Almanac Insights

Scout is a manufacturer and distributor of canned seafood, sourcing its products directly from regional fishing communities. The company prioritizes responsible fishing practices that support local economies and emphasize environmental sustainability. By managing fisheries that focus on worker and ecological well-being, Scout aims to reduce food waste and protect oceans and waterways. Their canned seafood is crafted using traditional methods, combined with an artisan approach, allowing customers to prepare their favorite dishes at home. The company supplies specialty shops, including bakeries, seafood markets, and cheese shops, showcasing its commitment to quality and community.

BlueCart, Inc. is a free ordering platform designed to connect restaurants with suppliers, streamlining the wholesale procurement process. The company provides an operations management and inventory ordering service, enabling restaurants to efficiently consolidate and track their inventory orders while allowing suppliers to receive orders, market their products, and manage incoming requests through BlueCart’s website. Key features of the platform include real-time messaging between sales representatives and restaurants, customizable price sheets, and an ordering interface that fosters relationships between buyers and suppliers. BlueCart's solutions are accessible via both web and mobile applications, available on Android and iOS. Founded in 2014 and based in Washington, D.C., BlueCart was previously known as Improvonia, Inc. before rebranding in October 2015.

Onfleet is a B2B software company based in San Francisco, California, specializing in last-mile delivery logistics. Founded in 2012 by a team of engineers from Stanford University, Onfleet facilitates efficient communication of locations between businesses and their customers. The company's platform offers a web-based dispatch dashboard for routing, tracking, and analytics, along with mobile applications for drivers on iOS and Android. Onfleet's features include real-time order tracking, automated customer notifications, and a RESTful API that allows businesses to integrate their existing tools. The platform supports a variety of industries, including food, beverage, grocery, laundry, pharmaceuticals, retail, and e-commerce, enabling thousands of businesses worldwide to manage and analyze their delivery operations effectively.

FOXTROT is a grocery store operator that specializes in offering a curated selection of products, including wine, spirits, groceries, snacks, ice cream, and various lifestyle items. Founded in 2013 in Chicago, Illinois, FOXTROT has expanded its presence to Texas and provides customers with the convenience of shopping through its website and mobile application. Orders are delivered to customers' doorsteps in under an hour, enhancing the shopping experience with a focus on everyday essentials. The company was co-founded by Mike LaVitola, Brian Jaffee, and Taylor Bloom.

Smallhold, Inc. is a farming technology company based in Brooklyn, New York, specializing in the cultivation of mushrooms through innovative, climate-controlled mini farms. Established in 2017, the company employs automated and modular growing systems that are remotely managed and available on a subscription basis. This technology allows food industry professionals, such as restaurants and grocery stores, to produce a consistent and reliable supply of local mushrooms tailored to their specific needs, regardless of external climatic conditions or market fluctuations. By leveraging advanced data analytics, Smallhold develops precise climate recipes to optimize mushroom growth, ultimately shortening the supply chain and enhancing the accessibility of fresh produce.

Kingdom Supercultures specializes in the development and production of microbial cultures that assist food manufacturers in creating innovative food products. Founded in 2019 and based in Brooklyn, New York, the company offers Koji, a traditional Japanese ingredient used in various fermented foods and beverages. Their technology utilizes an extensive biobank of Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS) microbial strains and employs automated systems to characterize and assemble these strains into new combinations. This enables the production of plant-based foods that replicate dairy flavors, low-alcohol beverages with rich taste, and effective natural preservatives. Kingdom Supercultures collaborates with clients across multiple sectors, including food, beverage, personal care, and beauty, focusing on enhancing the health and sustainability of food offerings.

Scout is a manufacturer and distributor of canned seafood, sourcing its products directly from regional fishing communities. The company prioritizes responsible fishing practices that support local economies and emphasize environmental sustainability. By managing fisheries that focus on worker and ecological well-being, Scout aims to reduce food waste and protect oceans and waterways. Their canned seafood is crafted using traditional methods, combined with an artisan approach, allowing customers to prepare their favorite dishes at home. The company supplies specialty shops, including bakeries, seafood markets, and cheese shops, showcasing its commitment to quality and community.

Meati Foods is a Boulder, Colorado-based company specializing in the production and sale of fungi-based meat alternatives. Founded in 2016, the company aims to provide sustainable and nutritious plant-based options that serve as an alternative to traditional meat products. Meati Foods utilizes a proprietary fermentation process to create minimally processed steaks made from natural ingredients, ensuring its offerings are free from common allergens. The company markets its products online, making them accessible to a wide audience seeking vegan food choices that are both healthy and environmentally friendly.

Good Catch Foods focuses on creating vegan and plant-based substitutes for seafood. Founded in 2016, the company offers a variety of products including plant-based shredded tuna, crab cakes, and fish patties, all made from ingredients such as pea proteins, lentils, chickpeas, and fava beans. Originally based in New York, Good Catch has since moved its headquarters to Newtown, Pennsylvania, where it continues to innovate in the field of plant-based seafood alternatives.

