MINNEAPOLIS (March 1, 2023) — Answering the call for healthier, more sustainable and better-tasting solutions, Cargill and the young food-tech company CUBIQ FOODS have signed product co-development and commercial go-to-market agreements aimed at developing and accelerating wide-scale commercialization of CUBIQ FOODS’ innovative fat technologies.
With this strategic partnership, Cargill will now have access to CUBIQ’s innovative technologies to help customers develop plant-based alternative foods with benefits that surpass typical products made with animal fats or tropical oils, such as:
enhances flavor,
may improve total fats and saturated fats,
may improve caloric content, and
may incorporate essential fatty acids (omega 3).
CUBIQ’s novel fats, including Go!Drop®, join Cargill’s existing portfolio of plant-based solutions, spanning plant proteins, texturizers and a full array of traditional fats and oils.
“By embracing new technologies, harnessing our full ingredient toolbox and leveraging our global application knowledge, we’re poised to accelerate the development of the next-generation plant-based products. Ultimately, it will be a win for consumers, as we enable food manufacturers to create products and solutions with an eye toward both people and the planet,” said Vivek Cherian, Meat and Dairy Alternatives Category Leader for Edible Oils at Cargill.
The new fat technologies can be used across multiple applications and are especially relevant in the plant-based meat and dairy alternative space, where fats and oils play pivotal roles in structure, taste, texture, and nutritional profile. Most current plant-based options fall short of consumers’ expectations, but CUBIQ FOODS’ line of “smarter” fats help close the gap, including advances that replicate animal fat in terms of visual appearance, mouthfeel, and bite.
“Signing the joint development and commercial agreements represents the next phase in our partnership, as our groundbreaking technology is now ready for application development, production scale-up and widespread commercialization – roles that Cargill is uniquely equipped to help us advance,” said Andrés Montefeltro, chief executive officer at CUBIQ FOODS. “Together, we’ll help food manufacturers and consumers reimagine what’s possible in the quest for healthy and satisfying foods.”
Cargill first invested in CUBIQ FOODS in May 2022, as part of ongoing efforts to more rapidly advance promising food technology and support customers with novel solutions. The collaboration complements Cargill’s previous investments in alternative protein sources, including PURIS and Upside Foods (formerly known as Memphis Meats), and aligns with the company’s ambition to be a leader in innovative food ingredients.
Media Contact: media@cargill.com
About Cargill
Cargill helps the world’s food system work for you. We connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients and families with daily essentials—from the foods they eat to the floors they walk on. Our 160,000 team members around the world innovate with purpose, empowering our partners and communities as we work to nourish the world in a safe, responsible, sustainable way.
From feed that reduces methane emissions to waste-based renewable fuels, the possibilities are boundless. But our values remain the same. We put people first. We reach higher. We do the right thing. It’s how we’ve met the needs of the people we call neighbors and the planet we call home for 157 years—and how we’ll do so for generations to come. For more information, visit Cargill.com and our News Center.
About CUBIQ FOODS
Dr. Raquel Revilla and Andrés Montefeltro started the Granollers (Barcelona, Spain)-based company in 2018. CUBIQ FOODS uses cell culture, microencapsulation of omega-3 oils and new oil/water emulsion formulas to respond to the growing demand for healthy ingredients in the food sector. The company has developed a technology platform to produce cultivated fats and omega-3-rich cell-based oils and has new patented methods for preparing structured oil/water emulsions to replace plant and animal fats in food production. It is the first company focused on these types of food applications on an industrial scale. CUBIQ FOODS aims to lead the quest to incorporate the "omega-3 daily dose" for a variety of functional food products. (Functional foods offer additional or enhanced benefits above their basic nutritional value.) The company is ready to replace animal fats in processed meat, and coconut oil in plant-based products globally. It is partnering with large food and ingredients producers to make this vision a reality. For more information visit cubiqfoods.com |
