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Kraft Heinz Not Company Out to Upend Industry with AI-Driven, Plant-Based Food Innovation

In partnering with NotCo, Kraft Heinz aims to leverage its manufacturing and commercial capabilities, with the scale of some of its beloved global food brands, to reshape the food landscape and set a new standard for plant-based innovation.

Published 2 years ago | About a 3 minute read

Image: NotCo/Facebook

Today, the Kraft Heinz Company and leading plant-based foodtech startup NotCo launched a joint venture designed to reimagine global food production for a more sustainable future.

In a move similar to that of fellow food and beverage giant PepsiCo — which last year teamed up with Beyond Meat to develop, produce and market new snacks and beverages made from plant-based protein — the partnership, which will operate under the control of Kraft Heinz as The Kraft Heinz Not Company, will leverage the inherent strengths of both companies. With NotCo’s first-of-its-kind technology and proven artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and Kraft Heinz’s household-name brand portfolio and scale, Kraft Heinz Not plans to develop superior plant-based versions of co-branded products at a level of speed, taste, quality and scale yet to be seen in the industry.

While interest for plant-based proteins continues to surge, varying levels of taste, variety and availability remain barriers to wider-spread adoption. With its proprietary technology (an AI algorithm with the ability to find infinite combinations of plants to replicate animal products and make them even tastier and sustainable, which the company calls "Giuseppe") and an agile approach to innovation, NotCo has made significant progress in addressing these consumer needs — developing plant-based replacements for animal products with simpler ingredients that don’t sacrifice taste, functionality or consumption experience.

“When we started NotCo, it was our goal to make our technology a catalyzer for a more sustainable food system not only for us, but for other brands and manufacturers who share the same ambition,” said Matias Muchnick, co-founder and CEO of NotCo. “Today is an exciting milestone for the plant-based industry and shows the power of technology’s role in driving mainstream adoption. We’re thrilled to partner with Kraft Heinz and their iconic brands and work hand-in-hand on building a more sustainable food system.”

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The Kraft Heinz Not Company will be headquartered in Chicago with R&D facilities in San Francisco, and will focus on plant-based innovation across numerous Kraft Heinz product categories. Lucho Lopez-May, who is currently CEO, North America of NotCo, will become CEO of The Kraft Heinz Not Company.

NotCo’s ultimate mission is to replace animal-based foods entirely — and in turn, reverse the harm that their production has caused on the planet. The fast-growth food tech leader is the only global company disrupting conventional, animal-based food and beverage segments including dairy, eggs and meat, simultaneously. NotCo has launched products including NotMilk™, NotBurger™, NotMeat™, NotIceCream™, NotChicken™ and NotMayo™ in the US, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru; and in less than five years has become the fastest-growing food tech company in Latin America — achieving unicorn status at a valuation of $1.5 billion.

“The joint venture with TheNotCompany is a critical step in the transformation of our product portfolio and a tremendous addition to our brand design-to-value capabilities,” said Kraft Heinz CEO Miguel Patricio. “It helps deliver on our vision to offer more clean, green, and delicious products for consumers. We believe the technology that NotCo brings is revolutionizing the creation of delicious plant-based foods with simpler ingredients.”