FS6 Newsletter - July 2020

Amidst the challenges of Covid-19, FS6 is excited to welcome the expertise of three Entrepreneurs-in-Residence to the team- as well as celebrate FS6 CEO, Caesaré Assad, for being recognized for her passion and leadership in the world of food and agriculture.

FS6 Community News and Updates
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We don’t need to tell you twice that this is a wild time to be in the food industry - whether you are seeing hardship or prosperity, we are all learning and iterating as quickly as we can to support our communities through these challenging times. For FS6, we quickly adjusted our Cohort 5 program agenda to support each entrepreneur through the specific milestones and challenges that they were facing in response to Covid. And in the midst of it all, we have launched a new Circular Economy Startup Program along with evangelizing for our portfolio and pushing for systems change.

In addition, and thanks to a large outpouring of support from our community - not to mention a lifetime of dedicated food-systems work - FS6 CEO, Caesaré Assad was selected as one of the finalists for the Emerging Leaders in Food & Ag. You can see some of the fruits of her labor below in the "podcast episodes and articles featuring FS6" - with more to come next month!  

On another exciting note, FS6 has welcomed three Entrepreneurs-in-Residence to the team! FS6 Portfolio alumni, Andrew Falcon, combines his commercial, operations, and entrepreneurial expertise with his background in the circular economy to support the newest FS6 program; another alum, and founder of the recently-exited PastureMap, Christine Su brings her expertise in both the meat sector and software space to the table; and Ethan Rublee is working with us to empower food systems and farmers through his passions for machine learning, open-source technology, and agriculture.

It's been an eventful few months for portfolio updates so I will keep it brief here. But don't forget to spread the word and apply to the Huhtamaki Circular Economy Startup Program by Food System 6 before August 15th!

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Podcast Episodes and Articles Featuring FS6:

• FoodCrunch Podcast with Katrina Stanislaw (FoodCrunch, featuring Caesaré Assad)
• Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg (FoodTank, featuring Caesaré Assad)
• Soup-to-Nuts Podcast: Circular Economy Startup Program (FoodNavigator, featuring Caesaré Assad and FS6 Portfolio companies Renewal Mill and Central Grazing Co.)
• How Food & Ag Innovation Ecosystem is Mobilizing For Solutions During COVID-19 (The Spoon, featuring Caesaré Assad)
• 15 Inspiring Quotes and Questions to Guide the Food System Forward (FoodTank, featuring Caesaré Assad)
• Feeding Frenzy: Berkeley Law Programs Help Launch New Foodtech Startups (Berkeley Law, featuring Renske Lynde)

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Updates from Cohort 5:

Matt Kreutz, founder of Firebrand Artisan Breads, combines his passion for baking with social impact in Oakland, CA by disrupting recidivism and donating back to the community. Thriving through a second recession since opening, this bakery's approach to enriching the community stays steady and they are on track to emerge stronger than ever.

Dedicated to bringing sustainable practices to her community for nearly three decades and a recent recipient of the ReFED COVID-19 Food Waste Solutions grant, Matriark Foods founder, Anna Hammond, continues to promote circularity in food production through her line of upcycled broths and soup bases. 

Revel Meat Co provides humane animal processing to small and midsize ranchers in the Pacific Northwest, supporting ranchers in securing financial stability without compromising quality. Join Ben Meyer and Jimmy Serlin in the conversation around the role of small processors in the meat sector, changes needed in public policy, and how to take action.

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FS6 Portfolio News

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Portland Startup Revives the Milkman Model for Farm-Fresh Produce (Bloomberg, Featuring MilkRun)

What Happens to Lavish Office Perks in a Post-Pandemic World? (Quartz, Featuring Fare Resources)

Business is Booming for Many Small, Local Meat Processors and Butchers, as Massive Slaughterhouses Face COVID Crises (Business Insider, Featuring Kunoa Cattle Company)

9 Bay Area Food Companies Whose Upcycled Treats Are Battling Food Waste (7x7, Featuring Renewal Mill)

On-Farm Data Unlocking Sustainability Premiums in the Post-COVID-19 World (PrecisionAg, Featuring FluroSat)

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The Chef Ann Foundation has been staying busy through school shutdowns and working hard to showcase those feeding families from our school cafeterias - including former private chef Mihoko Obunai who took her culinary skills to the schoolhouse.

Check out their multimedia series, Hero Highlights, to hear more of these stories.

Check out this Food Talk podcast to learn more about the work the Center for Good Food Purchasing is doing to support sustainable food purchasing at institutions (like the Escondido School District). In it they talk about the impact large institutions and their purchasing power has on the entire food chain and how institutional policy changes can benefit entire communities.

Equitable Food Initiative recently celebrated 5 years of helping businesses promote safe labor practices for employees.

Some recently certified operations include:
- Homegrown Organic Farms
- California Organic Stone Fruit Operation
- Misionero
- Promotora Agricola El Toro

In addition to the these new certifications, amidst the upheaval surrounding Covid-19, EFI has promoted Kenton Harmer to Managing Director. Congratulations Kenton!

FluroSat's Anastasia Volkova was just named one of MIT's 35 under 35! (More on that here.) All of this while rolling out a new research collaboration with ISU and doubling down on FluroSat's sustainability efforts.

