Arcadia Biosciences and Three Farm Daughters venture to boost wheat ingredient offerings

11 Aug 2020 --- Agritech company Arcadia Biosciences and consumer food company Three Farm Daughters will form a strategic business venture to develop and market food products using GoodWheat technology. Arcadia’s GoodWheat portfolio of specialty wheat ingredients boasts an enhanced nutritional profile, with increased dietary fiber and less allergenic gluten and calories than traditional wheat. Together, the companies will develop Three Farm Daughters-branded food products such as flours, pastas and crackers that leverage the enhanced nutritional profiles of GoodWheat ingredients.

“Arcadia continues to look for innovative partners to bring our GoodWheat ingredients to market. We recognize our proven strength in crop innovation is best married with partners, such as millers and food companies, whose strengths lie in other areas of the wheat value chain. Together, we can deliver the high-quality ingredients and healthy food options consumers are seeking,” Sarah Reiter, Chief Commercial Officer at Arcadia Biosciences, tells FoodIngredientsFirst.

GoodWheat varieties are the output of Arcadia’s research into wheat and focus on improving wheat’s nutritional value through non-GMO breeding techniques. GoodWheat touts up to 10 times more dietary fiber, up to 65 percent less allergenic gluten, and nearly 30 percent fewer calories per serving than traditional wheat. 

Three Farm Daughters is a majority female-owned, agriculture-based food company that produces and markets better-for-you food products. “Three Farm Daughters shares our commitment to healthy, high-quality food ingredients and clean labels,” says Matthew Plavan, President and CEO of Arcadia Biosciences. 

Three Farm Daughters will launch its first product – a refined, non-enriched wheat flour for everyday baking – in September. “What makes refined, non-enriched wheat flour so compelling is its simple ingredients and clean label,” explains Reiter. Arcadia and Three Farm Daughters are expected to execute definitive agreements in due course. 

Promoting health with wheat
Reiter notes that GoodWheat varieties perform very similarly to traditional wheat.   

“Our GoodWheat bread wheats are comparable to other bread wheats and our GoodWheat durum is similar to other wheats used in pasta manufacturing. Our GoodWheat varieties taste and perform like traditional wheat because they are wheat with added nutritional benefits such as higher fiber, improved protein quality, reduced allergenic gluten and fewer calories,” she explains. 

Three Farm Daughters-branded food products will leverage the enhanced nutritional profiles of GoodWheat ingredients.Mollie Ficocello, President and Co-Founder of Three Farm Daughters says: “Our family has proudly grown GoodWheat wheat varieties for years and we know first-hand the difference healthier, quality ingredients make in our diets and lifestyles.” 

Three Farm Daughters’ founders attribute the company’s focus on health and nutrition to their North Dakota farming roots and close-knit family values, giving rustic appeal to the advanced wheat variety brand and the launch of its branded products.

Earlier this month, Arcadia Biosciences also partnered with Corner Foods to bring the GoodWheat portfolio of specialty wheat ingredients to China and Israel.

As consumers continue to demand healthier products across the food and beverage industry, the bakery category is no exception. Dina Foods recently highlighted that consumers are looking for healthy, but enjoyable options in bakery. 

Through both breeding and processing techniques, creating healthier bread has been long in the making. A study published in April found that white flour is the healthiest it has been in 200 years, featuring an increase in dietary fiber and a decrease in acrylamide. 

“Commercial wheat breeding has, over the years, focused on yield, processing quality and disease resistance. It is good to know that during this process, other components, important for human health, have not been negatively affected as a result of this,” lead author of the study Dr. Alison Lovegrove told FoodIngredientsFirst at the time. 

Earlier this year, a Canadian study found that altering the wheat cultivar or mixing techniques can allow for sodium reduction with less impact on overall bread performance on the constant quest for the perfect loaf. 

To see more on how key suppliers are increasing the health profile of bread and bakery products, read FoodIngredientsFirst’s Special Report: Fortified bread trends driven by consumers seeking natural and nutritious NPD. 

By Missy Green