NEW YORK — Gathered Foods, leading pioneer in plant-based proteins and best known for its disruptive Good Catch® plant-based seafood, announced the evolution of its business, focusing on developing and delivering top-quality novel proteins and product applications to the market. Extending well beyond seafood, this next phase will include alternatives to poultry, dairy, beef, and pork, presented in the myriad forms in which these proteins are consumed. Gathered will continue to build its diverse portfolio of holdings through joint ventures, strategic partnerships, and alliances – all centered around these core alternative proteins.
“Gathered excels at producing highly adaptable plant-based proteins that provide unmatched taste, texture, mouthfeel, and satisfaction,” said Chris Kerr, Executive Chair of Gathered Foods. “We have assembled some of the best assets in the global sector, covering the entire innovation cycle, from ideation to production to distribution to the dinner table. We will leverage all of these to accelerate the adoption of these best-in-class proteins through some of the most recognized food industry players in the world.”
With years of underlying expertise, Gathered was designed and built exclusively for plant-based research, development, and innovation. The business has the capacity and technical capabilities to provide solutions for private label businesses, B2B ingredients, co-manufacturing, and toll manufacturing.
As part of the business unit reorganization, Joel Gfeller, formerly Chief Innovation Officer, has been elevated to President & Chief Operating Officer of Gathered Foods Corporation. Gfeller will oversee everything from product ideation to global production operations and partnerships. This will include oversight of Gathered Proteins, the company’s proprietary and rapidly growing catalog of plant-based proteins and applications, which will provide great value to partners and investors looking to grow their product portfolio. Additionally, Kit Ling Poon has been elevated to Chief Innovation Officer, and will lead the research and development of exceptional and innovative plant-based solutions at Cultivated Food Labs, Gathered’s R&D and technical operation.
“Joel has been an integral part of building and scaling our product pipeline from the founding days of the company,” said Kerr. “With Joel at the helm of Gathered Foods, working closely with Kit Ling on innovation, we are confident that our partners will be extremely impressed with the quality of our proteins, as well as the collaboration in creating their custom offerings.”
The first strategic partnership from Gathered Foods was the acquisition of Good Catch’s North American channels by Wicked Kitchen, announced last week. The all-stock transaction will make Gathered Foods an influential shareholder of Wicked, gaining a seat on the company’s board. The Culinary Food Lab based in Austin, a joint venture between Gathered Foods and Wicked Kitchen, will continue to serve as the main hub of finished recipe innovation and development for Wicked Kitchen and other like-minded brands.
Gathered Foods’ evolved business structure positions the company to significantly scale up its operations, grow its robust protein and application library, and create exciting global and regional partnerships that will expand the market and adoption of great-tasting plant-based offerings across the country and internationally.
About Gathered Foods
Gathered Foods includes five core business units covering the full spectrum of the plant-based foods value chain; Cultivated Food Labs (R&D), Gathered Proteins (proprietary plant-based protein library), Trellis Manufacturing (plant-based protein production), the Culinary Food Lab in Austin, Texas, and the Good Catch brand internationally, named PETA’s 2021 Company of the Year.
