EP46: Becoming the ingredients supplier for the next generation of food - Renewal Mill

Apple Stitcher Breaker

Guest

Caroline Cotto

Role

COO

Launched

2016

HQ

Oakland, CA

Flagship Product

Okara - a flour made from the byproduct of soymilk manufacturing that has 4x the dietary fiber of traditional whole wheat flour.

Renewal Mill on In Good Hands

Background

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 30 to 40 percent of the food produced for human consumption in the U.S. is wasted at a cost of more than $200 billion, and $1.2 trillion worldwide. And this amount of waste has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation, and climate change.

Solution

Renewal Mill is a next generation ingredients company that's reducing food waste by upcycling the byproducts of food manufacturing into high quality ingredients and products. Their vision is to create a new circular economy of food that closes the loop in today’s current supply chain, keeps valuable nutrition from going to waste, and reduces our impact on the environment.

Episode Brief

Caroline Cotto, COO at Renewal Mill, joins us on this week’s episode to discuss:

  • The notion of upcycling and how it works

  • Incubating at Hodo Foods

  • Going-to market as an ingredients company

  • Okara flour and their product pipeline

  • Interesting companies built on upcycling

  • Getting onto retail shelves amidst COVID

  • Her take on my “idea of the week”

Credits

HOST

Peter Levin

PRODUCTION

Dan Mahoney

MUSIC

Eddie Knuckles

Peter Levin