Next Gen Foods, the makers of TiNDLE, a chicken made from plants created for chefs, named Chicago, Illinois as its U.S. headquarters. The food tech startup is opening a research and development and innovation center in partnership with food business incubator, the Industrial Council of Nearwest Chicago’s The Hatchery.
The new center at The Hatchery will serve as the starting point for product development designed to fit TiNDLE's scaleup into new U.S. sales channels, including foodservice and retail.
As a facility for R&D and innovation, the center will also play home to early-stage exploration of new plant-based products from the Next Gen Foods team, leveraging insights from both consumers and operators to support the expansion of TiNDLE's full product line. Behind the brand-new R&D facility is a team of food scientists, product innovation experts and culinarians, overseeing operations of the joint lab and test kitchen space inside The Hatchery – in conjunction with Next Gen Foods' global R&D program and technology platform spread across the hubs in Singapore and Europe.
"As TiNDLE has experienced incredible, sustained growth in the past 15 months – much of it in the U.S. – now is the perfect time to solidify our presence here as we finalize our home base in Chicago. As a new resident myself, I'm constantly inspired by this city and the potential it holds for the future of the plant-based food industry, but also food innovation in general," said Andre Menezes, CEO and co-founder of Next Gen Foods, the parent company behind TiNDLE. "We established Next Gen Foods with the mission to make saving the planet easy, enjoyable and delicious. By both geographically and strategically establishing a base in the center of the food world in Chicago, this will allow us to further develop our partnerships in the F&B community and strengthen consumer adoption of plant-based meats through ongoing research and development."
Within the greater Chicago area, TiNDLE has become an emerging favorite amongst the local culinary scene. To date, TiNDLE is served in more than 15 locations around the city. To order TiNDLE, restaurants can find the product through their local distributor or distributors nationwide can now exclusively order the product through DOT Foods.
About TiNDLE
TiNDLE is a juicy, plant-based chicken that offers mouthwatering taste, texture, and versatility – and uses a fraction of the land, water and energy needed to produce meat from birds. Made with only nine simple ingredients, TiNDLE is the first product by Next Gen Foods, a Singapore-founded food tech company that is developing and commercializing innovative and sustainable foods. Available in restaurants globally, TiNDLE is the first chicken made from plants designed by chefs and for chefs and is a winner of the National Restaurant Association's 2022 Food and Beverage Innovation (FABI) Awards.
