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Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

SIMPLi

SIMPLi Is Building a Regenerative Agriculture Network Using Soil Testing

The Spoon recently covered single-origin ingredients company SIMPLi’s mission to increase transparency in the food supply chain. The Baltimore-based company is implementing sensory technology and tracking data from farm to cargo ship to retail store.

SIMPLi is also working to bring its international network of grain, legume, spice, and oil producers to a more environmentally friendly standard — and the key to achieving that goal is soil testing.

In identifying growing partners, SIMPLi considers both farming communities that currently use conventional techniques but would like to move toward regenerative organic agriculture, and communities that have already implemented regenerative practices.

“A lot of our farmers have been doing these practices for thousands of years,” SIMPLi co-founder Sarela Herrada told the Spoon in a recent Zoom interview. “It is driven by niche Indigenous practices, but the certification really empowers them and creates differentiation on the shelf. It allows us to create a stable market where we can go to the farmers and say, ‘we’re gonna buy your whole crop for the next two or three years, at a fair price and above-market price.’”

When SIMPLi teams up with farming communities to transition to regenerative organic farming, they start by testing finished products for pesticide and glyphosate residues. As the communities implement new practices, the company also routinely analyzes the levels of phosphorus, nitrogen, and other minerals found in the soil. And to understand the impact that the new techniques are having on the farms’ carbon footprints, the company also tests the soil to see how much carbon it’s sequestering. (All of the company’s testing is done by third-party, certified laboratories.)

This month, SIMPLi announced new Regenerative Organic Certifications for its quinoa and lupini beans, which are grown in Peru. The certification, which is overseen by the Regenerative Organic Alliance, is helping SIMPLi and its growers to communicate the impact of its practices to consumers.

To earn the certification, SIMPLi and its growers had to step up their soil regeneration practices even further: “We were working with companies that were growing quinoa,” Herrada said. “And that quinoa was rotated with maybe one other crop. But to get certified, it had to be rotated with at least three different crops.”

The company also communicates to consumers using social media, allowing potential buyers to see the difference that it’s making. “We have boots on the ground throughout the world, working hand in hand with these farmers on better practices,” company co-founder Matt Cohen told The Spoon over Zoom. “We can capture that with photography and videography.” The team is also exploring the possibility of using QR codes on product packaging to link consumers to content about that product’s journey along the supply chain.

SIMPLi sells its products directly to consumers via its website, and helps other businesses to source ingredients. Cohen said that the team is working to build more long-term, business-to-business partnerships with clients who are hoping to go carbon neutral or carbon negative. “That’s where SIMPLi adds value,” Cohen said. “We create fully vertical supply chains for our clients that are fraud-free, and that drive environmental impact.”

Regenerative agriculture and technology are sometimes framed as two opposing forces influencing the food system — but SIMPLi’s tech-driven approach to tracking and quantifying farming practices’ effects shows that the two can work hand-in-hand.

Image Credit: SIMPLi

SIMPLi Uses Sensory Technology to Increase Transparency in the Supply Chain

Launched in 2019, SIMPLi is an ingredient company that works directly with farming communities worldwide to eliminate unnecessary middlemen, shorten and streamline supply chains, and reduce fraudulent activity. To achieve that aim, SIMPLi uses IoT technologies to help farmers in places like Greece and Peru who use regenerative farming techniques and helps them command an above-market premium for their crops. SIMPLi has helped 560 farmers transition to more sustainable farming techniques.

“Right now, our vision as a company is to have a seamless traceable platform that our clients, from a B2B perspective, and our consumers, can leverage directly to see the full international supply chain for each ingredient that they either consume or purchase from us,” said Matthew Cohen, SIMPLi cofounder told me recently.

SIMPLi’s data tracking starts at the farm, where it tracks soil and crop health. In processing facilities, the company’s sensors ensure that nothing is tampered with. Once loaded onto cargo ships, SIMPLi uses GPS tracking and sensors that track the temperature and other environmental metrics are implemented. Arriving at facilities in the U.S. is one of the last steps before reaching the client.

There is “a lot of different touchpoints where we’re using technology and there’s a lot of data along these touchpoints that we want to capture, which we’re already doing today,” said Cohen.

Murky supply chains can hide major issues like slave labor, animal welfare, food fraud, child labor, ingredient sourcing, and environmental pollution. With emerging reports of these issues, consumers are asking for better options. They’re rewarding companies that give it to them; A recent survey found that 94 percent of consumers are more likely to stay loyal to a completely transparent brand. Additionally, 55 percent of customers shared that social responsibility and sustainability were important factors when deciding what product to buy.

SIMPLi recently raised an undisclosed seed round and launched its regenerative organic red, white, and tri-colored quinoa in 49 Whole Foods locations on the East Coast. Its e-commerce site hosts products such as sustainability-grown olives, olive oil, and quinoa. If you’ve eaten food from Sweetgreen, Daily Harvest, or &pizza, there’s a good chance you may have already eaten SIMPLi’s quinoa, gigante beans, artichokes, or olive oil.