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Food Tech News: Goose Poop Beer, Plant-Based Culinary Degrees, and Free Just Egg

In this Food Tech News Round-up we cover beer made from food waste in Finland, the launch of new culinary degree programs in Boulder, Colorado, Natural Light’s vacation giveaway to Alaska, and the opportunity to score some free Just Egg products for you and your friends.

If you haven’t heard already, The Spoon has partnered with ReFED to host the Food Waste Insights + Innovation Forum next week on June 16. Tickets are free, and available here.

Ant Brewery’s new beers are made with food waste, goose poop, and wild herbs

Ant Brew is located in Lahti, Finland – a city that was named the European Green Capital of 2021 by the E.U. commission and aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2025. The brewery is launching a new series of beers to celebrate called the “Wasted Potential”. The beers will contain local food waste ingredients such as berries, bread, and other fruits, wild herbs, as well as goose droppings. Gathered from a park in the city, the goose droppings will be used (in a food-safe way) to smoke malt to create a dark stout beer. The first beer that will be released is a wit-style beer that incorporates the leftover orange peels from a local pressed juice store, while goose droppings stout is set to be released towards the end of summer.

Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts launches plant-based degree program

Plant-based cooking is not typically a priority in culinary schools; however, Auguste Escoffier School of Culinary Arts just announced the launch of their new plant-based degree programs. The school, based in Boulder, Colorado, and will offer three programs including an online plant-based culinary diploma, an online associate of occupational studies degree in plant-based culinary arts, and an on-campus plant-based cuisine diploma. The programs will teach students traditional culinary skills along with seasonal meal planning, meal composition, cultural plant-based cuisine, ingredient substitutions, and allergy awareness.

Natural Light will send your parents to Alaska for vacation

Some college grads and young adults have had to move back in with their parents due to the pandemic, so Natural Lights is hosting a giveaway to send parents on a well-deserved vacation. The summer vacation will be worth $20K and be hosted in Alaska. The winner will also receive a cash prize worth the amount of two cases of Natural Light and a little extra for snacks. To enter, you simply need to post on social media and share why your parents need a vacation and use the hashtags #sendmyparentsaway and #sweepstakes. The giveaway is open until June 16.

Free Just Egg for your skeptical friends

Eat Just, producers of the plant-based egg products and now cultured meat, will give three of your friends free Just Egg products. To do so, go to this website, and sign up to get an ambassador code. Your friends will use your ambassador code to purchase products from the Just Eat website, and then upload their receipt to be reimbursed. After this process is complete, the company will also send you a free product. The company is using this opportunity to introduce people to their products that may typically be skeptical towards plant-based products. The Just Egg is made from the base of mung beans, and currently comes in three forms: a liquid egg, folded patties, and sous vide bites.

Food Tech News: Promising Mealworm Research, Miller Lite Shoezie, and Rewards for Eating Organic Yogurt

Throughout the week, we gathered some interesting tidbits of food tech news we wanted to share, including:

Study finds that mealworm protein and milk protein are similar

Researchers at Maastricht University in the Netherlands conducted a study on the nutritional value of mealworm protein and found that it shares similar properties to milk protein. Mealworm protein contains all nine amino acids, and like milk protein, facilitates muscle growth. Additionally, both are absorbed and digested in the body similarly. Ynsect, an insect food start-up, supplied the mealworms for the study. Various insects are commonly found in diets throughout the world, but Western culture certainly seems to shy away from this source of protein. Raising insects like mealworms is considered to be more sustainable than raising pork, cattle, and chicken because they use considerably less land and emit vastly fewer greenhouse gases. Mealworm milk anyone?

Stonyfield Organic will pay you to eat organic yogurt

Stonyfield Organic, producers of dairy products, announced that starting today (June 5th) it will pay people for choosing to eat organic yogurt products. To get in on this deal, you must post a photo to Instagram eating organic yogurt from any brand using the hashtag #YogurtTradeUp. In exchange, Stonyfield will ship you $5 Visa Prepaid Card, a case of 5.3 oz cups of Stonyfield yogurt, and a packet of sunflower seeds. The catch is that there is a limited supply of free yogurt (amount undisclosed) and the selfie must be uploaded between the times of 8 am – 8 pm EST. The company shared that it is hosting this to encourage consumers to see the value of eating organic products and how what we eat affects the environment.

