsustainable — the World Wildlife Fund
says
sugarcane has caused more biodiversity loss than any other crop in history.
“With Sugars from Fiber, we’ve found a way that people can eat their favourite
foods, but without worrying about their blood sugar or the fate of the planet.
We want to get the word out.”
And word is getting out. Since launching its initial products, other food brands
are keen to collaborate. Last month, Supplant launched exclusive partnerships
with food industry up-and-comers including San Diego-based vegan ice cream
brand Kula and chef Tal Ronnen’s Crossroad
Kitchens.
“Sugars from Fiber can help feed the world nutritiously and sustainably,”
Simmons says. “We don’t need to grow more food or create new farmland — we have
everything we need already.
“It’s not just about making a new ingredient. It’s about fulfilling our mission
to feed and nourish more people with better-quality food that doesn’t destroy
the planet. That’s what this is all about, for me.”
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Jeremy Osborn is a NYC-based entrepreneur and and senior consultant with a background in marketing and communications, tech, strategy, governance, and sustainability. He holds an MA in Resources, Environment, and Sustainability from the University of British Columbia and has worked for leading brands in a wide range of industries and sectors — including food and ag, consumer goods, built environment, industrial manufacturing, energy, finance, transportation, and more.
Published Aug 1, 2022 8am EDT / 5am PDT / 1pm BST / 2pm CEST