Motif
Motif FoodWorks is a Boston-based food technology company founded in 2019 that develops plant-based ingredients, cheese, and meat alternatives via microbial engineering and precision fermentation, sold B2B to food manufacturers and CPG companies.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersBoston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Motif does
Motif FoodWorks is a Boston-based food technology company founded in 2019 that develops plant-based food ingredients and consumer-facing products using microbial engineering and precision fermentation. Its portfolio comprises plant-based cheese alternatives, plant-based meat alternatives, and standalone plant-based ingredients and flavorings intended for incorporation into third-party consumer food products. The company applies engineered microorganisms to produce specific proteins and flavor compounds and uses precision fermentation to address taste, texture, nutrition, and mouthfeel challenges that have historically limited consumer adoption of plant-based alternatives.
The company operates a B2B go-to-market, targeting food manufacturers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies that need ingredient-level solutions to improve the sensory profile of plant-based SKUs. Revenue mechanics are described as product sales together with licensing, though no pricing, contract, ARR, or revenue figures are publicly disclosed and no customer logos have been named. Headcount is reported in the 11-50 range.
As of June 2021, Motif had raised approximately $345 million in venture capital across multiple rounds, led by a $226 million Series B co-led by Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board and BlackRock with participation from General Atlantic and Rethink Food. Earlier rounds include a $90 million round led by Fonterra Co-operative Group and Louis Dreyfus (February 2019) and a $27.5 million round led by Alumni Ventures and General Atlantic (August 2019). An additional investment from Robert Downey Jr.'s FootPrint Coalition was reported in May 2022; specific round, amount, and lead status were not disclosed.
Motif firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Motif
- Legal name
- Motif FoodWorks, Inc.
- Website
- https://madewithmotif.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Motif FoodWorks is a Boston-based food technology company founded in 2019 that develops plant-based ingredients, cheese, and meat alternatives via microbial engineering and precision fermentation, sold B2B to food manufacturers and CPG companies.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Motif industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Plant-Based Food Ingredients
- NAICS
- Food Manufacturing (311), Other Food Manufacturing (3119)
- SIC
- Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Dairy Products (2020)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Ingredient Blends & Systems / Custom Formulation (Seasoning Systems, Functional Blends) (CRADAOAO)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Plant-Based & Alternative Proteins (Packaged) (CRADAAAH), Plant-Based Meat & Seafood Analogues Manufacturing (AFAKAGAA), Plant-Based Meat Manufacturers (End-to-End Brands) (AFANAKAA)
Keywords
Where Motif is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Boston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Motif business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Plant-based Ingredients and Food Technologies: Motif FoodWorks generates revenue by developing and selling plant-based ingredients, including plant-based cheese and meat alternatives, to food manufacturers. Revenue comes from product sales and licensing deals.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Motif product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Motif FoodWorks develops and sells plant-based food ingredients and finished product alternatives (plant-based cheese and meat alternatives) using proprietary microbial engineering and precision fermentation. Its offerings are sold to food manufacturers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies for incorporation into their consumer food products.
Product overview
Motif FoodWorks is a plant-based food technology company that develops innovative food products and ingredients using microbial engineering and precision fermentation. The company operates as a single unified product focus area rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Its core offerings include plant-based cheese alternatives, plant-based meat alternatives, and specialty plant-based ingredients and flavorings. The products are designed to improve the taste, texture, nutrition, and mouthfeel of plant-based foods to address key challenges in the alternative protein sector. The company raised $226 million in Series B funding in June 2021, bringing total funding to $345 million, and has indicated plans to launch its first commercial products soon.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Plant-Based Cheese Alternatives
Companies that use Motif
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Motif technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Motif partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Motif competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Perfect Day: Perfect Day uses precision fermentation to produce animal-free whey and casein proteins for dairy applications, mirroring Motif's precision fermentation approach for plant-based cheese and dairy-adjacent ingredients, sold primarily B2B to CPGs.
- The EVERY Company (formerly Clara Foods): The EVERY Company applies precision fermentation to produce animal-free egg and protein ingredients for CPG customers, sharing Motif's fermentation-first, B2B ingredient go-to-market against food manufacturers.
- The Not Company (NotCo): NotCo develops plant-based ingredient systems and finished products (dairy, meat, milk) for CPG partners using proprietary formulation technology, overlapping with Motif's mission to deliver plant-based ingredient solutions that improve taste and texture for food manufacturers.
- Corbion: Corbion is a global ingredient supplier using fermentation to produce food ingredients (including functional proteins, flavors, and preservation systems) sold B2B to food manufacturers, directly comparable to Motif's fermentation-based CPG ingredient model.
Emerging players
- Ginkgo Bioworks: Ginkgo Bioworks operates a cell engineering platform with explicit food and flavor ingredients programs (e.g., Motif-adjacent fermentation partnerships), positioning it as a horizontal platform peer in programmed biology for food applications.
- Eat Just: Eat Just develops plant-based and cultivated egg and meat products via precision fermentation and tissue engineering, with a similar technology platform and B2B ingredient ambitions to Motif's plant-based portfolio.
Broad incumbents
- Impossible Foods: Impossible Foods is an established plant-based meat brand whose end-consumer products address the same taste/texture challenges Motif targets, and whose scale creates downstream B2B pull for the type of functional plant-based ingredients Motif develops.
- Beyond Meat: Beyond Meat is a leading incumbent in plant-based meat end products, a downstream consumer of the kind of improved protein and flavor systems Motif is engineering, making it a comparable reference customer and category benchmark.
- ADM: ADM is a global agribusiness and ingredient powerhouse with a significant plant-based protein and flavor portfolio, representing both a potential customer channel for Motif's specialty ingredients and a benchmark for ingredient commercialization scale.
- Cargill: Cargill is a major food ingredients and plant-based protein supplier (including its own alt-protein investments), making it comparable as a large incumbent channel for functional plant-based ingredients and a potential strategic acquirer or partner for Motif.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Motif social profiles
Digital presenceMotif financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Motif leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Motif funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors20 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Motif M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Motif
What does Motif do?
Motif FoodWorks develops and sells plant-based food ingredients and finished product alternatives (plant-based cheese and meat alternatives) using proprietary microbial engineering and precision fermentation. Its offerings are sold to food manufacturers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies for incorporation into their consumer food products.
Is Motif a public or private company?
Motif is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Motif founded?
Motif was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Motif based?
Motif is headquartered in Boston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Motif make money?
One revenue line is on record: plant-based Ingredients and Food Technologies.
Who are Motif's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Perfect Day, The EVERY Company (formerly Clara Foods), The Not Company (NotCo) and Corbion. Emerging players are Ginkgo Bioworks and Eat Just. Broad incumbents are Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat, ADM and Cargill.
Does Motif have an API?
No public API is recorded for Motif.
What industry is Motif in?
Motif's product category is Plant-Based Food Ingredients. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRADAOAO, Ingredient Blends & Systems / Custom Formulation (Seasoning Systems, Functional Blends), with a secondary code of CRADAAAH, Plant-Based & Alternative Proteins (Packaged). Its NAICS code is 311 and its SIC code is 2000.