Miller Lite releases the “shoezie” for Father’s Day

Miller Lite and New Balance partnered to create what they are calling a “Shoezie”, which is a combination of a shoe and beer koozie. The concept was created for the upcoming Father’s Day holiday, and aims to appeal to the fashion of middle-aged dads and their light beer-drinking habits. The design of the shoe is inspired by New Balance’s 624 Trainer, often considered a classic “dad” shoe. There will be a limited supply of the Shoezie, which is launching June 10th at 10 am on the Shoezie website.

Competition for an innovative vegan food service product

Copper Branch, a plant-based restaurant chain, and Vegan Women Summit are partnering to host the Plant-Powered Glow Up Contest, a product pitch competition that will award a food service contract to a vegan and women-led or founded business. Criteria set forth by the competition detailed that ideally the product will fit in with the Copper Branch menu, be healthy, differentiated, and aligned with the company’s mission. The winning product will become a menu item this Fall at select Copper Branch locations in the U.S. and Canada. The contest opened at the start of this week and will close on June 30th; it is free for anyone who meets the requirements to enter.

Food Tech News: Coconut Husk Coolers, Non-Alcoholic Funding, Korean BBQ Car

Greetings! As the world is seemingly returning back to normal and your regular activities commence, we hope you still have some time to catch up on some food tech news. This week we found some neat stories on a cooler made from coconut husks, a brewery that raised money for its zero percent beer, and a car designed with a Korean BBQ kitchen set up.

Funding secured for Fortuna Cools ecofriendly coconut coolers

As you know, coolers or ice chests are normally made from plastic, and the cheap, temporary ones from Styrofoam. A company called Fortuna Cools, based in the Philippines, has created a cooler made from more sustainable material with the original intent for fisherman to use and keep their catch cold. The cooler is called the “Nutshell Cooler” and is made from coconut husks that would normally be burned by farmers, and therefore release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The amount of funding was not disclosed but was led by ADB Ventures and Katapault Ocean Fund. The company will use this most recent round of funding to increase production volume and expand its sales and engineering teams. If you’re interested in getting your hands on one of these coolers, the company is set to launch a Kickstarter campaign soon.

Alcohol-free beer raises $50M USD in Series C round

Beer sans alcohol has created quite the buzz lately; Athletic Brewing, based in Stratford, Connecticut, raised $50 million USD in its Series C funding round led by Alliance Consumer Growth and TRB advisor. As more people choose to limit their alcohol intake, specifically Millenials, the non-alcoholic beer market is expected to reach a value of $35.6 billion by 2030. In the past, the only option for non-alcoholic beer was brands like O’Douls or Clausthaler, but now there are more “craft” non-alcoholic beers in the market like Athletic Brewing. The brewery uses four standard ingredients to craft its beer — hops, yeast, water, and barley — and offers varieties such as IPA, ales, stouts, and witbiers.

Rent a Korean BBQ Car

Korean BBQ typically consists of a very large meal with a wide variety of different meat and side dishes meant to be shared with friends and family. In the middle of the pandemic, Chef Chris Oh was inspired to bring the experience of Korean BBQ to people without a restaurant and designed the inside of a car to accommodate the cooking setup needed to create an entire Korean BBQ meal. Called the KBBQ Car, a table pulls out from the back of the car, which hosts a BBQ grill in the center and can seat four people. Some additional features in the car are a TV, strobe lights, and speakers. The rental comes with food to cook, including four pounds of meat, a variety of sides, rice, two bottles of soju, Korean beer, plus a variety of sides and steamed rice. The car can currently be rented in Southern California, and the standard experience costs $500, which includes a private server.

Food Tech News: Grow Your Own Burrito, Hard-Boiled Eggs Made From Mycoprotein

Alpha Foods is enabling you to grow your own burrito

It would certainly be convenient if comfort foods like burritos and chicken nuggets grew on trees, so Alpha Foods is trying to help you do this (kind of). The company produces a variety of frozen plant-based meals (like burritos, breakfast sandwiches, etc.), but this week the company announced that it is giving away free packages of seeds. Specifically, the packages are comprised of seeds for crops used to make Alpha’s burritos, chik’n nuggets, and pot pies. For example, the chicken nugget seed pack contains corn, soy, sunflower, wheat, and onion seeds. It would be undeniably easier to buy an Alpha pot pie or burrito from the frozen aisle, but the company apparently wants to provide transparency in its ingredients. The seeds are available for free for a limited amount of time on Alpha Food’s website.

