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While homogenous plant-based patties, nuggets and sausages abound, few currently available meat alternatives recreate the multi-layered experience of biting though skin to release a juicy burst of flavor that is reinforced by a marbling of fat or the chewy texture of muscle fibers. Seizing this missed opportunity and hoping to take plant-based protein to the next level, startup Sundial Foods has developed a new technology that balances and layers starch, fiber and fat to recreate the complex structure of chicken from simple, clean, plant-based ingredients.

Jessica Schwabach and Siwen Deng came up with the idea of a startup making vegan chicken wings and launched Sundial Wings in 2019 after moving east and winning space at the Food Innovation Center at Rutgers University. Unlike the now-familiar plant-based versions of boneless chicken nuggets and wings, the partners sought to more closely replicate traditional bone-in chicken wings using a short list of plant-based ingredients.

California-based startup Sundial Foods is working with Nestlé—which led its $4 million funding round last year—to commercialize its innovative vegan chicken wings. The startup makes realistic vegan wings that mimic animal chicken wings, down to the skin and bones, from ingredients such as chickpeas and sunflower oil and made its limited foodservice debut in May.

Berkeley, which established its Alt Meat lab in 2017, is at the epicenter of the Bay area’s alternative meat industry. Startups like Sundial Foods, Orbillion, and others often get their start at Berkeley and get fast-tracked into local accelerators and onto venture capitalist watchlists. This funding will likely only solidify the university’s strength in future food.

Two UC Berkley lab partners-turned-entrepreneurs share the inspiration behind creating a new sustainable food brand. Sundial Foods founders Siwen Deng, CTO, and Jessica Schwabach, CEO, used the skills learned in Plant and Microbial Biology plus Molecular and Cell Biology degrees to make crispy "chicken" from chickpeas.

Just what is this new founder CEO doing that has so many people so interested? Well, she and her team at Sundial Foods have created some alt-chicken wings, with skin and all, that are apparently knocking people’s socks off.

California-based Sundial Foods has raised $4 million in seed funding for its whole-cut vegan chicken wings slated to launch in the US in 2022.

California-based Sundial Foods has raised $4 million in seed funding for its whole-cut vegan chicken wings slated to launch in the US in 2022.

The vegan drumsticks from Albany’s Sundial Foods come with skin and bone, a notable break from the ground meat products that dominate the vegan meat scene… Most impressive was the crunch on the skin, which ripped apart in a pleasing, carnivorous way.

Sundial Foods co-founders Jessica Schwabach, 21, and Siwen Deng, 29, connected with Nestlé through the Alt: Meat Lab in 2019. They spent the following year at the company’s R+D Accelerator in Lausanne, Switzerland, collecting consumer feedback on their chickpea-based chicken wings. Sundial plans to launch the wings at Bay Area restaurants next year.

It’s no secret: plant-based meats are taking off. But meat eaters want more from their plant-based alternatives, including the skin and bone they know and love. That’s where Jessica Schwabach and her team at Sundial Foods impressed. Their chicken wings include an exterior layer of plant-based skin made via a novel processing technology which improves moisture retention and adds a familiar texture meat eaters love. Early tasters are convinced. Sundial Foods together with the Nestle R&D team have launched a successful trial of their products in stores in Switzerland and the IndieBio-backed startup is now building out their industrial line for a 2022 commercial launch.

The AltProtein space is abuzz, but lacking in products that engender the same finger-licking scrumptiousness of devouring a plate of tasty wings. Sundial Foods developed a novel processing technology for creating plant-based whole cuts of meat — complete with skin, meat and bone. The beauty is in how it ends up on your plate from only eight clean-label ingredients. Dr. Jun Axup, CSO of SOSV’s IndeBio sat down with co-founders Jessica Schwabach and Siwen Deng to reflect on Sundial’s journey of discovery.

Sundial Foods is a food tech making clean label vegan meat. They’re saying goodbye to heavy processing and synthetic ingredients, thanks to their innovative protein structuring tech. With it, the Berkeley-based startup is able to make America’s favourite meat—crispy chicken—using just 8 ingredients. Their analogue isn’t just healthier. According to Sundial, it’s just as delicious and has the flaky skin and meaty texture that people crave.

From its delicate skin to the familiar pan sizzle, Sundial Foods’s chickenless drumstick looks an awful lot like the real thing. Sundial cofounders Jessica Schwabach and Siwen Deng, broke with much of the alt-meat industry by only using products that you can find in your kitchen cupboard. Last fall, their whole-cut, vegan chicken was sold in a limited number of supermarkets across Switzerland.

US start-up Sundial Foods has developed a patent-pending mechanical process to recreate the fibrous texture of chicken. Its product, a plant-based chicken drumstick complete with crispy skin, can be barbecued, grilled, fried and roasted, and is set to launch next year.

UC Berkeley plant biology Ph.D. Siwen Deng teamed with undergrad Jessica Schwabach to launch Sundial Foods in summer 2019. They met in the university’s Alternative Meats Lab, where students identify and solve industry challenges by creating their own innovative products.