Alternative proteins are coming in every shape and form, and Sundial Foods is making its mark on one of your favorite sports bar staples: wings.
Co-founders Jessica Schwabach and Siwen Deng started the company in 2019 to create vegan chicken wings that look just like the traditional steak. The couple met in UC Berkeley’s alternative meat program.
“We were assigned a project to solve the dehydration problem of alternative meat production,” Deng told TechCrunch. “We came up with this idea to apply a physical barrier on all sides to lock in all the moisture and increase the juice.”
The co-founders were going for the same grilled food that meat eaters know, but based entirely on plants, skin, meat and bones. Their proprietary technology simulates completely cut meat with the same texture and muscle structure. It’s also made with ingredients like water, chickpea and sunflower oil, and contains more fiber and more unsaturated fat than chicken, but the same amount of protein.
They went on to participate in the Nestlé R&D Accelerator in Switzerland where they were able to test their formula for plant-based wings. This includes a co-production with Nestlé’s plant-based food brand, Garden Gourmet, and a trial run in more than 40 retail outlets across Switzerland.
While presenting at TC Disrupt as part of Battlefield 200, he told TechCrunch that they’re actively raising a Series A — after raising $4 million in seed in 2021 — and plan to expand beyond foodservice and into retail early next year.
Sundial Foods has launched its pilot line with restaurants. You can find their wings at two locations in San Francisco, Manny’s Farm Hope and Fourhorn Taproom. Farming Hope at Manny’s is selling sundial wings for $8 a pair, which is about triple the price of traditional wings, which are currently $1.68 per pound.
“The demand is higher than we can handle right now, so we’re moving to full production,” Schwabach said in an interview. “We have identified our manufacturing partner and will be working with them for the next six to eight months before going to retail next year.”
The plan is to initially focus on local retailers and work to get the volume, packaging and other things right before expanding to larger retailers. And as they approach full manufacturing, the co-founders said they will work to meet the price parity of chicken wings.
