Industry
As a nonprofit working to build a sustainable, secure, and just food system, we partner with companies and investors across the globe to drive investment, accelerate innovation, and scale the supply chain — all faster than market forces alone would allow.
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Accelerating the alternative protein industry
Our work with global partners across the private sector advances the alternative protein industry and enables market breakthroughs. We analyze the market to identify key white spaces and emerging opportunities and provide actionable, open-source market data and consumer insights. We foster an idea-rich startup ecosystem and drive capital to scale the industry. We help inform incumbent food and meat manufacturers’ alternative protein strategies by sharing industry insights and data.
In short, we partner with companies throughout the supply chain to identify the most impactful business activities that will grow the bottom line and advance the next generation of alternative proteins to compete with conventional animal products on the key drivers of consumer choice: taste, price, and convenience.
Catalyzing innovation and investment
We build relationships with — and provide research and insights to — the world’s leading food and meat companies to catalyze innovation and commercialization of alternative protein products, including plant-based meat, eggs, and dairy. To inform capital providers of alternative protein opportunities, we analyze and present information on the market to a wide variety of institutions, including venture capital, private equity, family offices, banks, corporations, and investor groups. We also work with industry experts to identify, catalog, and analyze concrete white space ideas.
We provide startups with early-stage support, such as pitch deck reviews and admission to the GFI Fundraising Database. More than 1,300 entrepreneurs, investors, and scientists have joined our Good Food Ideas (GFIdeas) community to learn from food industry experts and make fruitful connections.
Making alternative proteins delicious and affordable
We work directly with manufacturers to identify key product opportunities, hone strategy, and accelerate the pace at which alternative protein products gain market share. We help manufacturers develop products that are as tasty, affordable, and accessible as conventional products.
Our market research highlights the rapid growth of plant-based meat, eggs, and dairy, and identifies key category opportunities. Our plant protein overview, technical guides, and company databases accelerate R&D, innovation, industry collaboration, product launch, and scaling. Our consumer insights identify current and potential consumers for alternative proteins and describe consumer motivations, adoption, perceptions, and barriers.
Expanding access & accelerating growth
We work with food retailers to identify and implement best practices for growing plant-based food sales, including strategies for assortment, own-brand product development, merchandising, and marketing. We’ve provided guidance to many of the top U.S. food retailers.
We advise executives and R&D teams at the top restaurant chains on increasing plant-based menu options and improving marketing and sales tactics. We’ve worked with influential foodservice distributors and many of the largest U.S. restaurant chains.
Our focus areas
Investment
Connect with alternative protein startups who are fundraising. Also meet co-investors and understand the market and technical landscape alternative proteins.
Entrepreneurship
Learn about planning, launching, and growing a startup — from white space identification to product development, fundraising, and commercialization.
Manufacturing & production
Capitalize on the growing alternative protein market and accelerate the pace at which your plant-based products gain market share.
Retail
Find strategies for product assortment, own-brand product development, merchandising, and marketing.
Foodservice
Explore market data, ideas for developing exciting dishes, and marketing strategies for launching successful plant-based items in restaurant and non-commercial foodservice channels.
Key resources
State of the Industry Reports
Explore our comprehensive State of the Industry Reports, which provide insights into the rapidly evolving alternative protein landscape.
Plant-based retail market overview
Explore sales data for plant-based meat, egg, and dairy products in the U.S. retail market. Find key category insights, size, sales growth, and purchase dynamics for the plant-based industry.
Environmental, Social, and Governance framework
GFI & FAIRR’s ESG frameworks supply investors and companies in the alternative proteins industry with tools to monitor, measure, and report on risks and opportunities.
Mentor program
Our GFI Mentor Program enables entrepreneurs and startups to have 1:1 mentoring sessions with subject matter experts across the alternative protein ecosystem.
Market opportunities
Our solutions database offers up ideas with the potential to accelerate the growth of the alternative protein industry. Discover ideas for new commercial ventures and products, find inspiration for research projects, and explore ecosystem-level interventions to support the alternative protein industry as a whole.
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Cultivated
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Fermentation
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Plant-Based
Decision matrix for seafood target species selection
Creating an online, open-access decision matrix tool that ranks popular seafood-relevant species against each other based on several criteria such as market size, per-unit price, sustainability of conventional production practices,…
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Cultivated
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Fermentation
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Plant-Based
Deal flow and fundraising platform for investors beyond the impact investment community
Investment platforms are needed for deal flow and coordinating hand-offs from pre-seed (angels and accelerators), seed/early-stage, and growth/later-stage investors and acquirers.
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Cultivated
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Fermentation
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Plant-Based
Infrastructure and equipment leasing fund
Infrastructure leasing for production and processing facilities as well as capital equipment would enable alternative protein companies to rapidly expand capacity without large upfront capital investments. Having leasing funds and…
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Cultivated
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Fermentation
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Plant-Based
Building workforce capacity through vocational programs
Given the strong and persistent growth in alternative protein production, the industry has a pressing need for a trained workforce. Technical colleges should establish programs to help train the next…
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Cultivated
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Fermentation
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Plant-Based
Developing open-access model production facility blueprints
Open-access blueprints would provide a head start on facility design and allow equipment manufacturers and engineering companies to address standard industry needs.
