Fora Foods

Fora Foods is a food technology company focused on producing plant-based dairy alternatives. The company was established in 2017 by co-founders Aidan Altman and Andrew McClure. The two met at the University of Michigan and later moved to Chicago, where McClure worked in food mergers and acquisitions and Altman launched another food startup. Their experiences in the food industry and a growing concern for sustainable food systems led them to adopt a vegan lifestyle and identify a market opportunity for a high-quality, dairy-free butter. Their mission was to create a sustainable product that did not require consumers to compromise on flavor or functionality.

The company's flagship product is ForA:Butter, a vegan butter substitute originally marketed as FabaButter. Its key differentiator is the use of aquafaba, the viscous water leftover from cooking chickpeas, which acts as a natural emulsifier. This ingredient, combined with a blend of coconut oil, cocoa butter, and coconut cream, is formulated to replicate the taste, texture, and performance of traditional dairy butter. The product is designed to be a one-to-one replacement for dairy butter in all applications, including baking, spreading, and cooking, with a high smoke point of 450 degrees. Fora Foods states that its butter can be used for technical applications like creating laminated doughs for croissants and pastries.

Fora Foods targets both the foodservice industry and retail consumers, with a particular focus on flexitarians rather than exclusively vegans. The business model involves manufacturing the butter and distributing it nationally through partners like Chefs' Warehouse to restaurants, bakeries, and hotels. The product is also available to consumers through some retailers and online platforms. The company's journey began with a Kickstarter campaign that raised approximately $26,000, followed by a $1.4 million seed funding round in 2018 led by New Crop Capital and Blue Horizon. In June 2022, Fora Foods was acquired by AAK Foodservice, a leading producer of vegetable oils and fats that had already been manufacturing the ForA:Butter product.

Keywords: plant-based butter, aquafaba, vegan butter, dairy alternative, FabaButter, food technology, sustainable food, foodservice supplier, Aidan Altman, Andrew McClure, AAK Foodservice, vegan baking, non-dairy, coconut oil butter, cocoa butter, clean label, flexitarian, food manufacturing, plant-based fats, allergen-free