Human resources

Louise Davis asks 10 industry experts in the alt proteins sector how startups can source (and retain) the skilled personnel they require to flourish

The good news is that, unlike many other sectors right now, employment in alt proteins is booming. New roles are going live daily and there’s a constant stream of callouts on social media from those searching for the talent required to grow their young businesses. The not-so-good news is that finding the right people to fill these roles is proving tough.

It’s obvious that such a new sector will have hiring challenges – after all, recruiters can’t exactly demand decades of experience for roles in a sector that isn’t decades old itself. And although some skills are obviously transferable, the alt proteins industry has some specialist roles that simply don’t exist at other companies.

Location is another hurdle. How can a startup source personnel if its home country is somewhere that doesn’t have a strong culture of universities as biotech scientist incubators?

And it’s not only personnel on the biotech side that are in demand – all the firms wanting a piece of the alt proteins pie also need to be hiring the best of the best for their business management, sales, marketing, administrative and production roles. But how do you convince great candidates to take the risk that joining a startup entails? And how can the alt proteins sector ensure its talent is being sourced from as wide and diverse a pool as possible?

We put these questions – and more – to the people who are addressing the human resources challenges. Over the following pages, our lineup of 10 respected industry experts – spanning recruitment specialists, alt protein investors and CEOs of startups – paint a picture of a sector that’s embracing the need to hire – and keep – a diverse and talented workforce that represents the cream of the crop (pun intended).

Startups need the talent to take the businesses forward – much of that talent is working for large organizations

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“It’s not so much a talent shortage per se, it’s more that early-stage environments can be seen as too much of a risk for many of those with the technical skills needed,” believes Mike Meyrick, Managing Director of Meyrick Consulting. “Startups need talent to take their businesses forward – much of that talent is working for large organizations and tempting people out of those safe and secure businesses can be tough.”

Meyrick has also observed a couple of running themes as alt proteins startups try to expand. “A lot of the young companies are headed up by technically minded people with a lack of commercialization skill so a challenge here is finding what’s needed to build on those technical skills to take a product from a kitchen to production,” says Meyrick. “We are currently working with a plant-based protein company with an incredible product, although the founder approached us in full admittance of their lack of commercial skills needed to bring the product to market – asking us to find a Vice President of Sales and other supporting roles to help drive revenue.”

Meyrick also points out another element of the scaling-up puzzle that startups must consider. “This skills or talent gap can also occur when a business achieves a level of revenue that the current leadership team are capable and comfortable with,” he continues. “Bringing a business from US$10 million to US$100 million in revenue is a very different challenge and often requires a change of leadership.”

In terms of specific roles to accomplish the task of scaling a startup, Meyrick says, “Regulatory is finding a seat at many of the food businesses as cultured meat is starting to receive a green light in some regions.” As well as legal and IP expert roles, Meyrick is noticing demand for almost every business role you can think of, and not only for the cultured meat sector. “Much of our work involves early-stage plant-based organizations and it’s never an ‘easy’ task filling any role due to the perceived risk involved in working with early-stage businesses. Throughout 2022, there were a number of assignments that required the full array of roles to help bring a new plant-based product range to market, including R&D, NPD, commercial and production. There are many moving parts to a food business and so maintaining a high-performing team on all sides is critical.”

The challenge of bringing a business from US$10 million to US$100 million in revenue often requires a change of leadership

‍Search optimization

To source staff for such teams, Meyrick undertakes an extremely thorough, 11-step search process. “Using a search firm and having the input from an external specialist that handles the hiring of high-performing talent on a daily basis really helps reduce the chances of hiring the wrong person. Even the most accomplished entrepreneurs will only hire directly a number of times throughout the year, while we handle the identification, engagement and assessment of key individuals across the food and ingredients industry every single day,” he explains. “This is one of the big selling points of Meyrick Consulting – we become the ambassador for the company, we spend a lot of time in constructing employer branding collateral that helps upsell the key opportunities, and qualities of the early-stage business.”