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Cultivated
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Fermentation
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Plant-Based
Infrastructure and equipment leasing fund
Infrastructure leasing for production and processing facilities as well as capital equipment would enable alternative protein companies to rapidly expand capacity without large upfront capital investments. Having leasing funds and…
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Cultivated
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Fermentation
Growth factors from conditioned cell culture media
Rather than relying on recombinant growth factors, cultivated meat companies could use conditioned media from animal cells producing high levels of these molecules.
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Plant-Based
Next-generation plant-based turkey products
There has been little in the way of publicly-announced R&D or commercial efforts to develop the next generation of tasty and affordable plant-based turkey products. There is room for innovation…
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Cultivated
Cultivated meat co-product valorization
Animal cell metabolism within cultivators can produce useful co-product side streams that provide monetary value to the manufacturer while creating a novel source of inputs for other industries. Potential side…
Increasing sales
We work directly with foodservice providers and retailers to increase sales of plant-based foods by appealing to the largest consumer groups. Our resources include best practices for marketing, merchandising, assortment, and menu design. Want to meet with our Corporate Engagement team to learn more about the alternative protein industry?
Consumer insights
Understand consumers, demographics, adoption, motivations, category descriptors, and opportunities for future research in alternative proteins.
Merchandising plant-based meat, eggs, and dairy at retail
Discover the best practices in retail merchandising, aisle signage, and shelf tags for plant-based meat, egg, and dairy.
Marketing and promoting plant-based proteins
This quick guide offers evidence-based marketing and promotion strategies to increase plant-based sales at retail.
Good Food Retail Report
Learn plant-based sales strategies and see how the top 15 U.S. grocery retailers rate on their plant-based assortment, merchandising, and marketing.
Explore our webinar series
The Business of Alt Protein seminar series is geared toward a commercially focused audience on topics related to starting and scaling a good food business.
Need corporate support?
We work with the private sector to drive investment, innovation, and scalability to accelerate the alternative protein supply chain. Learn more about how we can support you in this process.
We inform and empower companies at all stages of the supply chain
- Entrepreneurs and startups seeking to bring their ideas to market and fast-track growth.
- Investors looking to capitalize on the rapidly growing alternative protein sector.
- Manufacturers developing and marketing the next generation of alternative protein products.
- Retailers and foodservice companies looking to leverage the growth of alternative proteins to increase sales and attract consumers.
- Ingredient companies creating the next generation of alternative protein ingredients and optimizing raw materials, inputs, and functional additives.
- Suppliers creating the next generation of ingredients and inputs, processing services, and other enabling technologies.
- Equipment manufacturers developing and commercializing equipment optimized for alternative protein production at scale.
We help accelerate investment and innovation
- Perdue worked with us to add plant proteins to their product line.
- The co-founders of Netherlands-based Rival Foods, a producer of plant-based whole cuts, met via GFIdeas.
- Our webinars cover commercial topics like debt financing, production scale-up, and e-commerce strategy.
We help make alternative proteins delicious and affordable
- We presented an in-depth overview of alternative proteins to 80 people attending a top U.S. meat company R&D symposium, which the organizers described as “the best session we’ve ever had.”
- We’ve helped top U.S. meat companies develop their alternative protein strategies by sharing resources and industry insights.
We help expand access and increase growth
- Kroger worked with us to add a plant-based line to their Simple Truth private label product line.
- We’ve supported several additional top-15 U.S. retailers across product innovation, business development, merchandising, and marketing activities.
- We’ve worked with top-100 U.S. restaurant chains like Panera, Wawa, and The Cheesecake Factory.
Meet our experts
Caroline Bushnell
SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT
Caroline Bushnell leads GFI’s Corporate Engagement team in their work with companies and investors around the world to accelerate the alternative protein industry.
Areas of expertise: food industry, alternative protein ecosystem, market trends, consumer insights, CPG marketing, emerging industry opportunities.
Emma Ignaszewski
SENIOR ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, INDUSTRY INTELLIGENCE
Emma Ignaszewski oversees the corporate engagement team’s industry intelligence and initiatives team. We work to catalyze market-side innovation to transform the food system and deliver alternative protein products that compete on the key drivers of consumer choice: taste, price, and convenience.
Areas of expertise: alternative protein market landscape, research & analysis, strategy, marketing & communications, alt protein sustainability & climate impacts.
Sharyn Murray, CFA
SENIOR MANAGER, INVESTOR ENGAGEMENT AND FINANCING
Sharyn Murray leads GFI’s initiatives to bolster private-sector financing of the alternative proteins industry.
Areas of expertise: strategic planning, public speaking, relationship development, investment research.
Laine Clark
SENIOR CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT MANAGER, INNOVATION
Laine serves as Senior Corporate Engagement Manager, Innovation, helping to position GFI as a valuable resource for emerging and established alternative protein companies.
Areas of expertise: entrepreneurship, fundraising, commercialization, strategic planning, team building, and market validation
Marika Azoff
CORPORATE ENGAGEMENT LEAD – RETAIL AND FOOD SERVICE
Marika leads GFI’s work with foodservice operators, retailers, and distributors to inspire and accelerate their shift toward alternative proteins.
Areas of expertise: foodservice, retail, distribution, alternative seafood, relationship development, public speaking
