POACHED, BOILED, OR FRIED?: Plant-based ‘sunny-side up’ eggs served by Israeli food tech startup
With over 95 billion eggs consumed every year in the US, and each egg requiring 53 gallons of water to produce, we need a better solution.
RICKY BEN-DAVID: An Israeli food tech startup is serving up what it calls the world’s first plant-based poached and fried eggs (also known as sunny-side up eggs), aiming to debut in US restaurants later this year following a seed round of $5 million.
Yo! Egg (also Yo-Egg) was founded in 2019, developing an egg-free product that produces poached and fried “eggs,” complete with the equivalent of the egg whites and runny yolks but without the cholesterol, the company says. It uses a blend of plant-based proteins, water, sunflower oil, soy, flour, “and a few more simple ingredients,” all 100% vegan, to make its “whole egg” product.
The startup, based in the northern town of Pardes Hanna, operates in a global vegan egg market that is expected to grow to $2.6 billion in value by 2026, up from about $650 million in 2019, according to a 2022 Research and Markets report.
The company is also one of several global brands, including Vegg, Just Egg, Crackd, and Israeli startup Zero Egg, that are already offering plant-based egg products such as egg replacers or mixes for scrambled eggs or omelets.
However, Yo! Egg focused on developing the “whole egg” experience for those who prefer the taste and texture of cooked eggs. The startup also has a line of boiled “eggs” in development…
“With hundreds of millions of people across the world demanding plant-alternatives for their favorite proteins, Yo! Egg’s first-of-its-kind eggs will be a hit in restaurants nationwide,” said Levy-Weiss, who serves as general partner at NFX, in a statement…
“The Yo! Egg team has a unique mix of extraordinary product innovation expertise and engineering talent that we believe will help our company revolutionize the way the world produces and consumes eggs,” said company CEO Eran Groner, who co-founded Yo! Egg alongside Yosefa Ben Cohen, who serves as CTO, and Nisim Ben Cohen, COO.
Stray Dog Capital Partner Johnny Ream said of the company, “With over 95 billion eggs consumed every year in the US, and each egg requiring 53 gallons of water to produce, we need a better solution”… The company’s stated mission is to become “the largest and most sustainable egg producer in the world, without the chickens” while holding “the cholesterol, cruelty, and climate change”. SOURCE…
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