Airly Foods provides snacks while simultaneously removing carbon emissions from the atmosphere

Airly Foods recently launched its first snack called Airly Oat Clouds, and as the name suggests, the main ingredient in the whole-grain crackers is oats. The oats used in the snack are grown on zero carbon emission farms that use farming practices to sequester carbon in the soil. The company also purchases carbon credits, which benefit a variety of agricultural and forestry projects, to offset carbon released from production and transportation processes. To educate consumers, Airly prints the carbon footprint of its Oat Clouds on the packaging, which is roughly 18-21 grams of carbon.

Whole vegan hard boiled egg made from mycoprotein

OsomeFood, a startup based in Singapore, launched its newest product this week: a vegan, whole hard-boiled egg. The egg is made from fermented mycoprotein, seaweed, algae, and contains essential amino acids. Most vegan egg products on the market come in a liquid or powder form, but according to the company, this is the world’s first vegan hard-boiled egg that is in whole form. In addition to this latest offering, OsomeFoods also produces several other interesting plant-based products, including fish balls, fish cakes, and noodles.

Goldbelly raises $100M USD for expansion of specialty food platform

If you have a very specific and eccentric food craving, chances are that Goldbelly carries it on its website. The online marketplace sources artisanal food products from restaurants, bakeries, and delis throughout the U.S., and offers shipping to 50 states. After growing exponentially during the pandemic, the company announced that it has raised $100 million this week in its Series C round of funding. The round was led by Spectrum Equity with participation from Intel Capital. This latest round of capital will be used to expand its operations, onboard new chefs and restaurants, and launch an interactive cooking series.

Food Tech News: The Molson Brewmboni, Ikea’s Plant-Based Promise

Happy weekend! We hope you can fit in some time during this lovely spring weekend to catch up on some interesting news in the food tech space. This week we rounded up stories on a new material used to determine seafood spoilage, Molson Canada’s beer cooler vacuum invention, Ikea’s food accelerator program, and a search for startups disrupting the retail sector.

If you haven’t heard, The Spoon is hosting “ArticulATE: The Food Robotics Summit” on Tuesday, May 18th. The event is approaching fast, so get your ticket today!

Scientists create color-changing material to detect seafood spoilage

German and Chinese scientists used inspiration from chameleons to create a material that changes colors to indicate when seafood has gone bad. The new material incorporates luminogens, which glow and change color when exposed to different factors like a change in temperature of pH. The scientists put test strips of the material in boxes of fresh shrimp and fish for 50 hours, with one box stored at 14 degrees and the other at 86 degrees. The test strip in the 14-degree box stayed red (indicating the seafood was still fresh), while the strip in the 86 degree box changed to a vivid green (indicating spoilage).

Molson Canada designs hybrid beer cooler and vacuum

Cleaning the house and drinking beer goes together nicely (especially when you don’t need to leave the couch), and this week Molson Canada created a part beer cooler part vacuum to accommodate just that. The robot is called “Molson Brewmboni”, which holds four Molson Canadian tallboys and functions as an autonomous vacuum. The NHL (National Hockey League) will be mostly virtual for fans in Canada for the second year in a row, so this invention was created in hopes of emulating the familiar sounds of the Zamboni on the hockey rink. Unfortunately, it is not available for purchase, but it may be in the future on the product’s website. In the meantime, the company is offering the CAD files of the robot vacuum for anyone interested in building it themselves.

Photo from Ikea’s website

Ikea launches accelerator program to meet goal of serving 50% plant-based foods

Last year, Ikea made the announcement that by 2025, 50 percent of its menu items and 80 percent of its packaged foods would be vegan. To take steps towards that goal, the Scandinavian chain just launched its Food Innovation Accelerator Program. The program is looking for food startups that are focused on sustainable solutions and the ability to scale plant-based food businesses. Ikea currently has a few vegan options like its plant-based hot dog, and “plant balls”, and alternative for meatballs made from oats and pea protein.