Meyrick also cites the issue of geography as a significant one for startups in this market. “Repositioning an operation in another country to attract talent could be a viable option for some, but it can be a very disruptive and expensive exercise and so, instead, dense pools of talent can often be found in other regions of the same country. One of our current clients with an R&D and production facility in the UK (2.5 hours from the nearest airport) is looking to relocate closer to an international airport while also taking advantage of the UK’s largest food science university and so is considering locations such as Manchester, Nottingham and Leeds.

“Another client based in northern Germany is also challenged with finding local talent due to its remote location,” Meyrick adds. “Despite this we have been able to promote the technology and innovation of this particular company in a way that has attracted the attention of an extremely diverse, international team.”

And once the candidate is in place, how does Meyrick think the startup can retain them? “Competitive compensation,” he says decisively. “This can include salary, benefits, and equity. You also need to foster a positive work environment. This can include providing opportunities for career development, offering flexible work arrangements, and creating a supportive and collaborative culture. You also need to provide clear communication and opportunities for growth – make sure that employees feel informed about the company’s progress and provide opportunities for them to take on new challenges and responsibilities.

“And you need to recognize and reward contributions, show appreciation for the hard work and contributions of your employees and consider implementing a system for recognizing and rewarding top performers.”

There’s a tremendous need for more researchers focused on advancing alternative protein science within academia

Nurturing talent at an early stage is key to addressing skills shortages, believes Amy Huang, Associate Director of Scientific Ecosystems at The Good Food Institute (GFI). “When we zoom out on the entire ecosystem, it’s clear there’s a tremendous need for more researchers focused on advancing alternative protein science within academia,” she states. “It’s an emerging technological field that still has many critical and foundational R&D questions to resolve and these conditions present a really exciting suite of opportunities for scientists and engineers interested in tackling questions that matter for the long-term future of humanity and the planet.”

Huang also points out the role of alternative protein companies in underscoring the need for workforce development. “We recently ran a survey of the startups in our ecosystem and found that more than 50% of the respondents reported difficulty hiring technical talent and viewed talent bottlenecks as posing sizable challenges to their organization’s long-term success,” she continues. “By far the greatest reported need is for scientists and engineers in R&D roles. I can certainly see that evolving as the industry matures and the plurality of the technical workforce focuses more on manufacturing and scale-up than foundational R&D.

Many alternative protein companies report that people with the right skills exist, but they reside in a different location and are unable or unwilling to relocate

“If we take a bird’s-eye view and look across the landscape of companies working on plant-based, cultivated, and fermentation technologies, production platform-agnostic skills are most needed – skills buckets such as food and meat science, process development and scale-up, product development, food safety and regulation, and so on.”

Location-specific

When it comes to finding candidates with those skills, Huang acknowledges that geography does seem to be playing an important role. “Many alternative protein companies report that people with the right skills exist, but they reside in a different location and are otherwise unable or unwilling to relocate. To circumvent or at least mitigate these challenges, startups really ought to be thinking long-term when they decide to set up shop, choosing locations that are cost-effective to operate in, and places people actually want to live, that offer a high quality of life. It’s highly unusual, especially for an emerging field such as ours, to have ready-made robust talent streams to draw from. So, I also want to underscore the critical role companies play in building the scientific and manufacturing workforce that flows into their organization and the broader alternative proteins space. Companies should be looking to establish partnerships with local academic institutions and co-develop training programs that cultivate top industry-relevant talent for your organization and support local economic development.”

Huang and her team at the GFI are doing vast amounts of work to encourage people into the alt proteins sector. “GFI partners with universities to both build the alternative proteins workforce and pick up the pace of scientific discovery,” she reveals. “One of our core initiatives is the ‘Alt Protein Project’, a global student movement that currently spans 36 chapters across 17 countries and five continents. It doubles as an ecosystem-building program, by seeding critical alternative protein courses and research programs globally, and as a workforce development program, by creating an easily identifiable talent stream to flow into the alternative protein sector.

“Another core initiative is our research grants program, which seeds roughly US$5 million a year of open-access scientific research projects around the world so that we’re continuing to advance the state of alternative protein science in the public domain. So many powerful developments have emerged from these two programs, but – beyond them – we also work as a convening platform for the ecosystem, forging key connections across institutional and geographical boundaries to power academic and industry consortia and ensuring that academic research is making it out into the world in the form of real companies.”

