Contact
  • HOME
  • / MEDIA /
  • Three Cal Students Launch Plant-Based, Sushi-Grade Tuna to Pave the Way for Seafood Sustainability

Stories

July 30, 2023

SHARE:

The effects of climate change are becoming increasingly evident today. This is why three visionary individuals came together to address one pressing issue: the unsustainable practices in our food system, particularly regarding seafood.

Kelly Pan, Adrian Miranda, and Stephanie Claudino Daffara, the founders of Impact Food, combined their diverse expertise and unwavering commitment to create a positive impact.

Driven by a shared passion for food innovation and ocean sustainability, they embarked on a journey to revolutionize the concept of seafood. Through meticulous research and cutting-edge technology, by studying the composition of animal-based seafood and leveraging their knowledge in food science and molecular biology, they developed their first product, Impact Tuna.

With Impact Food, Kelly, Adrian, and Stephanie strive to redefine the way we approach food. By choosing plant-based seafood, individuals not only enjoy a delectable culinary experience but also contribute to a healthier future for our planet, our oceans, and ourselves.

Read through as we learn more about the remarkable journey of Impact Food and its founders, Kelly, Adrian, and Stephanie, through an exclusive interview with Asian Hustle Network.

IMPACT FOOD’S DYNAMIC FOUNDER TRIO

In January 2020, we met while studying at UC Berkeley in renowned scientist and entrepreneur Dr. Ricardo San Martin’s Alternative Meat Challenge Lab, a product-design-based entrepreneurship course that examines how food is made and why alternative meats are a key solution to creating a more sustainable food system.

A passionate foodie-business student (Kelly), a vegan home chef-computer science student (Stephanie), and a scientist-biochemistry student (Adrian) found each other and decided to combine their fields of expertise to work towards a shared passion for food innovation and ocean sustainability. 

REDEFINING SEAFOOD SUSTAINABILITY

We were inspired by the innovative solutions we saw in terrestrial meat products like beef and chicken, and the science behind creating them. As we brainstormed in class for a protein alternative that could become the center of the plate, we realized that seafood was a wide white space in dire need of new solutions.

With an ever increasing global population, the conventional seafood industry (e.g. commercial fishing and aquaculture) continues to overfish and deplete our oceans but is still unable to keep up with rising seafood demand. 90% of fish stocks have been used up, and we’re rapidly losing biodiversity and destroying marine ecosystems which support all life on our planet, so we need to take action now before it is too late.

This is when we knew we were on a mission to reimagine a more sustainable food system through delicious and nutritious seafood created using plants and scientific innovation. Through Impact Food, we would be able to do our part in alleviating pressure on our oceans and transform our global food system to be better for our people, planet, and animals.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES IN PLANT-BASED SEAFOOD INNOVATION

At Impact Food, one of our core values is “Delicious Innovation” – to always develop the tastiest, high-quality food.

All seafood species have a very unique, complex taste and texture profile, so we knew that it would be challenging to recreate the sensory experience of conventional seafood. To overcome the challenge of developing realistic seafood texture, we focused heavily on R&D and consulted with industry experts from chefs to scientists and seafood purveyors to truly understand the composition of fish. This knowledge combined with a lot of experimentation allowed us to match the subtle ocean flavor, nutritional profile, and delicate texture of species like bluefin tuna.

Another challenge we faced was scaling our proprietary seafood texturization technology. We were very fortunate to bring on a talented bioprocess engineer last fall, who helped us scale our process and significantly accelerate our commercialization timeline.

IMPACT FOOD’S UNIQUE SEAFOOD PRODUCTION PROCESS

The process of making our first flagship product (raw sushi-grade Impact Tuna) began with extensively studying the scientific composition of seafood and developing a proprietary production process using plants and biotechnology.

Our novel food technology platform relies on our unique texturization process that optimizes and transforms our seafood base (a blend of plant ingredients such as pea protein, algae, & vegetable juice) into a whole-muscle structured seafood product.

