Planted: From ETH Lab to Global Plant-Based Leader

Celebrating 15 years of the Top100 Swiss Startup Award, we spotlight the pioneers who shaped their industries. Among them is Planted Foods, which gained early recognition in the ranking — appearing five years in a row, often on the podium — and winning the final stage of Venture Kick. Born as an ETH Zurich spin-off in 2019, Planted has become an international leader in plant-based meat alternatives, combining proprietary structuring and fermentation technologies to produce meat made from plant proteins — with a focus on authentic textures, juicy taste, and 100% natural ingredients.

As Top100 celebrates its 15th anniversary, Planted Foods demonstrates how Swiss innovation can grow from research to a global brand. Ranked in the Top100 for five consecutive years and a Venture Kick final-stage winner, the company has evolved from its first webshop and early fundraising campaigns to Michelin-star restaurants and supermarket shelves around the world. We spoke with the founding and early executive team about Planted’s journey from ETH spin-off to international plant-based innovator, the challenges of scaling taste and texture, and what’s next for the future of protein.

Planted Co-Founders: Judith Wemmer, Christoph Jenny, Pascal Bieri, Lukas Böni, and Eric Stirnemann

"Top100 brought us together
with our lead investor."

What first inspired you to create plant-based meat alternatives? 
We were inspired by the idea that people shouldn’t have to choose between taste and sustainability. Creating plant-based meat was our way of reimagining how protein could be produced — delicious, nutritious, and with only a fraction of the environmental footprint. 
 
What was your first prototype or test product like? 
We started with planted.chicken 1.0 — far from perfect, but it proved product-market fit and gave us invaluable customer feedback. That early proof of concept gave us the confidence and direction to keep improving.

"Product-market fit
gave us the confidence
to keep improving."

Planted production site

Which steps brought Planted to Top100 recognition and to launching the first plant-based steak—and how did the investor connection at the Top100 Summit influence that path? 
Key milestones included building a strong science-driven team, developing our proprietary structuring technology, and earning consumer trust with products that deliver on taste, nutrition, and texture. A recent milestone was opening our new production site in Memmingen, Germany, dedicated to advancing our fermentation technology.

Repeated recognitions as a Top100 innovator always validated our approach — giving us visibility, press coverage, and access to a strong investor network. In fact, we met our lead investor for the Series A round, Peter Schmetz of Vorwerk Ventures, through the Top100 Investor Summit, which ultimately led to his investment.

"From day one,
we decided to use
natural ingredients only."
 

What has been the hardest challenge in balancing taste, texture, and consumer trust?
The biggest challenge was achieving the perfect balance between taste, texture, and clean ingredients — while keeping our process and storytelling transparent. Consumers want to know what’s in their food, so we’ve always kept our recipes simple and natural. This also meant developing advanced technology, since we don’t rely on additives to achieve the desired results. 

Planted’s delicacies—chicken and steak

How has Planted reshaped the way people think about meat alternatives?
We don’t really like the term meat alternatives. Planted aims to move the conversation from “substitute” to protein people crave. By focusing on natural ingredients and culinary appeal, we’ve shown that plant-based meat isn’t a compromise — it’s a progression.

What will protein on our plates look like in 10 years?
In ten years, protein will be far more diverse. Plants will take center stage, supported by fermentation — and possibly cultured meat. What matters most is that future protein sources are nutritious, healthy, delicious, and widely accepted — while being significantly more sustainable than today.

Which early research decision still defines your approach to plant-based meat today? 
From day one, we chose to work exclusively with natural ingredients rather than additives or chemical shortcuts. That scientific decision still defines us today, enabling us to create clean-label, nutritious, and authentic products that consumers can trust.