Hampton Creek Foods, a new business highlighted by CNBC as one of the 50 most disruptive companies in the world, is developing an inexpensive egg substitute derived from yellow peas, which could ease the need for factory-farmed eggs.
Josh Tetrick, CEO of Hampton Creek, began developing products that could be used in place of eggs, or ‘plant-based eggs,’ in 2011. Hampton Creek already offers mayonnaise and a line of cookie dough—Just Mayo and Just Cookies—that contain an egg substitute derived from yellow peas.
“Not only are we more sustainable and humane, but we also create products that are healthier and more affordable for people everywhere,” says Morgan Oliveira, Hampton Creek’s communication director. “We think it’s backwards that most health food is usually expensive, inconvenient, and less tasty.”
The company’s egg-equivalent product reportedly costs around US$0.39 cents per pound, or less than half the cost of factory-farmed eggs. This price point, according to Hampton Creek, is what makes the product a viable alternative for big brands like Crocker and Pillsbury, both owned by General Mills. Says Oliveira, “Even those who were initially critical have contacted us to talk about how they could work with us!”
Hampton Creek has set up distribution deals with Safeway, Costco, and Whole Foods to sell their Just Mayo and Just Cookies products. “We’ve had a lot of support from mom and pop stores to large corporations wanting to partner with us. They believe in what we’re doing,” says Oliveira.
The company is already making its offerings available internationally, having recently launched a product line in Hong Kong.
