For my internship this summer semester I’ll be working with an ingredient company focused on fighting global food loss by upcycling byproducts from food manufacturing into premium ingredients and plant-based products. Their flagship ingredient is organic okara, a high-fiber, high-protein, gluten-free flour made from nutritious leftover soybean pulp and the company has been able to add more ingredients to the list since starting up. The company is a woman-owned business that was founded in 2016 and based in Oakland, California. It is also a private company and they focus on building an economy of food that is better for people and the planet. Some of the company’s customers or clientele are other companies that use the ingredients in their CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) products.
The company is backed by a few of the industry’s top culinary minds with products and recipes developed by a 5x James Beard award winner. This award is given out annually to recognize individuals and organizations in the culinary arts, hospitality, and broader food system by the James Beard Foundation. Another milestone is that the company won the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Future Food Disruptor of the Year award in 2018. In 2022, the company was able to launch six products into Whole Foods Market stores nationwide, and with its sales diverted more than 66,000 lbs of food waste according to the company, and an article in Food Business News. The company has also been featured in Forbes, Insider, The Washington Post, Today, and FOOD52.
The company is small in size with about 2-10 employees. I’ll be reporting directly to the president of the company. The now-president originally joined as a Director of Sales and Marketing but quickly maneuvered into the presidential role after taking on additional responsibilities at the company. I believe I’ll also be working closely with the Social Media Coordinator. I know that I’ll be working on various projects including marketing assets, enhancement of the website, campaign development, refinement of informational documents, etc.
During my research about the company, I was able to find two articles that briefly go over the company, and how it is a part of the game-changing solution to global food waste. In the first article “Can Upcycling Solve Our Big Food Problem? Why the Trend Could Change Everything”, the company’s product is mentioned as number three on the list of products and companies contributing to reshaping the future of food. The company is a part of transforming how we view waste and turning it into high-quality products. The second article posted on Food Business News details how the company secured funding for its growing business in 2023. This funding aided in expanding the company’s product line, and this helped the company to continue ensuring its’ mission of putting food to its’ best, and highest use.
Citations | References
- Axworthy, N. (2025, February 17). Can Upcycling Solve Our Big Food Waste Problem? Why the Trend Could Change Everything. VegNews.com; VegNews. https://vegnews.com/upcycled-snacks-environment-food-waste
- Watrous, M. (2023, June 6). R****** M** secures funding to expand product line, distribution. Foodbusinessnews.net; Food Business News. https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/23961-renewal-mill-secures-funding-to-expand-product-line-distribution