In addition to completely removing animal fish from the seafood supply chain, our plant-based seafood is a more sustainable food choice that can always be consistently supplied with exceptional quality. Due to supply chain volatility, the quality and pricing of animal-based seafood products are constantly in a state of uncertainty and harm the entire food system. 

Therefore, we developed a craveable, true replacement for sushi-grade tuna with under 10 plant ingredients and a longer shelf life than conventional tuna. Our product is also high in omega 3, protein, fiber, and potassium with none of the negative consequences such as overfishing and mercury contamination.

IMPACT FOOD’S EFFORTS IN RAISING AWARENESS

Since food is a very social and cultural experience, we realized that we needed to collaborate with the food service industry to reinvent the seafood consumption experience while remaining authentic to traditional cuisines.

Restaurants, chefs, and cafeterias (e.g. corporate and college campuses) play a critical role in introducing customers to new culinary experiences, encouraging trial, and familiarizing them with plant-based seafood and its benefits. By adding these sustainable options to their menus, they are also able to influence a wider audience and drive market demand for seafood alternatives.

Recently, we launched Impact Tuna in Southern California at Pokeworks and became the first fish-free seafood ever offered at the world’s leading poke chain with 65+ locations across the US and internationally. Pioneering this novel dining experience with Pokeworks is a major step for us in creating large-scale demand for sustainable eating and bringing plant-based seafood to the masses.

In addition to our food service partnerships, we also utilize channels such as social media to raise awareness about the benefits of plant-based seafood. Although we only sell our plant-based seafood ingredients to food service, we still prioritize connecting with end consumers via the visual and informational content we share on channels such as Instagram and TikTok.

Recent media coverage about the unsustainable and inhumane practices involved in commercial fishing such as the Seaspiracy documentary has also been immensely helpful in generating awareness about an obscure and complex seafood industry.

SCALING WITH QUALITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CARE

We have begun commercial production and are currently building out our own manufacturing pilot plant to ensure high-quality control and consistency of our food innovations.

Because our proprietary process can use standard equipment that is traditionally used in other industries, we can reach price parity with conventional seafood and scale to high volumes very quickly. We are continuously investing our resources into R&D and optimizing our supply chain so that we can constantly innovate, and maintain product quality while scaling our production.

To meet increasing market demand while ensuring the quality and sustainability of our products as we scale in the US and soon internationally, we are also building strategic partnerships with and collaborating with other companies (e.g. foodservice distributors, suppliers, restaurants, startups, etc.) to strengthen the ecosystem for sustainable protein solutions. Together, we’ll be able to develop and scale products with better taste, texture, and nutritional value.

IMPACT FOOD’S FUTURE OF DELICIOUS PLANT-BASED SEAFOOD

Our primary driver at Impact Food is to make a positive global impact by creating a future of food that can sustainably feed the world while protecting our oceans and marine life.

We strive to create a global impact and movement of consumers eating more consciously and sustainably. To do this, we need to make our innovations available and accessible everywhere our consumers eat, around the globe.

Today, we’re excited to continue scaling our production, onboard more food service partners, and expand distribution to major markets for seafood such as Japan. Our goal is to reconstruct the center of the plate with a new, tastier whole-muscle seafood experience that is healthier for you and the planet without harming any animals.

Impact Tuna is just the beginning, and we’re excited to leverage our seafood technology platform to expand our product pipeline and recreate various other seafood species using plants. Stay tuna’ed and join us on our voyage to revolutionize the global seafood system. 

CONNECT WITH IMPACT FOOD

Website: eatimpactfood.com

Linkedin: Impact Food

Tiktok: @eatimpactfood

Instagram: @eatimpactfood

Facebook: Impact Food

Twitter: @eatimpactfood

Related Articles

107308298-1695918669890-107308298-1695912316230-230920-mi-10-MM-jae-byun00_00_21_07Still021_REV-jpg

News

A Teacher and Basketball Coach’s Path to a Six-Figure Income in Orange County

Meet Jae Byun, a math teacher and basketball coach in Orange County, California, who’s making a six-figure salary doing what he loves.

