Piva Capital Joins Joywell in Creating Genuinely Healthy Sweet Treats

By Maria Buitron, Piva Capital

Humans love sweets. In fact, sugar has been shown to have an effect on the brain similar to that of an addictive drug. No wonder it is so hard to cut back.

The issue: sugar is a major factor in both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, which affect the body’s ability to regulate blood glucose levels. Sugar consumption increases the risk of developing diabetes and other ailments like cardiovascular disease. These issues are growing more prevalent — the CDC estimates 1 in 10 Americans have diabetes, and over 500 million people are living with diabetes globally. Prevalence has been rising more rapidly in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries.

For decades, researchers have been searching for a new sweet-tasting substance for human consumption that is genuinely healthy and tastes great. They have known for years that sweet plant proteins exist in nature — especially in several types of berries. For instance, gorillas have been known to graze on the fruit of a West African plant, Pentadiplandra brazzeana, that grows super-sweet but low-calorie berries packed with a protein called brazzein.

What if we could harness this protein as a new sweet protein for human consumption? What if it could become the basis for drinks and other foods that would be safe to consume for everyone, including people with diabetes? And unlike artificial sweeteners that provoke negative metabolic responses, what if it could be beneficial because it is metabolized like any other protein?

All these benefits were apparent, but there was one big drawback: although the taste and performance of sweet proteins is superb, they have been prohibitively expensive to produce because they had to be extracted from the berries that could not be agriculturally grown at scale. That is, until now.

A proprietary process, a “sweet protein” with many uses

Last November, Joywell Foods CEO Ali Wing, Co-Founder/CTO Jason Ryder, and their team made a major breakthrough. Through synthetic biology, they have been able to produce sweet proteins inexpensively, and in large volumes, using precision fermentation. The process is far less expensive and more scalable than having to extract the protein from the fruits. The company is set to begin commercial production of foods later this year, starting with drinks and then expanding to other products.

At Piva, we identify visionary companies that are addressing the world’s most critical problems, including solving the immense health challenges posed by diabetes and other diseases caused by eating too much sugar. This is why we are thrilled to invest in Joywell Foods, a food technology and consumer goods company specializing in sweet plant proteins.

Joywell Foods: an exciting future for sweet lovers

There are multiple reasons why we are so excited to invest in Joywell. The company is well positioned with its precision fermentation platform to produce brazzein at scale and make it the star ingredient in tasty treats, from drinks to other potential products in the future. Besides the clear health benefits, we’re excited about the environmental impact that can come from replacing sugar with sweet proteins. These proteins are thousands of times sweeter than sugar, which means you only need a small amount to get the same level of sweetness in drinks and treats. The associated reduction in land and water use will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the planet- we estimate that every 1% reduction in sugar production results in 650,000 acres of sugar cane fields saved.

A winning team

We are constantly impressed by the Joywell leadership team. Ali comes at the problem of healthy food from healthcare and consumer perspectives, while Jason brings a wealth of knowledge in precision fermentation and synthetic biology.

Shaping a healthier food future

To feed a growing population and provide healthier alternatives that taste great, we must harness naturally occurring sweet proteins like brazzein. Joywell Foods is leading the way and is poised to introduce their first drinks based on the protein in the coming months.

With this investment, we are joined by an impressive group of new and existing investors all aimed to address the challenge of healthier food production including B37 Ventures and Global Brain Corporation as well as existing investors Khosla Ventures, Evolv Ventures, SOSV’s IndieBio and Alumni Ventures.