PODCAST: What Happens to Innovation After It’s Created?

Inspired by the senses at a young age, Matt Rubin has taken that curiosity to a new level in his adult years. The founder and chief executive officer of Indianapolis-based True Essence Foods joins AgriNovus Indiana CEO Mitch Frazier on this week’s Ag+Bio+Science podcast to talk all things SoChatti Chocolate, his lingering curiosity driving innovation in food and the company’s approach to sustainability.

True Essence began under the name SoChatti after Rubin developed a dairy-free chocolate product. The SoChatti brand remains, but True Essence has furthered its innovation.

“We actually as a team saw the future and used the chocolate as a stepping stone to creating an industrial solution for producing shelf-stable food,” said Rubin.

The company has developed what Rubin calls flavor symmetry technology, which is designed to keep all of the flavors expected in a fresh food to be represented in the dried version of the food.

“Typically when you remove water from a food, the flavor also leaves. In our technology, we figured out how do you separate that water from flavor, so the flavor gets to go right back into the food, and the food not only concentrates in terms of all of its nutrients and its nice, natural, raw form, but the flavor also concentrates. It’s really been a powerful platform.”

Last October, True Essence closed on a $5 million Series A2 round of funding, which Rubin said would allow the company to expand its food processes.

Rubin talks more about the company’s technologies, sustainability efforts, and what’s next for True Essence in the podcast.

The new Ag+Bio+Science podcast comes out Monday morning. To access the full line-up of Inside INdiana Business podcasts, click here.