Originally majoring in business economics at the University of California, Irvine, Jae initially set his sights on a financial industry career. However, after completing internships in that field, he felt a desire for something different.

During his senior year in 2013, he accepted a coaching position at his former high school in Orange County, guided by the stability and income potential his coaches emphasized in the teaching profession.

“It wasn’t going to make me a millionaire, but it was going to allow me to have time and freedom. That really appealed to me,” he said to CNBC.

Born in South Korea, Jae moved to California at a young age and grew up valuing hard work, learning from his truck driver father and spa worker mother. His parents were concerned about him at first and disappointed that he took a career in education, but eventually, they came around with the fact and loved that Jae now lives with them. Jae is paying them $800 for rent and helping with household expenses, even though they told him that he didn’t need to.

Image Source: CNBC

It took Jae about six years to reach his current salary of nearly $115,000, including coaching stipends and summer programs. He actively manages his money, saving half of his monthly income and investing in retirement accounts. Even with some unexpected expenses, Jae remains committed to financial stability.

Looking ahead, Jae plans to generate extra income and ensure a comfortable retirement for his parents.

Featured Image Source: CNBC

  • 2 min read
IMG_1735-jpg

Stories

How This Solo Female Founder Leverages Technology to Create Authentic Relationships

Ever found yourself in a new place, surrounded by unfamiliar faces, looking for friends or a community that shares your interest? Erin Zhao knows that feeling all too well.

With a childhood marked by frequent moves, each relocation brought Erin the recurring challenge of seeking kindred spirits who matched her enthusiasm for outdoor activities like cycling, golfing, and hiking. But here’s the thing: we live in an era where it’s so easy to connect with people virtually, have friends online, and yet feel like something’s missing.

As a person who loves solving puzzles and coming up with creative solutions, Erin founded OutWeGo, a wellness platform headquartered in the Bay Area, designed to combat feelings of loneliness and disconnection by facilitating personalized activities in an exclusive and curated community.

The Challenges of Being a Solo Female Founder and First-Time Entrepreneur

Erin faced distinctive challenges on her path to establishing OutWeGo, specially as a solo female founder and a first-time entrepreneur. One of them was finding the delicate balance between technological innovation and a human-centric vision.

Creating a digital platform that encourages authentic personal connections demands not only technical skills but also a deep understanding of social dynamics and user safety. Erin tackled this challenge by immersing herself in user feedback, embracing iterative design, and ensuring the platform was not only secure but also intuitively designed.

Another challenge that Erin faced was the weight of responsibilities that comes with being a solo founder. Managing everything from product development to marketing, finance, and user experience without the buffer of co-founders meant an increased workload and the necessity for rapid up-skilling in various domains.

Erin met this challenge head-on by embracing continuous learning, taking online courses, and networking with experts to acquire knowledge beyond her initial expertise.

Creating a Solution to the Problem

While doing extensive market research, including interviews with her friends and strangers, Erin found that the struggle of having real, meaningful connections these days is widespread. She discovered that many people, particularly those relocating or seeking companionship for specific activities, faced difficulties in finding suitable partners.

Realizing the commonality of this problem, Erin saw a clear opportunity to leverage technology and create a solution with OutWeGo.

Bridging the Gap with OutWeGo

Erin’s mission with OutWeGo is clear – to facilitate genuine, meaningful connections by bridging the gap between digital interactions and real-world social experiences. The vision is to create an exclusive, curated platform where individuals bond over shared interests, particularly in outdoor and sports activities.

For the Asian community, OutWeGo serves as a powerful tool for empowerment. The platform fosters inclusivity, providing a space where Asians in the diaspora can connect with peers who share similar backgrounds, values, and passions. OutWeGo nurtures a sense of belonging and solidarity, reinforcing cultural connections and supportive networks among Asians living abroad.