Gro Intelligence, Inc. is an agricultural data analytics company that provides insights to enhance productivity and access to capital in the farming sector. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in New York, with an additional office in Nairobi, the company employs proprietary algorithms and artificial intelligence to aggregate, process, and analyze data related to weather patterns, trade flows, pricing dynamics, and production. Its platform offers computational and visualization tools that enable financial institutions, corporations, and government entities to make informed decisions regarding supply chains, climate change, and food security. By bridging data gaps across global agriculture, Gro Intelligence synthesizes diverse farming data points from various sources, delivering a comprehensive view of factors influencing commodity markets. The company emphasizes the importance of combining artificial intelligence with human insight to transform raw agricultural and climate data into actionable knowledge.

Good Culture, LLC is a producer of organic dairy products based in Irvine, California. Established in 2014, the company specializes in real-food cultured dairy items, focusing on all-natural cottage cheese that is thick, creamy, and low in sugar. In addition to cottage cheese, Good Culture offers probiotic gut shots and sour cream, all made with simple ingredients and devoid of artificial additives. By providing these products through various stores across the United States, Good Culture aims to help consumers enjoy dairy in a health-conscious manner.

Bowery Farming Inc. is a modern agricultural company based in New York, specializing in post-organic produce. Founded in 2014, the company focuses on growing a variety of greens, including baby kale, lettuce, arugula, and basil, using innovative indoor farming techniques. By leveraging advanced technology, such as its proprietary BoweryOS software, Bowery Farming creates optimal conditions for plant growth, allowing it to operate without pesticides and using significantly less water compared to traditional farming methods. This technology enables the company to be over 100 times more productive on the same land footprint. Bowery's products are distributed through grocery stores and featured in the menus of renowned restaurants, emphasizing the company's commitment to providing fresh, sustainable produce to consumers.

HeatGen specializes in self-heating technology that transforms ordinary food and beverage packaging into self-heating containers. This innovative technology allows for the heating of prepared food and beverages through a flameless thermal reaction, enabling consumers to enjoy warm meals and drinks conveniently in various settings, including on-the-go, at offices, during outdoor activities, and in emergency situations. By providing a safe and efficient means of heating food within its packaging, HeatGen serves a wide range of applications in the food and food packaging industries. The company, founded in 2007 and based in Austin, Texas, was previously known as Ironbridge Technologies, Inc.

Spindrift Beverage Co., Inc., founded in 2010 and based in Newton, Massachusetts, specializes in producing unsweetened sparkling beverages made with real squeezed fruit. The company offers a range of drinks that combine triple-filtered sparkling water with authentic fruit flavors, such as lemon, raspberry lime, and strawberry, without any artificial sweeteners. Spindrift aims to provide consumers with refreshing beverages that promote a healthy and active lifestyle through the use of real ingredients.

New Barn, Inc. is a producer of plant-based organic foods, specializing in a range of almond-based products including almond milk, almond cream, almond dips, coffee, and buttery spread. Founded in 2015 and headquartered in Rohnert Park, California, the company has established itself as a leading brand in the organic refrigerated almond milk market within the natural retail channel in the United States. New Barn offers unique products such as AlmondCrème, a non-dairy frozen dessert, and its Barista Almondmilk, which is designed to meet the needs of both professional and home baristas, providing a non-dairy alternative that mimics the performance of dairy milk. The company's products are available through online retail and are distributed to thousands of natural, specialty, and conventional retailers across the nation.

Sfoglini LLC, founded in 2012 and based in Brooklyn, New York, specializes in the production of innovative specialty pasta. The company sources high-quality American organic semolina flour and unique ingredients from local farms and green markets to create its products. Sfoglini emphasizes traditional pasta-making techniques, utilizing bronze dies to achieve a rough texture that enhances sauce adherence, and employs a slow-drying process at low temperatures to preserve flavor and nutrients. By offering seasonal and specialty pasta alongside organic New York state grains, Sfoglini aims to provide consumers with authentic Italian-style pasta that can be conveniently delivered to their homes.

Nona Lim, LLC is a producer of Asian food products based in Oakland, California, established in 2014. The company specializes in non-GMO, dairy-free, and gluten-free offerings, including heat-and-sip bone broth, broth pouches, soup cups, and noodle bowls. Nona Lim emphasizes the use of fresh, local, and organic ingredients to create its products, which are designed to provide authentic Asian flavors and comfort food experiences. The company distributes its products through retail shops and online platforms, catering to consumers seeking convenient meal options that can be customized to their preferences.

Foodstirs, LLC is a Santa Monica-based company that specializes in providing food crafting kits and healthy entrée recipes designed to engage children in learning basic cooking skills. The company offers a variety of products through its Junk-Free Bakery, which include lower-sugar and USDA organic baking kits, mixes, and ready-made treats such as donuts, muffins, and brownies. By focusing on better-for-you sweet baked goods, Foodstirs aims to foster connections among families through the joy of baking. Their offerings are available online, allowing consumers to either bake these treats themselves or enjoy them ready-to-eat.