The Planting Hope Company Inc.
- $38.084M Market Capitalization
At this point, there are probably more dairy alternatives than there are Fast & Furious movies, which is impressive. Off the top of my head, there’s oat milk, almond milk, soy milk, and sesame milk. However, while I fully support dairy alternatives, their nutritional value leaves much to be desired. For example, while almond milk contains fewer calories and carbohydrates, one cup only contains 1 gram of protein. On the contrary, one cup of whole milk contains 8 grams of protein.
I’ll admit, soy milk comes close to whole milk in almost every category, including protein. One cup of soy milk boasts about 80-100 calories, 4 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fat, and 7 grams of protein. With this in mind, the soy segment dominated the dairy alternatives market in 2020, holding the largest market share of 20.15%. That being said, I still have my hesitations when it comes to soy, but I won’t get into that. Thankfully, an up-and-coming dairy alternative, sesame milk, is vying for the throne.
The Planting Hope Company Inc. (MYLK.V) recently began trading on the TSX Venture Exchange (TSXV) on November 18, 2021. The Company develops, launches, and scales plant-based and planet-friendly food & beverage brands. Founded by experienced food industry entrepreneurs, Planting Hope is a women-managed and led company, focused on three impact pillars, including nutrition, sustainability, and representation. Impressively, the Company’s Board of Directors represents one of the first all-women Boards on the TSXV.
Planting Hope’s flagship brand, Hope and Sesame, represents the first commercially available sesame milk worldwide. On Google, the Company’s only competition appears to be health food maniacs concocting and sharing their homemade sesame milk recipes. I’ll pass. Unlike other dairy alternatives in the market, Hope and Sesame products are nutritionally comparable to dairy milk, containing 8 grams of complete protein and all 9 essential amino acids.
Additionally, sesame milk requires very little water and resources to cultivate. In fact, sesame requires 95% less water than almond milk and 75% less water than oat milk to produce. Furthermore, while almond milk requires commercial bees to pollinate groves, sesame is self-pollinating, thereby requiring no commercial bees. With this in mind, Planting Hope is a niche company fulfilling an unmet area of the dairy alternatives market. The Company has drawn the attention of consumers and investors alike, achieving a share price of over a dollar within just a few months of going public.
For more on Planting Hope, check out this article!
Planting Hope’s share price opened at $1.06 on February 2, 2022, up from a previous close of $1.05. The Company’s shares were trading at $1.05 as of 12:06 PM EST on February 2, 2022.
Else Nutrition Holdings Inc.
- $141.707M Market Capitalization
As humans, we tend to avoid making important decisions when our lives are unpredictable, challenging, or downright awful. For example, with my current bank balance, I would be less inclined to order 10-piece nuggets at my local McDonalds. Instead, I would probably opt for the 6 piece-nuggets. Then again, I have never been the most financially responsible. Considering COVID-19 has thrown all our lives into udder chaos, humans have been taking substantially fewer risks, including having children.
In fact, according to Statistics Canada, Canada’s fertility rate decreased from 1.47 children per woman in 2019 to a record low of 1.40 children per woman in 2020. Furthermore, in the same year, Canada experienced the lowest number of births and greatest year-over-year (YOY) decreases in birth since 2006. If this continues, Canada could join the “lowest-low” fertility countries, which isn’t exactly the most exciting list to be put on.
In reality, COVID-19 has only magnified barriers that had already existed before the pandemic. When we consider the fact that from 2010 to 2019, the percentage of dual-income houses in the United States (US) increased from 51.9% to 53.3%, it’s no wonder fertility rates have dropped. Similarly, the number of Canadian families with two employed parents has almost doubled from 1976 to 2015. With this in mind, a whopping 49% of couples have chosen to not have children at all in Canada.
While this number is significant, 51% of couples, many of which are likely dual earners, have still chosen to start a family. That being said, new parents are faced with the challenges of caring for their children while still being able to work. One such challenge includes food preparation and breastfeeding infants as the prevalence of dual-income families continues to increase. As a result, parents are turning to quality baby food that is both safe and nutritional.
