The Future of Protein Production Summit Speaker Profile: Taly Nechushtan, CEO, InnovoPro

With more than 20 years of experience in building new companies, launching innovative products to global markets and managing mergers and acquisitions, Taly Nechushtan brings strong leadership and strategic skills to her role as CEO of InnovoPro

‍

Thanks for joining us, Taly. Could you tell us about your journey into food-tech?

My professional journey started with a series of managerial positions, from marketing management for food corporations to founding a renewable energy company. Through these experiences, I realized the importance of developing solutions that address the consumers’ needs for better food choices. I also became aware of the huge responsibility we have to make these food choices as sustainable as possible. My background also made me more aware of the opportunities and revolutionary nature of chickpea protein, and how it can transform the future of food.

What makes InnovoPro stand out in an increasingly busy crowd?

We're a fast-growing food-tech company that produces a unique, award-winning, chickpea protein-based platform for the global B2B food & beverage industry.

We aim to transform the way people eat across the globe by helping our customers create products that taste great and are sustainable, clean label, and healthier than other options on the market today.

Our unique, all-in-one solution for unmet market needs in terms of taste, nutrition, functionality and sustainability have had a huge impact on the industry. We developed a breakthrough technology that brings to market the best protein that nature can offer. Our chickpeas are produced using a green process with no organic solvents, and we provide our customers an opportunity to clean up their label and shorten their ingredient list. All these advantages make our chickpea protein ingredients a unique platform that meet both consumers and the food industry's needs.

Our flagship chickpea protein ingredient CP-Pro 70 was launched in 2019 to help customers develop a variety of dairy alternative products ranging from yogurt, beverages, cheese, ice creams, smoothies, high-protein drinks, and more. Based on the CP-Pro 70, we have expanded from dairy alternatives to meat and fish alternatives, as well as egg replacement categories by unveiling two new chickpea protein ingredients designed to revolutionize the global food and beverage industry.

What have been your biggest challenges so far as a food-tech innovator?

The main challenge in today’s alternative protein market is the limited source of reliable, scalable supply chains that are available to serve this fast-growing environment. The production of innovative, functional ingredients such as chickpea protein requires the development of an efficient and sustainable supply chain that is located both close to the area of growth, and the customers. At InnovoPro, we’ve turned this challenge into an opportunity to embed the company and product into a local supply chain and ecosystem. InnovoPro sources chickpeas close to farmers and production sites , fostering local sustainable development.  

In the future, we plan to enlarge our commercial footprint and establish our presence in both Europe and North America. From a technological perspective, we aim to utilize all chickpea side streams to reach a 'zero-waste' plan for the production process, which will have a positive impact on both sustainability and efficiency.

Presumably, you place a big emphasis on partnerships and working with others in the sector?

Collaboration is key in the alternative proteins sector. Food-tech companies have developed innovative solutions independently of each other, but they often need help to scale or reach new markets. Greater collaboration and strategic partnerships can accelerate consumer acceptance of alternative proteins. It can also help to avoid supply chain and scale issues, and significantly decrease cost curves in the sector. We recently signed a commercial distribution partnership with Ingredion to scale next generation chickpea protein for North America to help food and beverage manufacturers meet growing consumer demand for plant-based products that deliver on sustainability, nutrition, taste, texture and functionality. At InnovoPro, we are always happy to work with other companies in the food and beverage sector, and accelerate the chickpea protein revolution to provide cleaner, more sustainable plant-based alternatives to address the food industry's needs.

At The Future of Protein Production Summit on 21/22/23 February, you will be one of 18 exciting companies pitching your innovation in our Startup Pitch Symposium. What will be the key takeaways for our delegates from what you bring to the table?

Although the global market for healthier and more sustainable products has been gradually expanding, there is still a gap within the food industry. The current plant-based proteins continue to fall short when it comes to fully addressing consumers' demand for both tastier and healthier foods.

This is where InnovoPro stands out. Our versatile chickpea protein platform offers the possibility to formulate great-tasting food products that provide high nutritional values, while being a smart ingredient that demonstrates outstanding functionality performance.

How do you believe future generations will benefit from a societal shift towards alternative protein sources to meat?

The world’s increasing population is creating a serious strain on our food system, and it affects our environment, health, and social systems. Food production and consumption is among the largest pollutants and uses an incredibly large portion of our natural resources. A western diet that is rich in sugar and carbs is contributing to health problems and illnesses. Additionally, a massive amount of the food we produce is going to waste instead of being utilized efficiently and locally.

Our current food systems are inefficient and unsustainable, and climate change and nature loss are reducing food security around the world. Investing in alternative protein can have an incredibly positive impact on our environment and the health of consumers for generations to come. With new technologies and efficient food systems on the rise, our future generations will be more equipped to mitigate the effects of global climate change and food insecurity.

Do you think there should be more of a focus on the wellness and nutraceutical aspects of alternative proteins?

Absolutely. After years of consumer research, we’ve realized that consumers are increasingly interested in nutrition, which has led them to choose alternative proteins that fit into their healthy diets. The value differentiator of chickpea protein, which is the reason we’ve had such success in the market, is that it provides food manufacturers with an agent to create clean-label products, meaning that it is GMO-free, soy and gluten-free, has no additives, is nonallergic, and has no solvents. Nutritionally speaking, InnovoPro’s products have high protein concentration, are low carb, and low sodium.

We believe that a key trend moving forward in the alternative proteins market is to increase awareness of nutrition, wellness, and clean-label proteins that address health, as much as they fit into a sustainable lifestyle.

The Future of Protein Production Summit takes place virtually on 21/22/23 February 2023. Tickets are on sale now so to register to hear Taly and more than 80 other speakers, 50 presentations, eight panel discussions, and three start up pitch symposiums, click here