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New Ventures in the Unreasonable Food Collaboration

Today marks a major milestone in the journey toward a more sustainable food system as Mars and Unreasonable Group welcome fourteen pioneering ventures into the Unreasonable Food™ initiative. This collaboration aims to build the next generation of companies focused on addressing food system challenges through innovative solutions.

Mars and Unreasonable Group have joined forces to back entrepreneurs who are tackling some of the most pressing issues within our food supply. The Unreasonable Food program, initiated in 2024, serves as a platform for these ventures to scale their operations and make significant impacts on sustainability.

Commitment to Collaboration

Amanda Davies, Chief RD, Procurement and Sustainability Officer for Mars Snacking, emphasizes the importance of collaboration in facing the monumental challenges of the food system. “Addressing the challenges in our food system is a task bigger than any one organization,” she stated. With an ecosystem that connects innovative entrepreneurs with industry leaders, the initiative aims to unlock new possibilities and accelerate the transformation toward sustainability.

The fourteen selected ventures are set to embark on their mission with a keen focus on reducing dairy cattle emissions, scaling sustainable ingredients, and creating solutions for sustainable colors. As they integrate into the Unreasonable Food family, these companies represent the next frontier of advances in sustainability.

Meet the 2025 Cohort

The 2025 Unreasonable Food cohort includes:
1. Alpine Bio Engineering: Working on crops, such as soybeans, to produce dairy proteins that maintain familiar textures without using cows.
2. Standing Ovation: Focusing on precision fermentation to create animal-free casein, which provides authentic dairy textures for a variety of food products.
3. Oobli: Harnesses sweet proteins derived from plants to create a sugar-like taste without the sugar, utilizing fermentation to ensure scalability.
4. Debut Biotechnology: Develops natural color alternatives through fermentation to replace unsustainable or synthetic ingredients.
5. Octarine Bio: Produces a range of vibrant and natural colors through fermentation processes that ensure sustainability.
6. DE3PBIO: Using AI and biotechnology to unlock functional plant-based ingredients that enhance the cleanliness, healthiness, and nutrition of foods.
7. NuCicer: Breeds new chickpea varieties with significant protein content while improving their taste and climate resilience.
8. Plantible Foods: Extracts sustainable Rubi protein from Lemna, a plant that can act as a substitute for eggs and dairy.
9. Hydrosome Labs: Pioneers the use of ultrafine bubbles to enhance fermentation yields, increasing efficiency in biomanufacturing.
10. Pow.bio: Innovates continuous fermentation technology that reduces production costs and enhances bio-based production capacity.

This diverse array of ventures aims to reshape the future of the food industry by focusing on supply chain transformation and sustainability.

Results from the Inaugural Cohort

The inaugural cohort from 2024 has already shown remarkable progress, generating nearly $200 million in additional revenue, avoiding 140,000 tons of CO₂ emissions, and conserving 310 million liters of water. They have impacted the lives of millions by providing safe, nutritious food, educating communities on climate change, and creating job opportunities.

Daniel Epstein, CEO of Unreasonable Group, expressed his enthusiasm in welcoming these entrepreneurial innovators. He stated, “Their work reflects our shared ambition to evolve the food system in ways that are sustainable and inclusive.”

The Future of Unreasonable Food

Both the 2024 and 2025 cohorts will collaborate closely with Mars teams, mentors from Unreasonable Food, and a global investor network to augment their transformative work. Their primary goals are to reshape food supply chains and influence the future landscape of food production.

As the world faces growing challenges related to food and sustainability, the Unreasonable Food initiative stands as a beacon of hope. By amplifying the innovative efforts of these ventures, Mars and Unreasonable Group aim not only to tackle immediate challenges but also to inspire a revolutionary approach to how we grow, produce, and consume food.

For more details about Unreasonable Food and its initiatives, visit Unreasonable Food.

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars, Incorporated operates with the philosophy that today’s business practices will build a better tomorrow. The family-owned company boasts a diverse portfolio that includes iconic brands such as ROYAL CANIN®, PEDIGREE®, and SNICKERS®. Since its inception, Mars has remained committed to quality and corporate responsibility across its many business ventures.

For more information, please visit Mars.com and follow us on social media.

About Unreasonable Group

Unreasonable Group is a Colorado-based company committed to supporting growth-stage entrepreneurs through its Fellowship program and strategic partnerships with global brands. Operating in over 180 countries, the company has backed 501 ventures to date, positively impacting the lives of over 1.4 billion people. Their mission is to re-purpose capitalism to create a just and sustainable future.