Else Nutrition Holdings Inc. (BABY.T) recently uplisted to the TSX on January 25, 2022. Else Nutrition is an Israel-based food and nutrition company focused on the development of innovative, clean, and plant-based food and nutrition products intended for infants, toddlers, children, and adults. Furthermore, Else Nutrition has developed a plant-based, non-soy, formula that is a clean-ingredient alternative to dairy-based formulas. The Company’s formula has been tested for heavy metals of concern such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury, none of which were present.
With this in mind, Else Nutrition has certainly made a name for itself as a trusted brand. In fact, the Company’s Else Plant-Based Complete Nutrition for Toddlers was ranked as the No. 1 Top Seller in the Baby and Toddlers Formula category on Amazon. Made using buckwheat, Else Nutrtion’s Toddler Nutrition is treated with alpha-amylase to digest some of the complex carbohydrates into smaller pieces to facilitate digestion in young children.
With the various concerns surrounding dairy and a growing preference for plant-based, Else Nutrition provides an alternative for parents looking for products that are safe for their children. For more on Else Nutrition, check out this article!
Else Nutrition’s share price opened at $1.43 on February 2, 2022, up from a previous close of $1.41. The Company’s shares were down -3.54% and were trading at $1.36 as of 1:52 PM EST on February 2, 2022.
Plantable Health Inc.
- $12.14M Market Capitalization
The Global Meal Kit Delivery Services Market was valued at USD$10.26 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13% from 2021 to 2028. Unsurprisingly, the closing of restaurants around the world due to COVID-19 has helped out the market significantly, with cook and eat meal kit delivery service holding the largest market share of 61% in 2020. Meal kits have also gained popularity in terms of convenience, sustainability, and reduced food waste.
While many people, myself included, have put on some pounds during the pandemic, many others have actually lost weight. Whether it was through eating better or exercising regularly, 36.01% of Canadians managed to lose weight during the pandemic as opposed to gaining weight. This makes Canada one of two countries, the second being the United Kingdom, where more people lost weight than gained.
According to an additional survey conducted by RunRepeat, people who normally exercised up to two times a week have increased the frequency of their exercise by 88%. On the contrary, those who normally exercise more than four times a week have decreased exercising by 14%. Sounds like I fit into that category. With this in mind, people have been prioritizing their health during the pandemic, and rightfully so. As a result, meal kits and fitness apps like Apple Fitness+ have seen increasing popularity.
For example, a survey conducted by McKinsey & Company found that consumers who reported using mobile apps to fulfill health and fitness goals increased from roughly 50% pre-pandemic to an impressive 75% in June 2020. With this in mind, monthly consumer spending for paid apps has risen about 10% following the onset of the pandemic.
Plantable Health Inc. (PLBL.NE) recently began trading on the NEO Exchange on January 12, 2022. Much like Planting Hope and Else Nutrition, Plantable fulfills a niche role in the plant-based market. The Company brings together plant-based meals, personalized coaching support, and lifestyle tools to encourage people to change their dietary habits. Currently, Plantable offers two programs, namely its “Reboot” and “Quickstart” programs.
Alternatively, consumers can also build a custom box of 12 Plantable menu items via the Company’s A La Carte offering. However, unlike the Reboot or Quickstart programs, this does not include coaching or access to lifestyle tools. Plantable’s Reboot program represents the first clinically-supported lifestyle program combining plant-based nutrition and behavioral psychology. Results demonstrated a cohort average weight loss of over 9 pounds during the 28-day intervention.
For more details regarding Plantable Health, check out this article!
Plantable Health’s share price opened at $0.30 on February 2, 2022, up from a previous close of $0.27. The Company’s shares are up 25.93% and were trading at $0.34 as of 1:46 PM EST on February 2, 2022.
