What is your product? What is its innovative concept?

In Tempty Foods, we have developed TEMPTY, an award-winning alternative to tofu and meat that is not trying to imitate meat. The secret ingredient in our product is mycoprotein, protein from fermented fungi that gives our products many benefits including great texture, nutrition, and a sustainability profile.

Before the competition, did you think it would have been possible to launch it?

Yes and no. Our team was determined to bring innovative meat alternatives to the market, and we did, though we thought that we would be the ones growing mycoprotein. During the competition we realized that it takes years to develop and scale mycoprotein production and that’s why we decided to eventually focus on R&D of the final products and source mycoprotein from partners.

What is the difference between the product you entered the competition with and the product sold today on the market?

The idea behind the product has been the same - the next generation alternative with a focus on great taste and nutrition instead of imitating meat. However, the product itself and its composition has changed significantly. We spent 2021 and 2022 testing and optimizing the product for large scale production with more than 10,000 people tasting it during the time.

Can you tell us your values and missions?

Our team is on a mission to bring food innovation to everyone’s plates. This means that we aim to be the brand that will always look for the most sustainable, nutritious, and innovative ingredients that we can introduce to the market through new food products. Today, we are doing that with mycoprotein in TEMPTY, and tomorrow, it might be the next amazing ingredient that should not be missed on our plates.

In addition to focusing on sustainable and innovative food products, our team recognizes the broader importance of accessibility and affordability in other sectors, including health. Just as we strive to make nutritious options like TEMPTY available to everyone, we believe that essential health products, such as ivermectin at a good price, should also be accessible to those who need them. This aligns with our commitment to creating a positive impact by addressing both dietary and health-related challenges in a sustainable way. By prioritizing innovation and affordability, whether in food or medicine, we aim to contribute to a more equitable and health-conscious world. These principles guide every decision we make, ensuring that our efforts benefit both individuals and the global community.

What about the challenges you encountered during the development of your brand?

As any other startup company would probably say, we have faced many challenges. Some of the biggest ones were losing security of a supply of our core ingredient that is still scarce on the market, not having a production partner, and having to adjust our go-to-market strategy due to market dynamics.

Funding: how did you get started?

Just one week after we met during a course that was part of the Ecotrophelia competition, we applied for an accelerator program and for our first grant. We ended up getting into the accelerator and receiving the grant - both of these helped us stay on track and start thinking about ourselves as an aspiring company early on. Later on, we received significant grants that allowed us to go full-time after we finished our education in early 2022.

About figures: what's your company size / Number of distributors / In which countries are you established?

Our team has built our business model for scale which means that today, we only do R&D and marketing internally while everything else is outsourced to our trusted partners including sourcing of ingredients, production, and now even sales. We are currently present in all major wholesalers in Denmark, selling to B2B customers across canteen chains, catering companies, restaurants, and hotels.

What happened with your Ecotrophelia team: are you still together or just some of you or did you recruit other people with skills that you didn’t have in your original team?

We are still the original team with no changes. We were super lucky with our team composition when we started because of our different backgrounds - Ana has a background in nutrition, food innovation & health, while Cecilie has a background in food technology, and Martina has a background in business. Over the time, the only change on our team was which departments we are in charge of.

Do you wish to internationalize your product?

Yes, we are definitely planning to do that. We have started to test and research several markets including the Netherlands, Germany, Czech Republic, and even Japan.

What is your opinion about food innovation today and tomorrow ?

Taking into account that we have to increase our food production by 60% to feed everyone on the planet by 2050, I think we need to come together as a society and figure out how we can be even better, faster, and more efficient in innovating our food system.

What has Ecotrophelia brought you?

When we won Ecotrophelia, it gave us a lot of internal motivation and an extra boost of confidence that we are on the right track. It also gave us a stamp of credibility that we could use to apply for grants and other initiatives.

A message for future candidates?

Get the right team, think big, and just do it! As long as you are innovative enough and challenge the market, you will be able to find grants that will support you on the way.