Alpha Foods Sells To LiveKindly With “Completely Renovated” Products

Ahead of the relaunch of a “completely renovated” plant-based product portfolio that will see high-moisture extrusion (HME) technology integrated into its production process, Alpha Foods announced today it has been acquired by LIVEKINDLY Collection (LKC), a plant-based alternative platform launched by Roger Lienhard, the founder of venture firm and Alpha Foods investor Blue Horizon. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

According to Shaun Richardson, LIVEKINDLY Collective U.S. general manager, under LKC’s wing Alpha will open up more production facilities and “inherently have access to larger innovation capabilities being a part of the six member Collective.” The California-based plant-based protein brand was founded in 2015 by Loren Wallis and Cole Orobetz. Alpha’s primarily focuses on ready-to-heat frozen meals that are sold at over 11,000 stores across the U.S. spanning grocery, natural, club and conventional channels. The company also operates internationally selling mainly in Asia as well as the Middle East.

An early seed and Series A investor in Alpha, Blue Horizon also contributed to the plant-based company’s $28 million Series B round in 2020. Just weeks after that investment, Blue Horizon announced the formation of LKC to hold several of its brands, including Fry Family Food Co, Like Meat, No Meat, Oumph!, and The Dutch Weed Burger. LKC also owns media platform LIVEKINDLY Media as well as a “cutting-edge” manufacturing facility in Oss, Netherlands that has the capability to produce a wide range of plant-based products and formats using high-moisture extrusion (HME) technology.

The news comes as Alpha Foods nears the launch of its “completely renovated” plant-based meal solution portfolio, co-founder and CEO Cole Orobetz told NOSH last week, which integrates high-moisture extrusion (HME) technology into its production process to improve the product’s nutritionals and texture. The result is a shorter ingredient list, lower carbohydrate count, and higher protein contents.

Evolving the product line has been on Alpha’s to-do list for quite some time: Orobetz said the project has been in the works for nearly three years, stating that while HME is not a novel process, “not all HME protein is created equally.” The new proteins will first roll out across the brand’s Chik’n Nuggets, Strips and Crispy Chik’n Patties and, later, in its convenience-oriented burritos, tamales and wraps.

“We took the time to really make sure that we were bringing the best HME to the market, given that there are incumbents out there that have a similar product, but we knew that when we brought this out as a standalone protein the platform [would give it a] foundation to elevate the other [finished] products that we have in our portfolio,” said Orobetz.

Beyond manufacturing synergies, Alpha has continued to build relationships within Blue Horizon’s broader investment portfolio. The company recently announced partnerships with JUST Egg and The Every Co, which both also count Blue Horizon as an investor.

Alpha will begin incorporating scrambled JUST Egg into its early morning offerings including its 3-SKU line of breakfast sandwiches and four breakfast burrito products. Orobetz said in addition to co-branding the products, the two partners anticipate “a number of fun marketing activations” to introduce consumers to the new lines and call out the collaboration.

“[JUST] has always pushed the boundaries on their product and this one in particular was such a great match to complement our breakfast line,” said Orobetz. “Partnering with a market leader like JUST, given their presence and brand recognition, was really a no brainer.”

In May, Alpha also announced a joint development agreement with animal-free food tech company The EVERY Co. to create “next-level” gelation qualities to improve the taste and texture of alternative meat products. Orobetz explained that while EVERY is known for its animal-free egg white protein ingredient, that partnership lives within a “totally different vein” of its R&D pipeline as it is specifically focused on improving binding agents and textures used in alt-meat.

While Alpha settles into its new home, it is also in the process of updating its look. The brand is moving away from terms like “vegan,” with Orobetz citing a recent study that found consumers are less likely to purchase products with that callout. He believes these improvements will also put Alpha in the good graces of retail buyers who are increasingly requesting more “innovative and unique” plant-based products, rather than another burger or nugget, with more “veg-forward” and shorter ingredient lists.

“Alpha solves a number of the retailer challenges as well, which is [because] we have all day parts and all formats,” said Orobetz. “It makes it easier for retailers to buy from one brand who can consistently deliver [across] multiple day parts in multiple formats versus having to go to multiple different suppliers and get products that may not be consistent with [what they are looking for.]”

The company’s next chapter will also bring an exploration into new channels, such as the U.S. military, hospitality and “micro-markets” such as corporate offices. Orobetz said it had been exploring these areas before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now, three years later, the brand is gaining more traction.

But beyond the product format and distribution, the landscape of the plant-based sector is also shifting with brand consolidation and others throwing in the towel. Earlier this year Wicked Kitchen acquired plant-based seafood maker Current Foods in a cashless deal. That brought increased manufacturing synergies to Wicked’s business, which had also acquired plant-based seafood maker Good Catch from Gathered Foods in 2022.

Following the Good Catch deal, Gathered subsequently became an investor in Wicked Foods; both entities are backed by Unovis Capital. With the sale of Good Catch, Gathered shifted to entirely focus on its B2B efforts, which include Trellis, an Ohio-based production facility and Gathered Proteins, a proprietary collection of plant-based proteins. The relationship between the three companies, Current Foods and Unovis is synergistic, crossing food service, supply chain and CPG products.

At the time of the Current deal, Wicked CEO Pete Speranza predicted that the plant-based industry would see more consolidation, bringing suppliers and brands together.

Alpha, it seems, may benefit from similar business dynamics. Orobetz said throughout the pandemic Alpha tapped its peers in the plant-based space for “mutual assistance” in navigating the ever-evolving range of supply chain disruptions. Now with LKC as a larger strategic platform behind it, Richardson believes it can accelerate the Alpha business “in the U.S. and beyond.”

“The supply chain and challenges were very real for us, as well as the changes in customer commitments,” said Orobetz. “It was a wild ride, but we have an amazing team that navigated through it as best they could and we really leaned on other industry peers and partners to help guide us through.”