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There is not so much a lack of talent, rather a problem with the distribution of talent

“The shortage of talent is not unique to the alt proteins sector,” suggests Robert Boer, Director of Blue Horizon, the Swiss organization that describes itself as ‘a next-generation impact investor’. “What makes it more difficult for this sector, though, is that alt proteins is a very young sector and therefore it lacks access to candidates with significant sector-specific experience.”

According to Boer, there is not so much a lack of talent, rather a problem with the distribution of talent. “Do we really need to build a virtual world where we all unplug from the problems our planet is facing? Shouldn’t we motivate this talent to solve real issues such as unsustainable production and consumption of food? Food is still the lifeline of our existence, even when you are going around as an avatar for most of the day.”

So how can investors help these young companies with their skills shortage challenges? “We recognized the issue of finding the right talent with our portfolio companies and therefore launched a jobs board and talent network designed to match the industry’s brightest talent with live career opportunities,” Boer reveals. “With more than 200 active job listings already, Blue Horizon’s jobs board is one of the largest of its kind in the sustainable food space.

“Additionally, the Blue Horizon Talent Network allows individuals to privately share their career interests with our entire ecosystem of +70 companies so they can be actively recruited. We also started actively promoting hard-to-fill vacancies on our own social media channels and exploring other partnerships to get the most important jobs highlighted.”

From analyzing the vacancies in Blue Horizon’s portfolio companies, Boer reports that most of them are looking for technical roles, from engineers to technicians and scientists. And he says that it’s the more senior roles that are hardest to fill.

For investments in early-stage companies, talent is one of the key determining factors for making a decision

‍Investing in the future

When it comes to his own investment decisions, what role does talent play here? “For investments in early-stage companies, talent is one of the key determining factors for making a decision,” Boer responds. “At such an early stage, it is mostly the founding team you invest in. You’ll be surprised how often founders with a very technical background excel in business. And the best founders know where they fall short and surround themselves with other team members and advisors. The capability to know your shortcomings, to learn and adapt are more important than having an MBA.”

Looking ahead, Boer believes that in the next 10 years, a “new generation of leaders will be promoted to leading positions in the global economy”. Many of this next generation are looking for meaningful jobs and are more aware of (or at least more empathetic toward) the problems our planet and humanity at large is facing. “Alt protein needs to continue positioning itself as one of the key solutions for these problems,” Boer concludes. “If you want a meaningful career, this is where you should apply your skills and talent.”

Many companies in this industry only want individuals who are passionate in their mission – being technically strong isn’t enough

Working as a global cultured meat recruiter at specialist agency Metric Search, Jemima Smither's own job title is one that simply didn’t exist until very recently. But she is certainly not short of heads to hunt. “The most frequent positions that need filling are head of bioprocess/ bioprocess engineer and cell culture scientist (scientists/engineers with skills in cell culture and bioprocess),” she explains. “These positions are required in the early stages of companies in the cell ag space.”

And what about skills shortages? Is Smither noticing any – and if so, where? “Cellular agriculture currently has two approaches: cell cultivation (cellular) and precision fermentation (acellular). Companies specializing in cell cultivation attract a lot of talent from the life science/pharmaceutical industries as there is an overlay in skills that both industries require (cell culture and bioprocessing). There doesn’t seem to be a skill shortage here, but for the companies specializing in precision fermentation, there is more of a lack of talent I would say.”

Risk versus reward

Even when you can source talent initially, how can you encourage strong candidates to take the risk that joining a startup could pose? “People love startups because they are exciting and challenging,” Smither responds. “Of course, there are risks involved, but there are risks in any job,” she observes. “Startups also offer lots of growth opportunities and individuals feel like they can make an impact, especially in this industry, which is very passion driven.”

That passion is something Smither sees from recruiters as well as the talent they are interviewing. “Lots of companies in this industry only want individuals who are passionate in their mission and what they are doing for the world as well as being technically strong. And this is where specialist recruiters can help: the most frequent question I ask for individuals looking to move into this space is, ‘Why?’ Digging deep on that side helps me screen the best candidates for these roles.”

