Future Food-Tech Chicago – Sustainable Proteins & Ingredients

Event description

The agenda is packed with immersive workshops, live product tastings, and interactive discussions on the latest in alternative ingredients—including next-gen dairy, fats, oils, coffee, and cocoa. Attendees will have the opportunity to explore insights from industry pioneers and participate in dynamic, solutions-focused sessions designed to drive real impact.

GFI’s Amanda Hildebrand, Ph.D., Vice President of Science and Technology, will moderate the panel Scaling Biomanufacturing: Optimizing Facilities and Bioprocess Design on Monday at 4:05 pm, addressing:

• Strategies for managing capital-intensive scale-up infrastructure
• The role of CDMOs and shared facilities in helping companies move from lab to pilot to commercial production
• Innovations reducing the cost of upstream and downstream bioprocesses
• Regulatory considerations for bioprocess design across jurisdictions

Jody Kirchner, Associate Director of Market Insights, will also be leading a session titled Understanding the Emerging Plant-Based Meat Consumer: GFI’s Consumer Segmentation on Tuesday, June 3rd at 11:30 a.m. This roundtable will delve into our latest consumer segmentation research to uncover who is buying plant-based meat—and what’s driving their choices. Join peers from across the alternative protein ecosystem to explore how these insights can shape product innovation, messaging, and strategies to accelerate mainstream adoption.

Join us in Chicago to connect with industry leaders, explore cutting-edge solutions, and shape the future of sustainable proteins.

Event location

Meet the speakers

Amanda Hildebrand, Ph.D.

VICE PRESIDENT, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, GFI

Amanda Hildebrand leads GFI’s Science and Technology department, building a strategic roadmap to accelerate alternative protein research and empower scientists to bring breakthroughs to market. She has over 13 years of experience in bioprocess development and commercialization, with expertise in fermentation, kinetic modeling, and scaling sustainable food systems.

Before joining GFI, Amanda led innovation and commercialization projects across startups and Fortune 500 companies, working across multiple fermentation platforms and industries. She holds a Ph.D. in biological systems engineering from the University of California, Davis, and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Jody Kirchner

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF MARKET INSIGHTS, GFI

Jody Kirchner leads GFI’s market and consumer insights team, which delivers data-driven analysis and insights to educate industry leaders and key stakeholders on the market opportunities around plant-based and other alternative proteins. Prior to joining GFI, Jody worked as a growth strategy consultant for over 15 years, advising companies from startups to Fortune 100 and investors on how to drive profitable growth. Her work focused heavily on the food/CPG industry, while also touching a diverse range of other sectors. Jody holds an MBA from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, an MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT, and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from The University of British Columbia.