Eclipse Foods

Eclipse Foods develops plant-based dairy products intended to match the taste, texture and functionality of conventional dairy. Its core technology is a plant-based dairy platform that replicates milk's micelles — described by the company as the microscopic structure of milk — using a blend of non-GMO plants including cassava, corn, potato and rapeseed. The platform is positioned as a base for a range of dairy categories such as cheeses, spreads and desserts, though the company has so far focused on ice cream and frozen desserts.

Products include pints of plant-based ice cream (flavors cited include Cookie Butter, Caramel Butter Pecan, Dark Side of the Spoon, Mango Passion Fruit, Vintage Vanilla, Mint Chip and Vanilla Bean), vanilla and chocolate soft serve mixes, liquid ice cream mix, hard-pack and 3-gallon foodservice tubs, a plain dessert base, and shake formulations. The company states its formulations exclude dairy, lactose, tree nuts, oats and soy, are cholesterol-free, non-GMO, and free from gums and stabilizers, and are free of top allergens including gluten, soy, coconut and nuts.

The company describes its mission as building a more sustainable, healthy and humane food system, and frames its products as a dairy replacement rather than a dairy alternative.

Founding story

Eclipse was founded in 2019 in Berkeley, California, by Aylon Steinhart and Thomas Bowman. Steinhart, a UC Berkeley Haas graduate and committed vegan, previously worked at the Good Food Institute incubating alternative-protein startups and advising investors and strategic partners, and consulted for companies including Nestlé and Kellogg's. Bowman is a James Beard–nominated chef who worked and staged at restaurants totaling 16 Michelin stars before moving into food science and product development at JUST, where he helped create best-selling plant-based products. The two met repeatedly at industry events and decided to build a plant-based dairy company together.

Business model

Eclipse sells packaged plant-based frozen dessert products through grocery retail and direct-to-consumer delivery platforms, and supplies foodservice operators with soft serve mixes, liquid mixes, tubs and dessert bases. For foodservice accounts it positions itself as a full-service provider covering front- and back-of-house formats with accompanying marketing and merchandising support.

Revenue comes from sales of consumer packaged ice cream pints via retailers and delivery platforms and from wholesale sales of foodservice formats (soft serve and liquid mixes, hard pack, 3-gallon tubs, dessert bases) to restaurants, chains, ice cream shops and stadiums.

Traction

As of June 2022 the company reported 2,100% year-over-year growth in retail presence, nationwide retail distribution across multiple grocery banners, DTC availability through delivery platforms, and an expanding foodservice footprint. A partnership with Smashburger launched what the company described as the first nationally available non-dairy milkshakes at a fast-casual restaurant chain and Smashburger's first plant-based menu item. Cumulative funding was reported at more than $60 million.

Latest developments

In June 2022 Eclipse announced a Series B of over $40 million led by Sozo Ventures, with proceeds earmarked for retail and foodservice growth, R&D on its plant-based dairy platform, team building and brand marketing. Shortly before the raise it announced a partnership with Smashburger to launch non-dairy milkshakes nationally.