Lots of candidates are willing to relocate for the amazing opportunities this industry presents

Specialist recruiters can also assist in tackling geographic challenges, Smither notes. “There are many ways around talent shortages if companies are struggling, such as looking outside their geographic region for people who are willing to relocate, and this is also where specialist recruiters help. I have an extensive network worldwide and in my case lots of candidates are willing to relocate for the amazing opportunities this industry presents. I recently placed a bacterial strain engineer for an Australian company who relocated from Melbourne to Sydney. I have also had a candidate willing to relocate from Sydney to Paris.

The alt protein sector has a natural advantage because you can attract a lot of talent just by the fact that most of these companies have a meaningful mission

As Programme & Innovation Manager of the ProVeg Incubator, Antje Räuscher is well placed to observe the skills discussion from both the side of the startups and their prospective talent. “The most in-demand skills are in the technical areas such as biotech, process engineering, and microbiology,” she explains. “It is less a lack of talent and more the fact that scientists are not necessarily open to starting a startup and are often more risk-averse when it comes to joining startups in the early stages. Especially here in Germany, the interlocking between universities and the startups/private sector is lacking.”

Although acknowledging that more can be done to find and develop talent, Räuscher says that for prospective candidates, roles in this sector can be extremely attractive. “I’d say the alt proteins sector has a natural advantage here because you can attract a lot of talent just by virtue of the fact that most of these companies serve a purpose and a meaningful mission.

“Food-tech and alt protein in particular are also just hot industries, which helps. And offering shares for key hires is usually a standard practice to compensate for lower salaries in the very early stages.”

The alt protein sector has a natural advantage because you can attract a lot of talent just by the fact that most of these companies have a meaningful mission

Banning burnout

Attracting talent initially is one thing; retaining it is another. Here, Räuscher says startups can learn from each other in terms of avoiding the situation that so many fall into, where one employee is performing the role of several different people. “This is a super relevant point, and burnout is something I see happening a lot. Prioritizing mental well-being and being very aware and monitoring this is important. In general, building a solid company culture that is reflective of the startups’ value and aligning with the team’s needs is the key to retaining talent.”

Part of any company’s culture must be ensuring the workforce is diverse, with opportunities open to talent from all walks of life. Speaking on diversity in this sector, Räuscher notes, “We run a global incubator program with startups from all across the world. We are extremely happy to have a very wide range of founders from places with lesser developed food-tech markets, let alone alt proteins. There is lots of innovative spirit in India, Latin America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. And we see that coming. In terms of background, the industry is naturally quite diverse. Maybe the fact it is ultimately about food, which is a very tangible part of all our lives, contributes to this, as well as the motivation to make a positive change in the future.”

The startup environment requires a high tolerance for risk, flexibility, and an independent, solution-oriented work style

Pia Voltz is the Founder & CEO of Tälist, which offers a range of talent solutions for alternative protein businesses. These include recruitment, headhunting, executive search, training, and consultation to improve hiring processes. Voltz is therefore in a prime position to comment on the skills gap in this sector, which she describes as varying considerably – based on the stage the company is at, its go-to-market strategy, and the technology it uses. “The lack of talent is a significant problem as it can take months to fill crucial roles, which is slowing down companies,” she explains.

“This challenge is increased by the fact that the industry is still relatively new and unknown to many potential candidates, who are not aware of the career opportunities available,” Voltz continues. “Some candidates also may have reservations about working in the field due to ethical concerns (e.g. producing meat in a lab).”

In Voltz’s experience, the R&D roles are the hardest to fill. “These can be particularly challenging for alternative protein companies that require highly specialized or niche skills, especially as the technology becomes more complex. Cellular agriculture, for example, has a very difficult time finding R&D workers,” she details.

So, what advice does she have for those looking to hire the best person for the job? Be realistic, is her main point. “Understanding the role, particularly ‘must-haves’ and ‘nice-to-haves’ is key. Very often, companies will have to make a trade-off, and it’s crucial to understand which requirements are strictly necessary to get the job done. For example, how important is a certain degree (Ph.D) versus relevant work experience?

“A multi-channel approach helps, combining posting job ads on general job boards, but also job boards specific for certain professions and regions, with a lot of active sourcing through LinkedIn and networks/groups specific to the position we’re trying to fill.”

