Plant-based is going mainstream but where is the whole-food, delicious, and truly sustainable plant protein?

Plant-based eating is growing and going more mainstream. Still, consumers express major concerns around nutrition and more specifically, getting enough and the right type of protein when eating plant-based. This worry is the #1 reason why consumers abandon a plant based diet.

Today people are forced to choose between animal protein, processed plant protein, or imitation meat. All three options have negative trade-offs related to health and the environment. 

It's time for a new generation of protein, that is plant based and minimally processed.

LUPii: the lupini bean based snack company. A better protein source for you and the planet

Consumers don't have to trade off on taste, nutrition, or sustainability anymore. Meet our hero ingredient and queen, the lupini bean. Lupii is solving the protein problem with Lupini beans, one of the best protein sources on the planet.

Move over soy, peas, and chickpeas - there's a new protein in town!

A sustainable, regenerative crop

Lupini is a rotation crop and nitrogen fixer, benefiting overall soil health and regenerating nutrient deficient soils. In addition, Lupini can adapt easily to different climates and does not require a lot of water to grow. And finally, when it comes to CO2 emissions, beans are superior compared to other proteins.

Lupii is starting by bringing true innovation to the bar category

Lupii is unleashing the power of the small‑but‑mighty Lupini bean and disrupting the bar category with its first snack range, Lupii Bars - the most unique, new vegan protein bars on the block. It is one of the first whole-bean based bars on the market.

Lupii bars are available in 4 distinct flavors, with only 5-6 ingredients – all of which are vegan and gluten-free - and retail for $2.99/bar.

A strong foundation is setting Lupii up for success in 2021 & beyond

Lupii has made significant progress from conceptualization to launching and progressing in market. This year, Lupii has unlocked distribution through UNFI, a top national distributor, and is in conversation with a few large anchor retail accounts, setting the foundation for rapid retail expansion.

Your investment will enable Lupii to expand and support its retail footprint and continue the momentum found in e-commerce.

The buzz around Lupii is strong. Lupii has been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Fast Company, Well+Good, Refinery29, amongst other influential health and industry publications. Lupii was also one of the winners of the 2020 Men's Health Snack Awards.

Thousands of customers love Lupii

Lupii has seen unequivocally positive responses with its customers since launching. With 4.5 star ratings online and 25% customer repeat rates in 2021, Lupii has built a strong customer base of Lupii Groupies.

The Lupii customer base spans from 20-65 years old and skews female. The brand is reaching customers through their website and Amazon across the country. Lupii's broad consumer target, the flexitarian, and various sub-segments are united in their desire to find delicious food that functionally delivers a convenient, unprocessed alternative to soy and meat protein snacks while also being good for the planet.

An omni-channel business with a strategic roadmap for success

Lupii has seen great traction in the bar category, launching in January 2020 in retail and making a strong pivot to DTC due to the pandemic. Looking forward, Lupii will be ramping up retail penetration – targeting 2-3 anchor accounts in the natural channel, and continuing to unlock independent retail and grow its e-commerce footprint.

With this focused strategy, Lupii is projected to scale the business to over $14M in revenue by 2023.

Plant-based is the new organic

Lupii is tackling a massive market opportunity with a vision to create a cross-category platform for lupini beans. Lupii is addressing the $34B global plant based-food market, which is growing at 11.9% CAGR through 2027.

Plant-based foods are quickly becoming the new organic food trend, with 87% of Americans reporting that they are actively trying to incorporate more plant-based protein into their diet.

Within the category, Lupii is able to deliver what other bars don't

Lupii's protein quantity is competitive with leading protein bars, without any unnecessary ingredients or protein isolates. Lupii is also unique in offering a bar that provides one-third of the daily fiber recommendation, coming from a whole food and not a fiber additive. 

Snacking for a healthy, sustainable future: a platform for lupini beans

Lupii is building a brand that provides people with a clean, whole-food, and sustainable source of protein in all different formats.

The breadth of applicability for lupini beans to span across categories is vast, paving the way for significant incremental growth within the massive plant-based market landscape.

Where we're going - product roadmap

To grow, Lupii will pursue a cross-category strategy, building our brand around owning the lupini bean, similar to what Oatly did with oats and Hippeas or Banza did with chickpeas.

Packaging solutions for a better future

While the food in our packaging is the businesses core focus, what it is sold in is a high-priority for us as well. As a brand on a mission to create products for people and planet, thinking about packaging impact is unavoidable. All of the packaging Lupii uses is recyclable, including the plastic wrappers, which can be recycled in store drop-off points. To go one step further, Lupii is partnering with an organization, CleanHub, to help collect plastic from entering our oceans, offsetting the equivalent of packaging we use yearly for our bars.

Building an "ownable" supply chain

Lupii has strong supply chain connections that we have developed over the last 5+ years; and the lupini supply chain is well-established to be able to scale with the brand. However, Lupii has a vision of developing a local and ownable supply chain through working with local farmers who are looking for new regenerative crops to revitalize their soils . 

Seeking growth capital to help us further scale our business

Lupii's current investors are a combination of VCs, industry experts, and angel investors. 

With strong backing from our investors and an incredible group of key advisors, Lupii has the key elements to be the next big ingredient-led brand, like Hippeas or Oatly, on the path toward a successful exit: authentic brand and founder story, next-wave ingredient, supply chain advantage, and the unique ability to extend our ingredient platform across categories.

Mission-driven with the experience to build the healthiest and most sustainable platform for plant protein

Founders, Isabelle and Allie, are set-up for success. Their personal journeys in combination with their professional backgrounds not only make them experts in the field, but also provides them with industry knowledge needed to scale Lupii successfully.

Isabelle Steichen, Co-Founder + CEO moved from Europe to the US in 2013. She worked closely as an early employee in operations, customer service, and business development with founding teams for various early stage, VC-backed startups (Kitchensurfing, Sawyer, Voyage Control) in NYC in the food and tech space. Isabelle has additionally worked as a consultant with IfOnly, Hungryroot, and various other startups. As a long time passionate vegan, certified in plant-based nutrition from e-Cornell, as well as the founder of the Plantiful Podcast, she is now combining her startup background with her desire to spread plant-based eating through Lupii. Isabelle has been studying lupini beans for the last 5+ years and has developed close relationships with suppliers across Europe.

Alexandra Dempster, Co-Founder + CMO has spent most of her career working across the Food & Beverage industry, both agency-side and for Fortune 500 brands. She started her career at Carlsberg Group and most recently, before co-founding Lupii, worked at PepsiCo on the Global Foods team. At PepsiCo, she looked after the ‘Better For You’ global innovation agenda and one of the global BFY brands. Allie is a passionate plant-eater that believes we can change the world through what we put in our bodies. Her desire to help people lead healthier, happier lives has been informed by her own chronic health challenges. With the creation of Lupii, she is combining her passion and professional experience to help make plant-based eating delicious and accessible. Allie is also a certified Holistic Health Coach.