Lypid

Lypid is a food technology company that develops alternative fat ingredients for plant-based and conventional food applications. Its core platform, PhytoFat, is a line of vegan fats made from plant oils and fiber using a microencapsulation method, formulated to mimic the texture, mouthfeel, flavor transfer and cooking behavior of animal fats while reducing fat and calories and containing no trans fats, cholesterol or hydrogenation. According to the company, PhytoFat retains its animal-fat-like qualities when heated above 165 degrees Celsius.

Using PhytoFat, Lypid produces finished foodservice-ready and consumer products, including what it describes as the world's first plant-based pork belly, sold as pork belly slices, smoked pork belly slices, thick-cut bacon and sweet-and-savory braised pork belly, as well as low-calorie salad dressings, meatballs and plant-based burger patties. A separate brand, Lypid Kitchen, produces retail-ready items such as a plant-based BBQ Pork Piggy Bao. The company lists an address at 738 Charcot Ave, San Jose, California, has previously described San Francisco as its headquarters city, and maintains business contacts in both the US and Taiwan.

Founding story

Lypid was co-founded by Jen-Yu Huang and Michelle Lee, both of whom hold Ph.D.s from Cornell University. Development of the company's technology continued at SOSV's IndieBio accelerator in San Francisco. Huang serves as co-founder and Lee as chief technology officer.

Business model

Lypid supplies its PhytoFat ingredient to food manufacturers and foodservice partners on a B2B basis, and also sells branded finished products, including pork belly and bacon items, through its own online store and via retail and restaurant partners.

Revenue is derived from sales of PhytoFat ingredients to food companies and from sales of branded finished plant-based products; the online store lists prices such as $105 for Lypid Pork Belly, $99 for Lypid Bacon, $102 for braised pork belly and $130 for thick-cut bacon, with free domestic shipping on orders above $399 and bulk purchasing available by email.

Traction

Lypid launched plant-based pork belly in the US and Asia Pacific in April 2023 and placed first in the meat category of The Plant Base's Taste Challenge at the Plant Based World Expo 2023 in New York. It won multiple awards at the 2023 World Food Innovation Awards. Commercial deployments include plant-based burger patties with Louisa Coffee across more than 500 stores in Taiwan, ingredients for IKEA Taiwan's Plant-Based Braised Pork Belly Pasta, and a co-development agreement with CP Foods. The company has stated a production goal of more than 10 tonnes per year per production line.

Latest developments

In December 2024, Lypid Kitchen, a new brand under Lypid, debuted its first retail-ready product, a 100% plant-based BBQ Pork Piggy Bao, at Disney's Moana 2 world premiere in Oahu, Hawai'i. Earlier in 2024, Lypid's plant-based braised pork belly was selected for an IKEA Taiwan menu item and the company exhibited at the International Pizza Expo.