Photo by Phil Hearing on Unsplash

Sonae Mc is scouting for start ups to disrupt retail sector

Sonae Mc, a food retail market chain in Portugal, is currently accepting applications for the second edition of its Disrupt Retail. The corporation seeks to find start-ups specifically focused on the categories of health and wellness, e-commerce, crowdsourcing, sustainability, personalized shopping experiences, and others. Those who are accepted will receive mentorship, in-store testing of the technology, access to a network of partners, and exposure to potential investors. Applications are open until June 30 on Disrupt Retail’s website.

Food Tech News: Powdered Oat Milk, Vietnamese Coffee Pour-Over Kits

Welcome to the weekend, the peak of spring, and your favorite place to catch up on food tech news. A few stories caught our eyes this week including China’s recently passed food waste law, new high-protein sesame seeds, Copper Cow Coffee’s latest funding round, and oat milk in the form of powder.

Copper Cow Coffee secures $8.5M in Series A funding round

Copper Cow Coffee produces Vietnamese coffee pour-over kits, and this week the women-owned company raised $8.5 million in funding that will be used for expanding distribution and product innovation. The round was led by Cultivian Sandbox and Arborview Capital and saw participation from Siddhi Capital, Silverton Partners, Social Starts, Montage Ventures, CRCM, and Stormbreaker Ventures. Copper Cow Coffee sources its coffee from farms in Vietnam that apply organic agricultural and processing practices. The company’s pour-over kits include condensed milk or coconut milk creamer packets and Vietnamese coffee, with flavor varieties including vanilla latte, churro, rose, and vanilla. The pour-over kits require no special equipment because the coffee bags fit over the rim of any mug or cup (as depicted above).

Photo by Diego Morales on Unsplash

High-protein sesame seeds for plant-based alternatives

Equinom, a seed-breeding technology company, has partnered with Dipasa, a sesame seed processor and exporter, to develop a high protein sesame seed for use in plant-based protein alternatives. The new sesame seed will be bred using Equinom’s AI-backed genomic optimization algorithms and distributed globally by Dipasa. Sesame seeds do not naturally have a high protein content like soy or wheat does, but the new high-protein sesame seed will contain 65 to 70 percent protein content (a normal sesame seed has a 23 percent protein content). Boosting the protein content of a sesame seed will make it a more viable option as a base for plant-based products.

Photo from Blue Farm’s website

Blue Farm aims to make oat milk more sustainable

Berlin-based Blue Farm has created a powdered oat milk base with the intention of making the plant-based milk sector more sustainable. Transporting liquid-filled cartons across the country, or even globally, releases transportation emissions. On top of this, many plant-based milk cartons are not recyclable. Blue Farm’s oat milk powder comes in a compact, 100% recycled plastic packaging which can be recycled again. The oat milk powder is shelf-stable, and simply must be shaken with water to create liquid oat milk.

Food Tech News: Eco-Friendly Restaurant App, Beyond Meat Chicken, and Microdrink Cubes

Before you head outside and bask in glorious sunshine and cherry blossoms, we invite you to catch up on some Food Tech News. This week, we have stories on an app that rates restaurants based on sustainability, Kalera’s first harvest, micro drink cubes, and Beyond Meat’s alternative chicken launch. Enjoy!

Eco-friendly restaurant app Jybe to soon launch in New York

JYBE is an app that helps users connect to eco-friendly restaurants, and this week it shared in an email with The Spoon that it will be launching in New York City in mid-May. Many restaurants provide single-use plastic cutlery and styrofoam packaging for take-out food, but JYBE highlights the restaurants using more environmentally friendly options, like paper, bamboo, glass, and reusable materials. JYBE also offers free resources for restaurants looking to make the transition to more environmentally friendly packaging. The app is currently available in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Denver, Boulder, Seattle, and Austin.

Kalera celebrates first harvest at Atlanta, Georgia location

Kalera is a vertical farm company, and this week announced its first harvest at its location in Atlanta, Georgia. The 77 thousand square feet facility is its largest facility and the largest vertical farm operation in the Southeastern U.S. The vertical farm grows lettuce and microgreens, with the capacity to produce over 10 million heads of lettuce per year. In addition to the location in Georgia, Kalera operates two locations in Orlando and is building new facilities in Hawaii, Minnesota, Seattle, Columbus, Denver, and Houston.