The lack of talent is a significant problem as it can take months to fill crucial roles

Voltz reveals that Tälist is currently working on strategic partnerships and building up a network of talent scouts to make sourcing talent even more efficient and to create a long-term talent pool for the industry.

Startup situation

From the candidates’ perspective, Voltz acknowledges that the startup environment is not suitable for everyone. “It requires a high tolerance for risk, flexibility, and an independent, solution-oriented work style,” she says. “It is important to consider whether a candidate would thrive in this type of environment and to respect any limitations they may have.”

But she’s quick to point out the lure of startups for those with the right mindset. “Working in a startup offers more responsibility and freedom, and a lot of potential for personal and career growth. For example, you could be starting in an early-stage startup and a couple of years later working for a Series A-raised multi-million-dollar company, being at the forefront of the industry’s impressive growth. Working in a startup also allows for the opportunity to be part of something truly innovative, such as using cutting-edge technology to produce animal products in new ways.”

In terms of geography, Voltz says that companies based in the USA, Europe, and the UK have an advantage. “They can attract top talent due to their ability to offer competitive salaries and because they are attractive for candidates to relocate – if they can hire people from abroad (e.g. visa sponsorship). Companies located in other regions, such as South Africa, may have a more limited pool of global talent to draw from.”

Voltz also notes that, “Cultural attitudes toward the production of alternative animal products – particularly in a laboratory setting – may also impact the capability to attract talent in certain regions. The strategic decision of where to set up a factory or operation has several aspects and including talent as one of the criteria to consider is certainly valuable.”

Food literacy programs will motivate a talented young workforce to support the field of alternative proteins

Education is undoubtedly the way to create a pipeline of talent for the alt proteins sector. One organization that has embraced this angle is the USA’s Educated Choices Program (ECP), a non-profit that provides food-related education. Karyn Knox is Chief Development & Partnerships Officer. “As an academic organization, we at ECP educate current and future leaders and consumers about the impact of food choices on human and planetary health,” says Knox, highlighting the role of her organization. “As any quality education program would, we not only discuss the challenges we face as a society due to our current food system but also offer ways that our participants can be part of the solution. Alternative proteins are a big part of this conversation. In all our digital presentations, whether focusing on personal health, public health or environmental issues associated with modern animal agriculture, we discuss the important role that alternative proteins play in improving our current situation.”

Knox also reveals that through post-presentation feedback surveys, her team is consistently seeing food technologies such as cultivated meat at the top of the list of items participants found interesting. “Young people are very interested in the science, and our initial introduction of these technologies is opening doors of opportunity for young people in careers they previously didn’t know existed,” she explains.

Making the sector approachable

A strong example of the role education can play is in ECP’s creation of an entire website called whatiscultivatedmeat.com. Why is this particular sector so important in the organization’s educational efforts? “We launched a new presentation in 2019 titled ‘The Future of Meat and Dairy’ to expand upon food science innovations that can revolutionize modern food production and consumption systems, and address health and sustainability, and ethical concerns,” Knox states. “It quickly became one of our most requested presentations. During the first two years of showing the new presentation, we received many questions from students and teachers about cultivated meat. We then realized the need for a comprehensive, evidence-based resource exploring the science of cellular agriculture and cultivated meat, answering the most frequently asked questions by teachers, students, and the public. To meet this need, we launched the website and it has since become a well-known resource offering the most up-to-date articles and insights from industry leaders.

Our initial introduction of these technologies is opening doors of opportunity for young people in careers they previously didn’t know existed

“We are confident that this is a crucial component in making the alternative protein industry approachable for consumers and talented young people who, as a result of learning about this food technology, aspire to advance the science and improve the world as we know it!

“Education is the vital foundation upon which to build a more sustainable, healthful and just food system, and our mission at ECP is to provide this foundation,” Knox concludes. “Those who partner with us and support our work realize that food literacy programs such as ours will motivate a talented young workforce to support the field of alternative proteins and create a better future for us all.”

