The Checkout: OneRare Launches Food Metaverse; Conscious Foods Creates Gene-edited Salad Greens

Welcome to The Checkout: an express lane for the weekly news you need to know, always 10 items or less.

OneRare Introduces Foodverse Of Celebrity Chefs, Food Brands and Virtual Restaurants

The metaverse reached into the food industry yesterday with the launch of OneRare’s Foodverse platform. Created by husband and wife duo Gaurav Gupta and Supreet Raju during pandemic lockdowns, the company aims to merge the global food and beverage industry with Web3.

“I have long said that food has a language of its own and makes the world a happier place,” stated Raju in a press release. “It is what connects us and the metaverse only brings us closer together in a unique way in which we can share our culture and our food. Now with the launch of the foodverse, there is no reason why brands and consumers can’t come together in this safe, virtual setting.”

Users will be able to create virtual experiences, food NFTs and games, and interact with other food-interested users from around the world. The foodverse was designed “like the real world” the co-founders said, with various geographical features like beaches, forests and lakes and areas for users to discover new things including celebrity chefs, food brands and virtual restaurants.

The platform initially launched in November, however its founders say high interest in the platform helped expand their vision into the “first full-service food metaverse” with in-world games, chef and brand partnerships, including Trufflin NYC, and “exchanges of virtual assets for real world utility.”

Additionally, users will be able to claim “Dish NFTs” of “global cuisines, festive specials, keto and vegan-friendly recipes, as well as signature recipes from celebrity chefs and restaurants.” The “Dishes” are created when users collect ingredients and follow recipes on the gaming platform and can then mint the “artwork.” As the platform grows, its co-founders said users will be able to then swap these NFTs for meals in the real world.

“Since OneRare is a celebration of food, we would be remiss to not address world hunger,” Raju said in the release. “Working with our F&B partners, we aim to raise funds with special NFT sales and foodverse events.”

Conscious Foods Aims To Farm Fruits and Veggies With Food+tech Platform

During this week’s Future Food-Tech show in San Francisco, food tech company Pairwise unveiled the first product launch under its new Conscious Foods brand: a line of nutrient-dense, salad greens called Conscious Greens. The product is made with CRISPR, a gene-editing technology that Pairwise claims can produce more “nutritious, flavorful new varieties” of seedless blackberries, black raspberries and pitless cherries.

“When my co-founders and I started the company in 2017, we wanted to create a different kind of food+tech company, one that really focused on the end benefits of its products to consumers and customers,” said Haven Baker, Chief Business Officer at Pairwise, in a press release. “Now, in 2022, we believe that the best way to realize this vision is by launching a purpose-driven consumer brand– Conscious Foods.”

Alongside the brand launch, Conscious Foods introduced its Nutritionist Advisory Council, a panel of nutrition experts tasked with developing new fresh produce items that align with its mission of lowering the barriers to healthy fruits and vegetables. Conscious Foods will grow its greens in Monterey County, California, and has also committed to supporting the local food bank in addition to a $10,000 donation to its program.

“Monterey County is one of the most productive agricultural production regions in the world, yet it is also one of the hungriest counties in California,” said Melissa Kendrick, CEO and Executive Director of the Food Bank for Monterey County, in a press release.

Blue Apron Adds Breakfast

Meal kit delivery service Blue Apron is now offering the most important meal of the day: Breakfast. The new items, designed to be prepared in under 15 minutes, will be a part of Blue Apron’s Add-Ons offerings, slotting in alongside appetizers, side dishes and desserts.

The new products will be available on a rotating weekly basis and include Fried Egg & Prosciutto Sandwiches with Smoked Gouda & Calabrian Mayo, Cheesy Egg & Bell Pepper Tacos with Chipotle Sour Cream, Buttermilk-Cornmeal Pancakes with Maple-Fig Syrup & Pistachios, Creamy Spinach & Egg Sandwiches with Parmesan Cheese and Sourdough French Toast with Cherry-Maple Syrup & Almonds.

“As we were designing these recipes, we wanted to go beyond the basics and explore multiple breakfast formats, from traditional to more indulgent options, while still offering interesting flavor combinations that our customers have come to expect from us,” said John Adler, Blue Apron’s Vice President of Culinary, in a press release.

The announcement comes a month after the company announced it would double its marketing spend to draw in high-value customers. Additionally, Blue Apron expanded beyond meal kits with a selection of Heat-and-Eat products in September followed by the announcement of a $78 million capital raise in November.

“As a culinary team, we plan to continue to iterate on the breakfast options based on customer feedback,” he continued. “We want to further expand the Add-ons category, along with our offerings as a whole, to continue to give customers the flexibility to make choices that better fit their lifestyle.”

Instacart Launches New Platform For Grocery Retailers

Online grocery shopping platform Instacart launched Instacart Platform, allowing retailers access to its consumer marketplace technologies which can then be used to power their own online retail operations. The new offering aims to help grocers improve their customer experience both online and in-store with solutions for five key departments: Fulfillment, Ads, Insights, In-store and E-commerce.

“The grocery industry is undergoing a digital transformation where customers expect a seamless experience across many channels, but behind the scenes it’s taking an incredible amount of work and investment for retailers to deliver these new services,” said Fidji Simo, CEO of Instacart, in a press release. “We’re looking to change that with Instacart Platform. We started as the e-commerce and fulfillment partner of choice for grocers, and we’ve been building on that foundation to broaden and deepen our capabilities, in order to help retailers innovate faster than ever on their own properties.”

To support this launch the ecommerce platform will also introduce new omnichannel capabilities – Carrot Ads, Carrot Warehouses and Carrot Insights – in partnership with retailers including Schnuck Markets, Publix and Key Foods. The announcement follows the launch of its new social media Shoppable Recipe integration technology earlier this week.

The EVERY Company Makes Animal-free Macarons With Chantal Guillon

The EVERY Co. announced a new partnership with French macron brand Chantal Guillon to launch a co-branded animal-free macaron made with EVERY EggWhites. The product is available in a six count variety box including Earl Grey, Passionfruit, Pistachio, Strawberry, Tahitian Vanilla and Dark Chocolate flavors.

“Today is also the first time consumers anywhere in the U.S. can get a taste of EVERY EggWhite and the fruit of seven years of deep R&D,” said Arturo Elizondo, CEO and founder of EVERY, in a press release. “It is an honor to bring this to the world with a brand known for having the highest standards – Chantal Guillon, and in an application that has been touted as the ultimate litmus test of egg white functionality in the culinary world: the iconic French macaron.”

The macrons will be available for a limited time in Chantal Guillon stores and online for $28 per box. The launch comes four months after the company partnered with juice maker Pressed on a co-branded protein smoothie product launch that boasted the functionality of EVERY EggWhite while focusing on its neutral taste.