DC chef launches new nonprofit to provide free, healthy dishes

Good News Notes: “A new community pantry is giving residents in Southeast D.C. access to free, healthy meals. Kyanite Pantry, founded by chef Kya Parker, focuses on vegan and vegetarian dishes. The nonprofit also provides groceries and toiletries to residents in need. Parker lost her job during the pandemic and got the idea to start…

New York: Plastic-Free Infant Food Brand Tiny Organics Raises $11M in Series A Round

Good News Notes: “ Plant-based infant nutrition brand Tiny Organics, founded in 2020 in New York and delivering throughout the United States, announced yesterday a raise of $11 million Series A funding which will be used to scale the team, build brand and customer awareness, and develop new product categories and sales channels. Tiny Organics is 100% plant-based and additionally,…

Luxury vegan silk startup sets high bar for sustainable fashion

Good News Notes: “Luxury comes in many forms but often at a significant cost to the planet. This U.S.-based company aims to make your home and pool lounging both opulent and eco-friendly with vegan silk-based products that draw attention to sustainability in material selection, manufacturing practices and post-consumer waste. niLuu offers a stunning collection of loungewear that seamlessly doubles…

Jay-Z Just Invested in $250 Million Plant-Based “Tesla of Chicken” Brand SIMULATE

Good News Notes: “Music legend and entrepreneur Jay-Z is now an investor in plant-based chicken company SIMULATE, which closed a $50 million funding round earlier this month. Led by SEVEN SEVEN SIX, an investment fund created by Twitter founder Alexis Ohanian, the investment round, a SIMULATE spokesperson confirmed to Bloomberg, included participation from Marcy Venture Partners…

Indoor, vertical farming could feed the world — and space

Good News Notes: “As the global population continues to increase, vertical farming is becoming a more widely recognized and viable solution to our food production problem. Vertical farming is a type of indoor farming where crops are grown in stacked layers, rather than spread out across large plots of land. These futuristic farms aren’t just going to have an…

What to Eat to Lower Your Blood Pressure, From a Woman Who Did It

Good News Notes: “Sherra Aguirre has a family history of high blood pressure that is so dramatic, it has cut short the lives of two cousins and left her parents tied to daily medication. She saw these circumstances as cautionary tales and decided to do everything she could to offset a family history that illustrated what…

Plant-Based Food Companies Going Beyond Meat

Good News Notes: “In 2009, when Ethan Brown started his vegan meat alternative company, Beyond Meat, he had big dreams for it. It’s unlikely though that he — or anyone else — could predict just how successful it would become. As of 2019, Beyond Meat’s products are sold in Whole Foods and at TGI Fridays restaurants around the…

Dunkin’ Will Offer Over 40 Different Flavors of Vegan Donuts

Good News Notes: “Dunkin’ is proving to be a company that keeps its word after promising last year in May to develop a vegan donut. The doughnut chain plans to roll out an extensive new range showcasing more than 40 vegan donuts at its Belgium branch. The vegan sweets initially launched for online orders only but…