Starbucks and NotCo partner to bring new vegetable origin options to Chilean consumers

NotCo's NotMilk and two “meatless” sandwhiches will now be part of the chain's stores in the country

27.Sep.2021 18:58 BRT
UPDATED 18:59 BRT

Since last week, Starbucks’ customers in Chile can consume beverages and sandwiches that use NotCo’s plant-based products. NotCo’s NotMilk and two “meatless” sandwiches will now be part of the chain’s stores in the country. The announcement comes nearly a year after the food tech’s arrival in the U.S.

“We are very happy to partner with Starbucks in Chile, who share our mission of reducing the environmental impact of the large-scale food industry. Some months ago, we announce the arrival of NotCo to the Whole Foods chain in the United States. A few months later, we celebrate the valuation of $1.5 trillion and reaching the category of ‘unicorn.’ Today, we are very happy to be able to inform about this alliance with the most important coffee chain in the world,” said Matías Muchnick, CEO at NotCo, in a statement to the press.

“In recent years, in response to consumer interest, we have included plant-based alternatives such as almond milk, soy, and oatmeal and we are happy to expand our plant-based offer in drinks and food,” said Claudia Aburto, director of Starbucks Southern Cone, in the same statement. Starbucks has made a global commitment to expand options to migrate to a more environmentally friendly menu.

Landing in the U.S. in 2020’s third quarter was a crucial step to project NotCo as a global company, and it was powered by an $85 million-dollar Series C Round with key industry investors, including Bezos Expeditions, Future Positive, and L Catterton.

Founded in 2015 by Muchnick, Karim Pichara, and Pablo Zamora, the startup reached unicorn status in July this year after raising a $235 million round led by Tiger Global, and followed by venture capital firm DFJ Growth Fund and social impact foundation ZOMA Lab, besides individual investors Lewis Hamilton and Roger Federer.

NotCo remains committed to using its Giuseppe AI platform to create new products. This year, it launched plant-based ground beef and tuna, among other products.