From Leaf to lunch: the Canterbury startup rethinking protein

Forget soy, pea, or lab-grown meat – the next frontier in sustainable food might just be hiding in plain sight. Specifically, in the leaves of everyday plants growing across New Zealand’s farmland.

In the latest episode of The Business of Tech podcast, I talk to Ross Milne, the CEO of Rolleston-based startup Leaft Foods, which has pioneered a breakthrough technique to extract and process Rubisco, a naturally occurring protein found in every green leaf. 

Scientists have long known Rubisco’s potential, calling it the “utopia protein” for its rich nutritional profile and low environmental footprint. What’s been missing until now is a practical way to isolate it for use in food and animal feed.

From milk to leafy greens

Milne, a former process engineer who worked for some of the world’s largest food companies, saw an opening for innovation back home in New Zealand, teaming up with Leaft Food founders John Penno (Synlait Milk co-founder) and Maury Leyland Penno. Leaft’s approach promises not just a powerful alternative to traditional protein sources, but a clever circular system where farmers can use the high-protein byproducts as feed supplements, boosting productivity while cutting emissions.

The engineering ingenuity allowing Leaft to extract sufficient quantities of Rubisco is what caught the eye of global investors in 2020, when Leaft raised US$15 million in a Series A round. Among Leaft’s backers is Khosla Ventures, the legendary Silicon Valley venture capital firm known for betting early on world-changing green technologies. 

Low-impact protein

Working mainly with alfalfa crops in the Canterbury region, Leaft harvests and processes the leaves, extracting the protein which is sold to food suppliers and which features in Leaft Blade, the company’s line of nutritional products. The leftover leaves are used by farmers for supplementary feed.

“The interesting thing about [Alfalfa] from a grower point of view is it regrows straight away,” Milne told me. 

“So about six weeks later, for example, we're back in that same paddock harvesting it again. And we just constantly do that. It's a perennial which stays in the ground for multiple years.”

As the world races to find scalable, low-impact protein sources, Leaft’s innovation could place Canterbury at the center of the solution. For Milne, it’s a mission to transform the food system from scratch.

Listen to the entire conversation on The Business of Tech podcast to find out how this Kiwi startup is redefining what we eat, how we grow it, and why the leaves in your backyard might hold the key to feeding the future.

Streaming on iHeartRadio, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

Show notes

Developing a new plant-based protein - Science Learning Hub

An IPO could be on the cards for Leaft Foods one day - BusinessDesk

NZ green protein producer sprouts new deal with Asian food giant - RNZ

Leaft protein boosted from ground up - Farmers Weekly

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.