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The cultivated meat industry needs a young spirit of innovation in combination with experience from academia and business

“There is undoubtedly a lack of talent, mainly because it is almost impossible to source talent from within the industry, because it is still very young,” feels Roman Lauš, Founder & CEO of the Czech Republic cultured meat firm, Mewery. “There are many great candidates from different areas, but the cultivated meat team needs to be very diverse and cross-disciplinary, so it’s tough to find candidates for some of these roles. There are very few universities, at least in Europe, that are preparing many candidates for the cultivated meat industry now.”

As an example of a skills shortage, Lauš says that Mewery has one general position – cell culture specialist – that is permanently open. “We are getting an overwhelming number of applications but unfortunately there are only a few who have real experience with primary mammalian cell cultures. There are even fewer who have worked in cultivated meat companies before, and even if we find them, it is not always easy to get them to relocate to the Czech Republic.”

Lauš reveals that in 2023 he and his team will be hiring a bioprocess engineer, scale-up manager, experienced plant-based product developer, and several senior scientists and lab managers. How will he find these people? “Our biggest asset is the cooperation with different institutions and universities, especially Mendel University in Brno, which lent us the labs and offices. We’ve recruited many very talented Ph.D or Master‘s students, who find working for a startup thrilling and a great opportunity. This cooperation gives us a constant great pool of talents from which we can take.

“We also conduct our own LinkedIn recruiting campaigns and online job listings. We work with a couple of recruiting agencies as well, but it has not been that successful so far.”

I only hire people who understand the vision and are passionate about pursuing it further

Lauš says he always looks beyond skills and experience to get to know candidates at the human level. “I only hire people who understand the vision and are passionate about pursuing it further,” he comments. “The most important thing is to find people who truly live up to the dream of changing the very strong immune system of the big agri corporations as well as of society’s habits about consuming and producing meat.”

Retention policy

And Lauš is very conscious of his own role in retaining these people once he’s found them. “I do my best to create an inspiring startup culture where people feel good and are willing to work together. We work within the ‘Holacracy’ framework, where the groups/circles are independent. You need a lot of ‘out-of-the-box thinking’ anyway in this field, and this framework is extremely suitable for creativity and novel ideas. We are slowly working toward creating a Google-like style of modern labs and offices as I find the entire biotech industry can be a bit sterile, grey and dull.

“I think that a very important aspect is the team’s coherence and on that same level is the salary and the possibility for an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) for key employees. The key to retaining employees is to give them a chance to be part of the whole movement and let them have a say.”

On the subject of diversity, Lauš regards this as pretty much a non-topic due to the sector’s inherent make-up. “As far as I can understand from the breed of people who are scientists, they are simply special characters and definitely diverse by nature compared to IT or real-estate experts!

“At Mewery, we have a very diverse team regarding orientation, age, and gender. Our team is of an average age of 34. The cultivated meat industry needs a young spirit of innovation in combination with experience from academia and business.”

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Startups require talent that can be passionate about the business and its products, but also accelerate growth and revenue

As the Director of HC Group’s Food & Nutrition practice, Alex Coghlan is observing a running theme of how to hire and scale up across all the businesses he helps source talent for. “Attracting the right type of talent is always a challenge due to the unique requirements for startup employees,” he says. “Although employees must have an entrepreneurial spirit and the capability to drive growth, they must also have strong expertise and be willing to go beyond their job description. Startups require motivated, resilient talent who can adapt to change and adversity in the middle of chaos.”

Coghlan reports that there is a high level of demand for R&D and engineering talent as organizations begin to scale their businesses. “The challenge is that this talent pool is small, as there has historically been a lack of university programs specific to alternative proteins, although that is beginning to shift,” he explains. “This means alternative protein companies are competing with other industries for both existing and upcoming talent who may be concerned about moving into a less-established industry. The perfectly skilled candidate is often in a location they don’t wish to leave, presenting a challenge in the search. Scientists especially – who are most often required to be onsite in a lab or with a team – are more likely to need to relocate for senior opportunities.”

On the business side, Coghlan has noticed another challenge in finding commercial leadership talent able to function both as an individual contributor as well as a strategic leader. “The reason for this is because they are often unable to delegate tasks to other team members due to smaller budgets or teams,” he details. “Chief Commercial Officers may find themselves not only responsible for creating and implementing commercial strategies, but also creating Excel spreadsheets and hunting directly for new business with potential prospects.

