Faba Butter from Fora at the 2019 Plant Based World Conference Expo
Many like butter but want a more healthier version. Now one can have it with plant-based Faba Butter from Fora, a Brooklyn-based vegan company. Faba Butter is a natural, non-GMO, no-cholesterol food, Michelin-Star Chef Approved Dairy-Free, with lower sodium than traditional butter. We enjoyed this plant-based butter at the Plant Based World Conference Expo on June 7, 2019.
Plant-based products are very popular and growing at a faster pace. Plant-based food’s dollar sales were outpacing dollar sales of all retail foods by 10 times according to Nielsen data. Also, plant-based dairy alternatives, which includes butter, cheeses, creamers, yogurts and ice creams, grew 50 percent in 2018. Plant-based milk now has 15 percent of the total milk market.
It has half the salt of its competitors. A majority of Americans consume more than 3,400 milligrams per day instead of the recommended amount of less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, according to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
This product has a seven-plus month shelf life– that is twice the length of dairy butter. Some of us also enjoyed this product at the 2019 Summer Fancy Food Show at Jacob Javits Convention Center.
Founders Aidan Altman and Andrew McClure of Fora wanted to change the food industry and tackle the issue of climate change. They mimic the fattiness, texture, and spread ability of butter unlike other dairy-free butter alternatives. Also, this product has a higher smoke point than traditional butter, making it easier to cook.
Aidan has experience running several food companies like Departure Snacks before Faba, giving him insights into the food system and supply chain. He wants to work with a large scale butter manufacturer and feels there should more cooperation between plant-based and dairy. We have started to see it in other industries where hamburger restaurants now have some plant-based items on their menu.
Fora has perfected the recipe for a new plant-based butter called “Faba Butter,” made using aquafaba, the brine water that is leftover when cooking chickpeas. Their FabaButter uses recycled chickpea water they get from hummus manufacturing communities, a coconut oil cream base, plus a little salt. This product is recognized as an excellent egg and dairy substitute for vegans and those with food allergies. Also, the company is working to create alternatives to whipped cream, frosting and dressing using aquafaba.
In December 2014, vegan musician Joël Roessel found that water from canned beans can form foas much like protein isolates and flax mucilage do. Aquafaba can act as an emulsifier, leavening agent, and foaming agent because it has properties similar to those of egg whites. Due to its ability to mimic functional properties of egg whites in cooking, aquafaba can be used as a direct replacement for them in some cases, including meringues and marshmallows. Aquafaba contains about one tenth of the protein of egg whites by weight and can be used for all products like angel food cakes.
This chickpea residue has been used as a vegan replacement for egg whites in meringues and baked goods, and is a key ingredients in Sir Kensington’s Fabanaise vegan mayonaise. In general, the composition of aquafaba depends on: processing methods (soaking, cooking and industrial dehydration), conditions (pH, temperature, pressure and treatment duration), genotype (Kabuli or Desi chickpeas), additives, protein concentration, and carbohydrate type and concentration.
Fora Butter is more sustainable than dairy butter and features lower greenhouse gas emissions. This innovative product has previously won both the 2018 Sofi Award for Best New Dairy Alternative and 2019 Fabi Award for Best New Product. The company was one of six businesses invited to join the initial Mars Seeds of Change Accelerator class in 2019. They wanted investors who really understand the food space. distribution channel, the manufacturing models, add value to the brand, and be partners and advisors for growth.
They received a $1.4 million seed fund from New Crop Capital and Blue Horizon, leaders in the plant-based VC space. In 2019, they received their latest round of Fora funding, co-led by Peter Rahal, co-founder of RXBAR and managing director of Litani Ventures. More about the company and their product can be found at forafoods.com.
