Plonts launches plant-based cheese category after raising US$12 M seed funding

USA – Plonts, a California-based plant based foods company formerly known as Tezza Foods, has emerged from stealth mode, introducing its first product: an aged plant-based cheddar. 

The product is now available at select restaurants in New York City and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Founded in 2019 by Nathaniel Chu and Josh Moser, Plonts operates as a public benefit corporation dedicated to developing sustainable fermented foods by harnessing microbial communities to convert low-cost plants into novel food categories. 

After years of research and development, the company has announced the establishment of its first pilot plant in Oakland, California, following a successful US$12 million seed funding round led by Lowercarbon Capital. 

Other investors in the round include Litani Ventures, Accelr8, Pillar, Ponderosa Ventures, and several angel investors.

Plonts employs a fermentation process akin to traditional cheese-making, substituting soy for cow’s milk. 

The company has engineered a proprietary mix of cultures and enzymes to transform the soy base into a cheese-like product with the desired tangy and savory flavors.

Josh Moser, who has a background in early-stage climate and sustainability ventures, and was previously a partner at the venture capital firm Petri, co-founded the company with Nathaniel Chu, whose expertise lies in ecology, evolution, and bioengineering. 

Chu, a former PhD student at MIT, specialized in the gut microbiome’s role in inflammatory diseases before embarking on this venture.

Plonts is supported by a distinguished advisory board, which includes Scott Norton, co-founder of Sir Kensington’s; Bernhard Van Lengerich, former Chief Scientific Officer at General Mills; Peter Rahal, founder of RXBAR; and Brandon Jew, head chef at several renowned San Francisco restaurants. 

The team also boasts two former employees of Impossible Foods, adding further expertise to the company’s efforts to revolutionize the plant-based cheese market.

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