［Health Science domain］
The KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND Invests In Neutral Foods, the first carbon neutral food company in the United States
~ Explore possibilities for initiatives in decarbonizing the food industry ~
- Other
September 5, 2022
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited
TOKYO, September 05, 2022 - The KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND, a corporate venture capital (CVC)*1 fund founded by Kirin Holdings Company, Limited (Kirin Holdings) and Global Brain Corporation, (Global Brain) a leading independent venture capital firm, has invested in Neutral Foods Inc (Neutral Foods). Neutral Foods is a food company that is taking on the challenge of reducing GHG*2 emissions with its unique strategy and products. As global warming has been pointed out to have a potential impact on human health, we will explore future decarbonization efforts by collaborating with Neutral Foods to solve climate change issues.
The Kirin Group has formulated a long-term management vision, Kirin Group Vision 2027 ("KV2027"), which aims to create value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals and become a global CSV*3 leader. As a long-term non-financial goal of KV2027, we have formulated the "CSV Purpose," a set of guidelines for sharing value with society and achieving sustainable growth, and have identified key issues such as "health" and "environment”. In addition to our existing businesses in the "Food" area (alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beverages) and "Medical" area (pharmaceuticals), we are also working to solve these social issues and realize KV2027 by launching a "Health Science" area that will contribute to people's health based on the advanced "fermentation and biotechnology" technologies the Kirin Group has developed over the years.
1 The practice of an operating company investing its corporate funds directly in an external startup company aligned with its business lines, intended to establish a mutually beneficial relationship or launch a new business by leveraging the latter’s assets.
2 Green House Gas: Greenhouse gas
3 Abbreviation for Creating Shared Value. Creating value that can be shared with customers and society.
About Neutral Foods, Inc.
Neutral Foods is the first carbon neutral food company in the United States and currently offers its own brand of "neutral" milk that is certified carbon neutral. The company rigorously measures GHG emissions throughout the value chain and works with farms to reduce GHG emissions on an ongoing basis, while utilizing carbon offsets*4 to achieve carbon neutral products.
As awareness of climate change issues grows around the world, consumers are increasingly looking for ways to contribute to the environment through their daily lives, and Neutral Foods is developing products to meet this need. In addition to its own "neutral" brand of milk, Neutral Foods plans to develop and launch carbon neutral products in a wide range of livestock-related fields, such as beef and butter.
4 A generic term for ideas and activities that aim to absorb directly or indirectly greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide emitted in "some places" through human economic activities and lifestyles by reducing emissions in "other places" through afforestation, forest protection, and clean energy projects.
Purpose of Establishing the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND
Through the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND, Kirin Holdings intends to invest in startups around the globe that have innovative technologies and business models for resolving health issues, and to leverage their advanced health science technologies and solutions for improving customer experience. By combining the Kirin Group’s wealth of assets and competence in health science with innovations and technologies that startups will bring to partnerships, Kirin Holdings will be better able to bolster its existing Food & Beverages domain as well as step up efforts to launch new businesses in its Health Science domain.
Supplementary Information
(1) About the KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND
| Fund name | KIRIN HEALTH INNOVATION FUND (registered as KIRIN and GB Investment Limited Partnership) |
|---|---|
| Primary sector for investment | Startups around the globe operating in the health science domain |
| Established | March 2020 |
| AUM | 5 billion yen |
| Investment period | 10 years |
| General partner | Global Brain Corporation |
(2) About Global Brain
| Company name | Global Brain Corporation |
|---|---|
| Head office | 10-11 Sakuragaokacho, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan |
| President | Yasuhiko Yurimoto |
| Established | January 1998 |
| Primary business | Venture capital business |
| URL | https://globalbrains.com/en |
(3) About Neutral Foods
| Company Name | Neutral Foods Inc. |
|---|---|
| Head office | Delaware, US |
| President | Marcus Lovell Smith |
| Established | March 2021 |
| Primary business | Development and sales of carbon neutral food products |
| URL | https://www.eatneutral.com/ |
About Kirin Holdings
Kirin Holdings Company, Limited is an international company that operates in the Food & Beverages domain (Food & Beverages businesses), Pharmaceuticals domain (Pharmaceuticals businesses), and Health Science domain (Health Science business), both in Japan and across the globe.
Kirin Holdings can trace its roots to Japan Brewery which was established in 1885. Japan Brewery became Kirin Brewery in 1907. Since then, the company expanded its business with fermentation and biotechnology as its core technologies, and entered the pharmaceutical business in the 1980s, all of which continue to be global growth centers. In 2007, Kirin Holdings was established as a pure holding company and is currently focusing on boosting its Health Science domain.
Under the Kirin Group Vision 2027 (KV 2027), a long-term management plan launched in 2019, the Kirin Group aims to become A global leader in CSV*, creating value across our world of Food & Beverages to Pharmaceuticals. Going forward, the Kirin Group will continue to leverage its strengths to create both social and economic value through its businesses, with the aim of achieving sustainable growth in corporate value.
* Creating Shared Value. Combined added value for consumers as well as for society at large.