A new Leaft
Maury Leyland Penno and John Penno are taking on the global protein market.
Maury Leyland and John Penno met at a Stanford University innovation boot camp, unknowingly setting the stage for Leaft Foods, a company pioneering the extraction of RuBisCo (ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) protein from green leaves. The boot camp sparked their vision to transform food systems with a focus on sustainability in New Zealand.
Before meeting, Maury, a former engineer with Team New Zealand and an executive at Fonterra, and John, an agricultural scientist and co-founder of Synlait Milk, had already made significant contributions to their industries. Their shared interest in sustainable food systems led to the creation of Leaft Foods.
“After stepping away from our corporate roles, we aligned on a new purpose – transforming food systems. We initially had this strong desire to help farmers transition to lower-impact food production methods, but the specific idea for Leaft Foods came about rather serendipitously,” Maury says.
The idea for Leaft Foods began after discovering RuBisCo protein at a hackathon. RuBisCo protein, found in green leaves like spinach and alfalfa, is a sustainable, bioavailable alternative to traditional plant proteins. It offers a similar amino acid profile to beef and has a lower carbon footprint, making it an environmentally friendly choice.
Although scientists had researched it before, Maury and John were captivated by its potential. They quickly mapped out a plan to extract RuBisCo from lucerne, solving environmental challenges like nitrogen leakage in dairy and livestock agriculture.
After having this lightbulb moment, the pair needed to test the feasibility of the product.
Maury recalls this stage fondly: “When you ask about the early R&D stages for Leaft, I have to smile thinking back to that time. There were definitely a few kitchen experiments of questionable quality.”
She mentions that before Leaft’s CEO, Ross Milne, came on board, they were working with various people to determine the concept’s basic feasibility. Ross helped them focus their approach.
“We were based out of Lincoln University initially, working closely with the University of Canterbury and Callaghan Innovation. Then, as things really started to gain momentum, we began working with FoodSouth. Ross was instrumental in bringing in the right people from many areas, creating what became a truly collaborative environment.”
“Throughout this process, we kept focusing on the three factors we knew would determine success for any food ingredient: it has to taste great, be nutritionally sound, and hit a sensible price point. Consumers will reject expensive products, bad-tasting products, and ultimately, they care about nutrition too,” John adds.
Leaft Foods is currently developing both consumer and business-to-business products, with the first consumer product featuring RuBisCo as the key ingredient. Their latest product, a gel smoothie aimed at performance sports, Leaft Blade, fuels you fast with Leaft RuBisCo Protein, outperforming soy, pea, eggs, beef, and whey. It also touts the benefit of easier digestion.
Their protein alternative is taking on the big hitters, and the response is positive.
“There’s a real lack of options for farmers looking to diversify or transition to more sustainable practices. They’re limited to options that have a clear route to market. When we present them with an alternative that fits their needs – requiring less machinery, being lighter on the environment, and potentially less time-intensive – they’re quick to see the potential,” Maury says.
leaftfoods.com
A NEW LEAFT
Maury Leyland and John Penno met at a Stanford University innovation boot camp, unknowingly setting the stage for Leaft Foods, a company pioneering the extraction of RuBisCo (ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) protein from green leaves. The boot camp sparked their vision to transform food systems with a focus on sustainability in New Zealand.
Before meeting, Maury, a former engineer with Team New Zealand and an executive at Fonterra, and John, an agricultural scientist and co-founder of Synlait Milk, had already made significant contributions to their industries. Their shared interest in sustainable food systems led to the creation of Leaft Foods.
“After stepping away from our corporate roles, we aligned on a new purpose – transforming food systems. We initially had this strong desire to help farmers transition to lower-impact food production methods, but the specific idea for Leaft Foods came about rather serendipitously,” Maury says.
The idea for Leaft Foods began after discovering RuBisCo protein at a hackathon. RuBisCo protein, found in green leaves like spinach and alfalfa, is a sustainable, bioavailable alternative to traditional plant proteins. It offers a similar amino acid profile to beef and has a lower carbon footprint, making it an environmentally friendly choice.
Although scientists had researched it before, Maury and John were captivated by its potential. They quickly mapped out a plan to extract RuBisCo from lucerne, solving environmental challenges like nitrogen leakage in dairy and livestock agriculture.
After having this lightbulb moment, the pair needed to test the feasibility of the product.
Maury recalls this stage fondly: “When you ask about the early R&D stages for Leaft, I have to smile thinking back to that time. There were definitely a few kitchen experiments of questionable quality.”
She mentions that before Leaft’s CEO, Ross Milne, came on board, they were working with various people to determine the concept’s basic feasibility. Ross helped them focus their approach.
“We were based out of Lincoln University initially, working closely with the University of Canterbury and Callaghan Innovation. Then, as things really started to gain momentum, we began working with FoodSouth. Ross was instrumental in bringing in the right people from many areas, creating what became a truly collaborative environment.”
“Throughout this process, we kept focusing on the three factors we knew would determine success for any food ingredient: it has to taste great, be nutritionally sound, and hit a sensible price point. Consumers will reject expensive products, bad-tasting products, and ultimately, they care about nutrition too,” John adds.
Leaft Foods is currently developing both consumer and business-to-business products, with the first consumer product featuring RuBisCo as the key ingredient. Their latest product, a gel smoothie aimed at performance sports, Leaft Blade, fuels you fast with Leaft RuBisCo Protein, outperforming soy, pea, eggs, beef, and whey. It also touts the benefit of easier digestion.
Their protein alternative is taking on the big hitters, and the response is positive.
“There’s a real lack of options for farmers looking to diversify or transition to more sustainable practices. They’re limited to options that have a clear route to market. When we present them with an alternative that fits their needs – requiring less machinery, being lighter on the environment, and potentially less time-intensive – they’re quick to see the potential,” Maury says.