Microdrink cubes launch in the U.S.

UK-based waterdrop crafts small flavored beverage cubes that can be dropped into water, and the product will now be sold in the U.S. The tiny sugar-free cubes consist of unique fruit- and plant-based extracts like elderflower, cactus fruit, artichoke, starfruit, and thyme. The company aims to encourage people to drink more water while simultaneously reducing single-use plastic bottles typically used for cold beverages and water. Due to the fact that the cubes are small and compact, this reduces both plastic bottles and the energy it takes to ship liquid-filled bottles throughout the world.

Beyond Meat to refocus on chicken products

Beyond Meat is known for its alternative beef and pork products like burger patties, breakfast patties, and sausages, but now it will be focusing on the development of alternative chicken products. The company produced plant-based chicken strips in 2012, but pulled the product after its alternative beef and pork products gained more popularity. The plant-based chicken product will likely be available this summer. In 2019, Beyond Meat partnered with KFC to pilot plant-based fried chicken in an Atlanta, Georgia location, and the product sold out in five hours.

Food Tech News: Carbon-Negative Cutlery at Target, Upcycled Food Label Launches

Welcome to your weekly Food Tech News round-up! Many companies in the food tech space made efforts to honor Earth Day, so this week all of our news is relevant to sustainability. We have stories on AirCarbon cutlery launching in Target, a new upcycled food certification, BlueNalu’s essay contest, and Perfect Day’s new advisory council.

Restore AirCarbon Cutlery launches in Target nationwide

Newlight Technologies‘ brand Restore produces carbon-negative cutlery from its proprietary material called AirCarbon. At the beginning of this week, the cutlery launched in Target locations nationwide. The cutlery is carbon-negative because its created from biodegradable plastic made from absorbed greenhouse gases. The straws and cutlery are dishwasher safe and, if disposed of, will decompose in a landfill. A 24-piece pack of wrapped straws costs $2.99 and a three-piece cutlery pack with a natural fiber carrying case costs $4.99. The products are available on Target’s website and in stores.

Upcycled food label officially debuts

Vegan, organic, non-GMO, and gluten-free food labels exist, and now a label exists for products comprised of upcycled food ingredients. The Upcycled Food Association officially launched the “Upcycled Certified” label this week. The certification can be used to signify if food, beverages, pet food, dietary supplements, cosmetics, or household cleaners contain upcycled food ingredients. The organization defines upcycled food as essentially any food using ingredients that otherwise would not have gone to human consumption and ended up in a food waste destination. The organization’s goal with the newly debuted certification is to empower consumers to make climate friendly purchases through upcycled food products.

BlueNalu announces scholarship winners

BlueNalu, producers of cell-based seafood, held a contest called the Eat Blue Essay Contest in collaboration with the Research Chefs Association (RCA). The point of the contest was to prompt discussion around sustainable seafood and ocean conservation goals set forth by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Culinary students of RCA from around the world were encouraged to submit essays. This week the three finalists were announced, and the essays can be read on the Eat Blue website. BlueNalu is awarding the finalists with scholarships to support educational expenses.

Perfect Day forms advisory board

Berkley, California-based Perfect Day, pioneers in fermented animal-free dairy, announced this week that it has formed a Sustainability & Health Advisory Council. The advisory board includes former Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman, cardiologist Dariush Mozaffarian, Leonardo Di Caprio, and several other leaders in the food, agriculture, and nutrition space. The council members will help guide Perfect Day on decisions regarding health and the environment. Perfect Day recently commissioned a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment to evaluate the environmental impact of its non-animal whey protein, and the report found that it generates at least 85 percent and up to 97 percent fewer greenhouse gas emissions than conventional production methods.

Food Tech News: Compostable Milk Packaging, Vegan Fast Food Goes Public

Happy weekend, and welcome to the Food Tech News round-up this week. This week we have news on JOI’s new compostable packaging, Sunbasket’s single-serving prepared meals, and a vegan fast-food company that’s gone public.