Startups that are transparent about their challenges in addition to their opportunities are more likely to attract and retain their talent

“Commercial leaders are in high demand by food startups as companies attempt to differentiate their product and gain brand awareness,” Coghlan continues. “Startups require talent that can be passionate about the business and its products, but also people who can accelerate growth and revenue. This often leads startups to turn toward seasoned food industry veterans, who can utilize their network and share their knowledge with less experienced talent. However, one challenge is that this more experienced talent pool is comprised largely of candidates originating from established organizations, steadfast in their longstanding ideas of structure, and may not be as adaptable to more flexible work environments. A solution is hiring talent earlier in their careers, who are more adaptable to pivoting company strategies. The disadvantage is that these individuals may have limited customer networks to leverage in commercial strategies.”

Networking opportunities

HC Group has its own established networks across the food and nutrition community to access and assess talent – regardless of whether they are actively looking for external opportunities or not, Coghlan points out. The company has offices in various locations but operates as one global team. “With talent markets becoming increasingly fragmented and geographically dispersed, we leverage our local presence to offer global access to the talent communities.”

Regardless of a role’s location, Coghlan says that honesty is key to attracting and retaining talent. “Startups that are transparent about their challenges in addition to their opportunities are more likely to attract and retain their talent,” he says. “The importance of a good onboarding process is critical in talent retention. Companies that hire quickly without an onboarding gameplan experience higher turnover.

“At a startup, there is no legacy – no history. So, you need to create culture. Make it something unique that gels people together. Talent is attracted to company visions and motivations that match their own, whether they come from the tech or food industries. People want to help build something meaningful and blend innovation and sustainability. Those mission-oriented goals build a reputation that attracts skilled and motivated talent.”

Why Matching the DNA of your business with the DNA of candidates is key to making long-lasting appointments

Describing himself on LinkedIn as ‘the food talent guru’, Russ Metcalf believes his organization, Beyond Food, is uniquely positioned to help source talent for the alt proteins sector. “We have brought together experts in the fields of recruitment, FMCG, HR, marketing, tech, data, analytics, and communications to hold the full spectrum of skills and capabilities under one banner,” he states. “This enables us to deliver a seamless 60-day recruitment process that is a genuine strategy for food and beverage talent.”

According to Metcalf, data science is the key to successful recruitment. “We treat talent search as an artform,” he continues. “Data science, in-depth recruitment management consultancy, and behavioral science play a huge role in our delivery. Using outdated recruitment methods often leads to trying to make a critical hire from around 5-10% of the entire available talent pool for a particular vacancy. To combat such frustrations, the key is data-driven talent strategies, process automation, and recruitment marketing.”

This data-driven approach enables Metcalf and his team to source talent from an extremely diverse pool. “The alt proteins community is being embraced by various generations but especially by the younger generation, and by all genders and races, given it is such a huge topic globally, so there is a real diversification to this candidate landscape,” he explains. “When you can adopt data-driven strategies effectively and identify an entire candidate landscape based on skills and geography – i.e. data solely focused on talent rather than race, gender or religion – then all candidates have the opportunity to be represented without bias or discrimination.”

We treat talent search as an artform. Data science, in-depth recruitment management consultancy, and behavioral science play a huge role in our delivery

In terms of specific alt protein sector talent challenges, the main skills gap Metcalf is witnessing is around R&D, product development, and food science/technology, so much so he says there is “a war for this talent”, particularly given the difficulty in finding candidates with experience in this new sector. “But candidates are emerging,” he feels. “The back-end of the millennials and the early part of Gen Z who are coming of age are appearing as breakthrough talent because they have naturally gravitated to the alt proteins movement.”

When asked what advice he’d give to companies looking to hire this emerging talent, Metcalf says, “Choose a specialist recruitment organization that can take the DNA of your business and match it with the DNA of candidates: this is key to making long-lasting appointments. Recruitment is never one-size-fits-all.”

He also counters against cutting corners in the recruitment process. “It amazes me how many excellent businesses try to wing recruitment – they’ll employ multiple recruitment partners in a casino-style strategy hoping that their number comes in or they’ll try to do it on the cheap. The old saying, ‘buy cheap, buy twice’, hugely correlates to recruitment.”

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