Nature’s Fynd is a Chicago-based company that develops proteins that are microbe-based for dairy substitutes and meat substitutes. The former name of the company was Sustainable Bioproducts LLC, and its focus was on biofuel. Nature’s Fynd develops animal-free protein, which is produced by a fungus that is found in Yellowstone National Park.

The company started in 2012, and it is completely based in Chicago. There were so many federal agencies in the United States which gave funds to Nature’s Fynd, such as the Department of Agriculture, National Science Foundation, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and Environmental Protection Agency. Other than federal agencies, there are other investors like ADM, 1955 Capital, Danone, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Softbank, and Generation.

Let’s look into other information about the company.

Company Overview

Here is the basic information about Nature’s Fynd.

Company Profile

Company History

Mark Kozubal was into a study of life in an extreme environment in 2009, and the project was funded by the NASA. In that expedition, he was able to find the Fy protein, which he derided from the acidophilic fungus named Fusarium strain flavolapis. The fungus was found in Yellowstone National Park.

The main purpose of the study was to take preparation for sending a space probe, and NASA wanted to search for life forms on other planets. On the other hand, postdoctoral researcher Kozubal found that he could make convert the fungus into a lipid. After that, they could turn that into biodiesel. The idea was executed on November 13, 2012, under the name of Sustainable Bioproducts LLC.

Company Journey

The company took its first major step when it partnered with Montana State University, and both organizations started to understand the market of MK7. Later, they signed a contract with Yellowstone, where Yellowstone gave them permission to harvest its land, and it was a profit-sharing agreement. A couple of federal agencies took a forward step in funding the company.

National Science Foundation

Phase I- $149,848 (2013)

Phase II- $620,779 (2014)

Environmental Protection Agency

Phase I- $99,944 (2014)

Phase II- $749,939 (2020)

National Aeronautics And Space Administration

Phase I- $123,809 (2018)

Phase II- $749,939 (2020)

Department Of Agriculture

Phase I- $99,989 (2014)

Kozubal and Jonas teamed up and gave their 100% effort in using of Fy to make biofuel, rather pivoted of food. There was a time when the company was into converting biological waste. In 2019, the company raised its Series A funding, where it was able to raise $33 million, and the main investor was 1955 Capital which was a Silicon Valley Venture.

In the Series A funding, there were other investors like Bill Gates, who gave $1 billion in funding, and there was backing from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Jeff Bezos, Richard Benson, Micheal Bloomberg, and ADM Ventures as well. At the time of Series A funding, there were 22 employees from the University of Chicago’s Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

In 2020, the company changed its name into Nature’s Fynd and raised Series B funding. And the company was successful in raising $80 million. At that time, the company shifted to a 35,000-square-foot plant in the Union Stock Yard. The company started its Kombucha journey as well. At the time 2020, there were 100 employees.

Then the company started to produce cream cheese, beef sliders, chicken nuggets, chocolate mousse, and pork dumplings, and everything was animal-free. In 2020, the company again raised $45 million, and there was the backing of $158 million as well. Bill Gates, one of the investors of Nature’s Fynd, talked about the company in an interview with Anderson Cooper of the year 2021. In that same year, the company announced its products- meatless breakfast patties and dairy-free cream cheese.

Nature’s Fynd Customer Reviews

Before you decide to purchase any of the products from Nature’s fynd, make sure that you go through these customer reviews to have a clear understanding if these are beneficial for you at all.

“My husband eats cream cheese almost everyday so I was excited to try a healthier version. After getting over the texture, he liked the flavor and said it tasted like his regular cream cheese. The texture was too weird for me and the taste seemed off. There was a definite after taste and I could only eat a couple bites.”

“The flavor was fine but this cream cheese “spread” was not actually easy to spread. It clumped together on the bagel I tried to smear it on. The taste was good, as I said, but the texture was not good. I kept it in the fridge, like other cream cheeses, but it was hard. I might try to sit it out at room temp next time to let it soften.”

“I ran out of regular cream cheese and was ready to try this dairy-free one this morning. Had my sandwich toasted and ready to be spread on. But when I opened Fynd there was some nasty mold in it. It was sealed and another week away from expiration date. Did not dare to try and had to eat a sad sandwich without cream cheese.”

“Tried the chive and onion and it was really good. The texture is really nice and spreadable. I’ve tried a few dairy free cream cheese brands in the past and they always seem to have a weird texture to me. We used this in a dip that typically has regular cream cheese in it, and it was a great substitute, no one noticed that it was dairy free.”

“It was out the first time I looked for it. What can I say, there is not any cream cheese that is better than the one that I like. I used it in a recipe because it had a strange aftertaste. I must like my dairy. I tried the chive and onion because that was the only flavor I could find.”“Although it is dairy free, the taste is amazing. I really really wanted to try the chive and onion flavor but I wasn’t able to find it at my local whole foods. I used the original one with jams or honey and still tasted pretty good. Hope they will release other flavors in the future.”

Frequently Asked Questions!!! (FAQs):

Here are some interesting questions and answers that most people ask bout Nature’s Fynd.

Final Words

So, where to buy nature’s Fynd?

I hope now you have got the idea about the company and most importantly how and where to buy. The company is basically a revolution in vegan products. There are other companies that add so many different things to their foods, but Fy protein is really good for health. Also, there is no actual data about the worth of the company, but I hope that it will be between $4 to $6 billion.

I hope you find this article informative and interesting.Thank You.

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