If you haven’t heard, The Spoon is on Clubhouse! “Food Tech Live” is the name of the room, and every Friday The Spoon team discusses news in food tech.

JOI launches zero waste oat milk

JOI produces nut paste concentrates that can be blended at home to make fresh plant-based milk, and the company just released a new product, an oat powder concentrate in fully compostable packaging. The powder contains only one ingredient, oats, and the 12 oz container produces a gallon of oat milk when blended with water. Once used, the packaging can be composted at home or at a commercial composting center. Many other plant-based milk packagings cannot be recycled, nor composted, According to the company, this is the first fully compostable plant-based milk product on the market.

Sunbasket launches single-serving prepared meals

Sunbasket, a subscription-based meal delivery service, just released single portion sizes of its Fresh & Ready prepared meals. The Fresh & Ready meals do not require any prep like the company’s meal kits, and can be heated up in a microwave or oven within a few minutes. The prepared meals are delivered fresh, not frozen, and start at $8.99. Starting April 25th, the single portion meals will be available for purchase on the company’s website. Throughout 2021, 65+ new meals will be released.

The first vegan fast-food company to go public

Globally Locally, a vegan fast-food chain based in Canada, began publicly trading TSX Venture Exchange under the symbol GBLY yesterday, April 16th. Rather than IPO, the company entered an agreement with Black Lion Capital Corp to consolidate as Globally Local‎ Technologies Inc. Globally Locally manufactures and distributes its own plant-based protein and dairy alternatives, and can therefore offer prices comparable to other fast-food chains at its restaurants. Menu items include traditional fast-food fare made vegan, including burgers, wings, fries, shakes, and breakfast sandwiches. The eight restaurant locations primarily operate as smart kitchens offering pick-up and delivery. Within the next 12 months, the company aims to open at least 20 locations across North America. A few other vegan companies trade on the Canadian stock exchange, including The Very Good Food Company, Eat Beyond, and Modern Meat.

Third Aurora to Bring Augmented Reality to Beer Labels

I’m not ashamed to admit that sometimes I solely pick out a can of beer based on the label artwork. Sometimes there isn’t enough information listed on the can to make an educated decision, so I let bright and colorful artwork catch my eye. Third Aurora, a tech company focused on augmented reality (AR) and machine learning, is gearing up to launch its platform for augmented reality beer labels so beer cans do provide more information. The platform is in the form of a mobile app called Beerscans, which will be made available for users in the upcoming months.

Matt Hallberg, one of the cofounders of Third Aurora, said that many breweries have interesting stories and are doing things behind the scenes, like focusing on sustainability, but the consumer isn’t able to get the essence of the brewery from just one can. A beer can only has space for a few brief sentences and consumers typically have to go on the brewery’s website to learn more.

Augmented Reality Packaging - Beverage Packaging Demonstration - Third Aurora

The Beerscans mobile app uses the phone’s camera, augmented reality and computer vision to scan a beer can, and the app recognizes the circumference of the can and the label. An augmented reality label then pops up and hovers over the can. The augmented reality label will share the story behind the brewery and beer, tasting notes of the beer, and other information that a brewery may want to share. Breweries interested in being a part of the Beerscans app must sign up through the Beerscans website and upload desired information through the website’s portal.

Previously, Third Aurora launched Winerytale, an app that is the same concept as Beerscans, except for wine bottles. Living Labels is another company that has partnered with a handful of wineries to provide AR labels including the popular 19 Crimes winery. Drink AR launched in 2020, and provides AR labels for wineries, breweries, and distilleries.

Third Aurora aims on launching Beerscans in about three months, and it will be available for free on both iOS and Android. Third Aurora is in the process of signing up breweries and wants to have at least 100 breweries signed up prior to the launch.

Food Tech News: Oat Milk Gin and a Traveling Grocery Store

Welcome to the weekend and the spring season! If you happen to find yourself caught in a spring shower while admiring wildflowers, this is the perfect time to scurry home catch up on some Food Tech News. This week we have stories on the first oat milk gin, a traveling grocery landing in Chicago, and Shelf Engine’s technology being implemented in an independent grocery store.

