Tindle

This interview details Tindle, a company based in the United States. The interview is with Andre Menezes, Co-Founder of Tindle. 

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What is the origin story of Tindle?

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From day one, we have been on a mission to find solutions to create a more sustainable food system by creating delicious and enjoyable foods. This comes from several of our co-founders working in the meat and animal agriculture industries – seeing firsthand the negative impact and implications of global animal farming – including most notably its significant drain on the finite resources on our planet.

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We started TiNDLE Foods in early 2020 in Singapore – just as the world was shutting down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it ended up being a very unique and opportune time for us to start building a company, which included myself, our Executive Chairman, Timo Recker, Chief Technology Officer, John Seegers, and Chief Operating Officer, Jean Madden.

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During that time we were able to create early versions of our now flagship product, TiNDLE Chicken, and teamed up with several of Singapore’s best chefs and culinary professionals – who were eager to experiment and innovate during this time. In partnering with chefs in Singapore (which is one of the world’s leading culinary destinations) and garnering their feedback, we felt confident that the industry was looking for something like TiNDLE Chicken. It was a truly versatile and easy-to-use plant-based chicken that could perform extremely well in any type of poultry dish, from classic chicken sandwiches and tenders to more creative use cases like dumpling fillings or schnitzels and satay.

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From the outset, we also decided to build a remote and nimble business through an asset-light model. This allowed us to scale quickly and efficiently – achieving what many other companies do in multiple years (or even decades). In three short years, we were able to introduce TiNDLE Chicken to several of the world’s leading markets for food innovation and forward-thinking cuisine – including the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Hong Kong, UAE, Japan, and the Netherlands.

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In this time, we also launched a range of new and competitive products for both our business in restaurants (foodservice) and in grocery stores (retail). This included popular and common products like nuggets, sandwich patties, and tenders to more innovative and more unique applications including popcorn chicken, boneless wings, traditional schnitzel, and our newest savory breakfast sausage. 

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What are some of the biggest challenges facing Tindle in the future? 

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As a society, we are urgently running out of time when it comes to reversing the damaging and lasting effects of climate change. Right now, we know that raising livestock for the purposes of food production is one of the biggest contributors to the warming of our planet, responsible for 14.5% of all global greenhouse gas emissions. The demand for meat is also growing, expected to rise 50% by the year 2050.

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With that in mind, one of the biggest challenges we will face is mass adoption of plant-based meats by consumers to support the transition to a more sustainable food system and buy our planet more time. I am confident that it will occur, but we’re seeing some headwinds today in the space. Our challenge is to continue to improve on the overall experience and joy that our foods can bring – so there is no question in choosing the more sustainable option.

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Right now, consumers value taste first and foremost, and we need to work on education that shows that plant-based meats do deliver on taste. However, as an industry, we’re still quite young and early in our journey – and like any transformative innovation or technology, we’ll reach a point where progress and adoption will occur rapidly, especially as we’re racing against time in this scenario.

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What is unique about Tindle compared to competitors? 

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We deliberately started in restaurants in Singapore when we first debuted TiNDLE because of its unique position as a culinary destination and hub for the chef community. We were able to test out TiNDLE in a variety of cuisines and applications, from Chinese and Malay to Indian and Indonesian, as well as American or European foods. From there, we moved on to some of the best restaurants all over the world before entering the grocery category. This approach was intentional to partner with leading chefs and culinary experts globally – and allow us to perfect the complete experience of eating chicken, from the aroma and flavor to bite and chew of chicken. 

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Within our full range of products – both for foodservice and retail – we focus on that high-quality experience across the board. We’ve nailed down the convenience and taste of popular foods like chicken nuggets, chicken tenders, and chicken sandwich patties, but have also taken it a step further and innovated when it comes to the richness, depth, and diversity of what chicken can offer. 

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Our team has analyzed the entire range of consumer needs and use cases. We looked to create unique offerings that expand beyond typical chicken use cases – such as a meaty, peppery chicken wing, a sharable, bite-sized popcorn chicken, or stuffed garlic and herb chicken cutlet (similar to a chicken kiev). 

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We’ve also listened to consumers that are looking for shorter and simpler ingredient lists when it comes to plant-based foods. We were cognizant of this in developing our core TiNDLE chicken with only 9 base ingredients, all of which are common and familiar, including soy protein, oat fiber, and sunflower oil. Additionally, our ingredients are all GMO-free. 

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How can people connect with you or learn more about Tindle?

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Follow us on LinkedIn or Instagram for the latest updates or visit our website. If any operators or retailers are interested in trying out TiNDLE products, send us an email at usapartners@tindle.com. 

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