Interested in learning more about how artificial intelligence is transforming agriculture? Read this Analytics Insight article, featuring FluroSat.

Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, FoodCorps members have continued to keep students learning about food, provided hands-on-help, and promoted food sovereignty in their communities through school gardens.

To learn more, take a listen to this FoodTank podcast episode discussing the importance of nutritious school meals and access to healthy food.

Grocery delivery company MilkRun has been seeing an unprecedented boom in the wake of Covid-19. Prior to the outbreak hitting their home-state of Oregon,  they were making about 175 home deliveries each week. Now they are doing 2,000 in the same time period! To hear more about this experience, check out this OBP podcast episode featuring founder and CEO, Julia Niiro. Needless to say, they’ve been getting some attention - being named one of e.venture’s top seed companies to watch and getting a great feature in Bloomberg Businessweek.

Oh, and in the midst of it all, they launched their expansion to the Seattle Area!

Exciting news for FS6 Cohort 1 company, PastureMap! They recently announced their acquisition by SoilWorks Natural Capital, a public benefit corporation that invests in, incubates, and acquires companies to help accelerate environmentally critical regenerative practices. Founder Christine Su recently joined the FS6 team as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, and has provided mentorship to our portfolio members in the meat sector for three months!

Mokhtar Alkhanshali founded Port of Mokha to elevate the underrepresented Yemeni coffee sector through technical instruction and improve the lives of Yemeni people. You can now find Port of Mokha coffee around the world, like in this community-focused coffee shop in Kuwait. 

Listen to more of Mokhtar's story in Episode 10 of the Finding Humanity Podcast

Renewal Mill has just launched a new product, in collaboration with Tia Lupita - the first ever upcycled tortilla (plus it’s grain-free)! And, in case you missed it, their gluten-free brownie mix is perfect for people who love a crispy but gooey edge.

Entrepreneurship is all about teamwork, and Renewal Mill has got a powerful duo guiding the ship - as they work together to fight climate change with their line of upcycled Okara flour products. You can learn more about Renewal Mill's COO, Caroline Cotto, in this great interview.

Catch Pete Brennan, Co-Founder of Soñar Foods, on the Naturally Bay Area podcast "Rapid Re-Planning", exploring how brands can take a step back to ensure they thrive in the long term.

Jena Brentano, Founder of Tiny Farms, shares some candid "founder to founder" advice on the value of removing status stage-gates in the hiring process.

Facing disruption across the food supply chain, Founder of Valley Verde, Raul Lozano, teamed up with the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition to deliver vegetable seedlings to families in need across the San Jose area - promoting food sovereignty at no cost to the environment!

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News & Events from the Ecosystem​

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EVENT: Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum 2020
September 15-17, 2020
*Virtual

FS6 is partnering with the Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum for our annual cohort 5 pitch event this fall, and it's going virtual! View the agenda and register now. Use discount code FS6-15 for 15% off the cost of attendance.

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WEBINAR: Listening to Black Leaders with Real Food, Real Stories
August 6 & September 3
9:00 PM – 10:30 P.M. EDT

Real Food, Real Stories (RFRS) uplifts inspiring personal stories from the Bay Area food community and curates live monthly gatherings to foster a food culture around authentic sharing, generous listening, and a connection to our shared humanity. Register for an upcoming gathering here. Learn more about the Facilitating Stories for Impact training in August here.

If you have completed the Facilitating Stories for Impact training- or do so this fall- you can apply to the RFRS 2021 Facilitator Cohort! Applications open in September. ​

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PROGRAM OPPORTUNITY: Good Food Makers
October 2020

Good Food Makers is a chance for you to work directly with Barilla’s team of experts in a flexible, primarily-remote 8-week program designed to address current challenges your business is facing. The program includes one intensive week where you’ll work one-on-one with Barilla to set goals, brainstorm solutions, meet with mentors, and solve technical challenges. Apply by August 8, 2020.

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WEBINAR: Explore the Circular Economy
Tuesdays
12:00 P.M. GMT+1, Recordings available

Brush up on your circular economy knowledge with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's weekly web series, Explore the Circular Economy!

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WORKSHOP SERIES: How to Stay Healthy While Sheltering-In-Place

FS6 friend and partner, Le'ola Wellness, is offering a four-part workshop series for businesses trying to keep their employees healthy in the times of COVID.

Summary:
This is such an interesting time to think about workplace wellness because the health of the work-from-home employee suddenly demands a lot more ownership from the individual. To show up as a productive cyber-team member, each person must also be successful at nourishing themselves, finding creative ways to exercise, and be actively supporting their immune system. All while juggling home responsibilities. It is a lot for anyone to manage!

This work-from-home emergency kit is a four-part workshop series to supports teams during these unusual times. The program covers:

• Nutritional Strategies to Enhance Immune Function
• Honing your Healthy Home Cooking Skills
• Staying Fit Inside
• Home Office Ergonomics

To learn more, contact Leandra at [email protected].

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Other Articles We're Enjoying:

• How USDA Distorted Data to Conceal Decades of Discrimination Against Black Farmers (The Counter)
• The Secret Lives of Fungi (The New Yorker)
• Pandemics Result from Destruction of Nature, say UN and WHO (The Guardian)
• Eating Our Way to a Healthier Planet (The Washington Post)

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