The first oat milk infused gin launches in Finland

Finland-based Arctic Blue Beverages produces an award-winning gin and the company launched a new product this week – a vegan oat milk infused gin. The inspiration came from one of the board members, who is a former CEO of a Finnish oat producer. The new product is called Arctic Blue Oat and is a mixture of organic, gluten-free oat milk and gin. The company’s website describes the flavor of its newest gin as “…the flavour of an oaty blueberry pie, smothered in vanilla sauce and topped off with a generous sprinkling of cardamom.” Arctic Blue Oat will be available in Finland within the next few months, and then shortly after be distributed to other countries throughout the year.

Photo from Pop Up Grocer’s Instagram

Pop Up Grocer travels to Chicago

Pop Up Grocer is a traveling grocery that offers hundreds of unique food, pet, body care, and home items, and moves to a different major city every 30 days. After popping up in Los Angeles, New York, and Austin, Pop Up Grocer’s next location is Chicago. The grocery concept emphasizes selling products that are plant-based, health-conscious, and unique, and Pop Up makes an effort to buy from brands that are women and BIPOC owned. Additionally, the temporary grocery store will offer brands that currently just sell online, like Loca and Magic Spoon. The Pop Up Grocer will be in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago from April 30 through May 30 before moving to the next city.

Photo from Raul Gonzalez on Unsplash

Kimberton Whole Foods employs Shelf Engine to reduce food waste

Kimberton Whole Foods, an independent grocery chain in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, has reduced food waste and increased sales of fresh foods through the use of Shelf Engine, an artificial intelligence (AI) software that helps grocers order inventory more accurately. After implementing Shelf Engine’s technology, Kimberton Whole Foods said it has increased fresh food sales by 42 percent to 70 percent. The technology has also enabled the grocery store to reduce out-of-stock items and shrink. Shelf Engine’s technology helps ensure grocery stores have enough product on hand, but not so much that it would spoil. Kimberton Whole Foods is using Shelf Engine in all six of its stores, and plans to apply the technology to more categories in the future.

Food Tech News: Google AI Cake, Chipotle’s Bitcoin Giveaway and Robot Food Delivery

Welcome to the first Food Tech News round-up of April! This week we have news on a cake created by Google artificial intelligence, Kiwibot hitting the streets of Santa Monica, Ember’s new travel charger, and Chipotle’s bitcoin giveaway.

Google artificial intelligence created a cake recipe in partnership with Mars Wrigley

Google Cloud engineers created a machine learning model that uses hundreds of existing baked good recipes to develop a completely new recipe. The result was a “Cakie” (a cake and cookie hybrid) and the components of what makes a cake and cookie were generated with artificial intelligence. For the partnership with Mars Wrigley UK, Maltesers (chocolate-covered malt balls) were incorporated into the recipe to create the first-ever “Maltesers AI Cake.” Google trends revealed that “sweet and salty” was a top search trend, and the cake recipe used a buttercream frosting infused with Marmite. Earlier this year, the same machine learning model was used to create two totally new baked good recipes, the “Cakie” and “Breakie”.

Kiwibot and MealMe partner for food delivery in Santa Monica

MealMe, an app that compares prices and times of food delivery services, and Kiwibot, a teleoperated robot service that delivers food, have partnered to deliver food in Santa Monica. On April 1st, the companies began delivery for Blue Plate Taco and Red O Restaurant on Ocean Ave. Kiwibot’s robots provide contactless food delivery, and so far 100k deliveries have been completed in Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Jose, Denver, Taipei, and Medellin,

Ember launches car charger to keep beverages warm on the road

Ember, the creator of the self-heating coffee mug, has created a car charger to keep Ember Travel Mugs warm all day. The Ember Travel Mug is capable of keeping a beverage warm for three hours, but now it can be plugged directly into a car charger for an all-day charge. The car charger costs $49.95 on Ember’s website.

Photo from Chipotle

Chipotle hosted a giveaway of free burritos and bitcoin

For National Burrito Day, Chipotle partnered with the founder of Coil, Stefan Thomas, to giveaway $100,000 worth of Bitcoin and $100,000 in burritos. To win, contestants had 10 chances to guess a six-digit code. The giveaway only lasted for nine hours on April 1st on BurritosOrBitcoin.com. Update: I tried, and did not win.