Plonts has debuted its first product, an aged plant-based cheddar, at select restaurants in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area. The launch comes after raising a $12 million seed round and opening a pilot plant in Oakland, California.
Plonts is making a new category of plant-based foods using an ancient biotechnology: fermentation. They use the same process that turns milk into cheese to turn plants into cheese, but they start with soy milk instead of cow's milk. A specially developed blend of cultures and enzymes create tangy, cheesy flavors as the cheese ages. The result is a bold cheddar that slices, shreds, and melts.
Plonts was founded in 2019 by Nathaniel Chu and Josh Moser. After completing his PhD at MIT studying the human gut microbiome, Chu wanted to apply his love for microbes to creating fermented foods from sustainable, nutritious, and affordable plants. Plonts was born in the corner of a pizza restaurant, where he began experimenting with making his own plant-based cheeses. Moser has spent his career as an operator and investor in early-stage climate and sustainability startups.
Now out of stealth, Plonts has opened a pilot plant and announced a previously undisclosed $12M seed round. This round was led by Lowercarbon Capital, a ClimateTech venture capital fund with >$2B in assets under management. Plonts secured additional investment from Peter Rahal's Litani Ventures, Accelr8, Pillar, Ponderosa Ventures, and a number of angel investors.
Beginning on August 7, Plonts Cheddar will be available in tailormade dishes at select restaurants in New York City and San Francisco. Each of the dishes is plant-based and was developed specifically for the cheddar's debut. Plonts worked closely with the chef team at each restaurant.
Plonts plans to introduce additional products and launch in additional markets and retail locations in the future.