OutWeGo Cycling Activity

Erin’s role in advancing overall wellness and social cohesion aligns with the principles of diversity, inclusivity, and mutual respect, making a tangible difference in the lives of the Asian community.

Connect with OutWeGo

Website: outwegosocial.com

Instagram: @outwegosocial

Linkedin: OutWeGo

  • 3 min read
107029357-1647031565961-Francis_Lau_-_B-roll_Stringoutmp400_24_35_15Still004-jpg

News

The Unspoken Truth About Early Retirement Based on This 42-Year-Old Retired Engineer

In the pursuit of early retirement, Francis, a 42-year-old electrical engineer, made headlines when he quit his job in 2017 with a substantial $1.2 million in savings and investments.

At the time, he embraced the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) movement, a concept that advocates for financial freedom and early retirement. However, Francis’s unique journey and subsequent return to work shed light on the misconceptions surrounding the desire for complete retirement.

According to CNBC, upon leaving his engineering role, where he earned a $120,000 base salary plus additional equity and bonuses, Francis discovered that a life without work became “really boring.” Contrary to the belief that most people aspire to retire early, he contends that what individuals truly seek is a sabbatical or extended break from their careers, typically lasting a year or two.

Image Source: CNBC

He had $1.2 million in savings and investments when he quit his job, and he shared that the trick to getting there was spending as little money as possible. First, he paid off his house, which cost $22,000 a year. Then, he tried hard to spend as little money as possible on everything else. 

He cut out things like streaming services and even went without a cellphone for a bit. Francis is also really good at using credit cards to get points, and he has more than 20 of them at a time. This helps him get extra value for his money.

Even though he enjoyed two years of not working and traveling, Francis got a bit bored and decided to start working again in 2019. But this time, he focused on his YouTube channel with 350,000 followers, making videos about money topics. It turns out people loved it, and he now makes around $10,000 a month from YouTube. This money covers his living costs, and whatever is left goes into his savings.

“Now I no longer call myself ‘retired’ because I am putting in my full-time effort into YouTube,” Francis shared to CNBC. “I’d like to put a lot more work into it and grow it … I think it’s a work in progress.”

Featured Image Source: CNBC

  • 2 min read

News

Chinese Paper Company Promotes Employee Well-Being through Running Incentives

Guangdong Dongpo Paper, a paper company based in Guangdong, China, is reshaping the conventional corporate bonus structure by tying annual bonuses to employees’ physical fitness levels.

Chairman Lin Zhiyong recently revealed an unconventional program where the size of the annual bonus is directly proportional to the number of miles an employee runs each month.

Under this fitness-centric initiative, employees must achieve a monthly running target of 62 miles to qualify for an annual bonus equivalent to 130% of their monthly salary. Those covering a more modest 31 miles per month still earn a bonus equivalent to one month’s salary. As an added incentive, employees who sustain a pace of 31 miles per month for six consecutive months are rewarded with a complimentary pair of running shoes.

Lin Zhiyong, who has scaled Mount Everest twice in 2022 and 2023, justified the program and said to Business Insider, “My business can only endure if my employees are healthy.” 

While some employees have embraced the initiative as a novel way to stay fit and earn extra income simultaneously, social media platform Weibo has witnessed skepticism.

Critics question the feasibility of expecting employees to run two miles daily to meet the ambitious monthly target, speculating whether the company aims to transform its workforce into track athletes. Concerns about potential health risks have also surfaced, with some individuals fearing that the rigorous physical requirements may lead to injuries or health complications. 

Despite the mixed reactions, Guangdong Dongpo Paper’s innovative approach to employee incentives has sparked discussions about the delicate balance between workplace motivation and individual health, leaving observers curious about the long-term impact of this incentive program on both the company and its employees.

  • 2 min read