We interviewed Eran Groner, Co-founder, and CEO at Yo!Egg, is an Israeli startup that perfectly simulates the sunny-side-up egg, with all its distinct advantages and without the disadvantages. He will participate in the virtual event Future Food Tech London, happening September 30 – October 1, and will be joined by global leaders in the food industry. If you’d like to attend, you can register here and save 10% with code EA10.

Can you give us an overview of what Yo!Egg is about and what makes it unique.

Yo! Egg is set out to become the world’s largest most sustainable and ethical egg producer in the world. In order to do so we have developed a proprietary egg production technology that enables us to produce eggs entirely made from plants.

After pioneering cultured meat at Future Meat, what made you want to find Yo!Egg?

I have been playing in ag-food tech for over a decade. Before I joined Future Meat Technologies, I designed industrial animal protein projects for food companies and governments across four continents. After years of figuring out ways how to make meat, dairy, and eggs more cost-efficient I have come to the realization that something needs to change. So I shifted my focus to actively find better, more sustainable, and humane ways to produce the foods we all love. Layers, across all animals we humans farm, are the ones mistreated the most (in my humble opinion) and for the longest time. For Yosefa, Nisim, and myself, this is the driving force behind what we do and the reason we get up in the morning.

How does Yo!Egg tackle consumer acceptance of plant-based products?

Consumers love plant-based products. They are voting plant-based every time they reach out to a plant-based product and the number of consumers voting plant-based is on the rise year on year. The tricky part is, that consumers expect the experience from a plant-based product to match the equivalent animal-based product. At Yo!Egg we do precisely that. Our eggs provide the same nutritional value, texture, functionality, and experience only without the cholesterol or saturated fat.

Where do you see Yo!Egg first? Foodservice or direct-to-consumer? 

Yo!Egg will be available in Israel’s food service by the end of 2021 and in retail soon after.