Experience all the excitement and news at #BensonHillBuilds
A better food system from plant to plate means empowering breeders, farmers, ingredient and food manufacturers, retailers and consumers to ensure better food by intent, design and access.
Breeders & Seed Producers
Farmer
Logistics/
Consolidate
Processor/
Wholesale Supplier
Food/Beverage Company
Food Service/
Retail
Consumer
The same data science foundation that is changing other areas of our lives is influencing the innovation of plant science through Cloud Biology® and CropOS™.
Cloud Biology® is the culmination of data, machine learning and AI techniques with biology. CropOS™ is our proprietary platform designed to facilitate the accessibility and actionability of Cloud Biology®. It accelerates breeding by enabling greater precision and fewer breeding cycles. It is like GPS for plant scientists and breeders. It takes the guess work out; getting to desired outcomes faster and more efficiently.
CropOS™ enables proprietary phenotyping, predictive breeding and environmental modeling algorithms.
Historically, breeding has been a blend of science and chance – a lengthy, expensive process where outcomes often come with tradeoffs. As one plant characteristic such as yield is optimized, another such as protein content is compromised. CropOS™ changes this by enabling greater control and precision.
This means reduced costs and greater accessibility. With CropOS™, we can produce plants that are highly productive, highly nutritious and better tasting. We can improve sustainability by breeding plants capable of doing more, with less. We are able to better influence characteristics such as taste and texture while also reducing processing steps and the need for additives. Products bred from the beginning to have fewer trade-offs and reach the market faster.
We’re already doing this with ultra-high protein (UHP) soybeans and products with low anti-nutrient content which enables better nutrition and more sustainable management for fish, poultry and swine farming. We’re producing high oleic soybeans which means you can enjoy those fries in a healthier way. All of this is moving promise to progress.
CropOS™ empowers innovators and partners who make the science real and propel the future of food. This is an inspiring and exciting journey for us all. It’s a journey from seed to shelf and plant to plate. We are working directly and with a broad network of partners to make it real and accessible today. Because seed is the vessel that carries such FoodTech innovation from concept to consumers, we launched Benson Hill Seeds to ensure an ongoing path to delivering quality parent seed and well-aligned market distribution. With nature as our partner, and responsible science as our guide, the possibilities are limitless.
Athletes, active people and consumers who want plant-based options are interested in high-quality protein food choices sourced from simple plant-based ingredients.
LESLIE BONCI
Sports Dietitian to the Kansas City Chiefs and the XFL
There’s a long road ahead. On average, Americans spend $1.7 trillion a year on food and almost $2 trillion per year on illnesses related to diet and nutrition such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
More than 65% of American adults are either overweight or have obesity and, according to the CDC, a vast number of Americans do not eat enough vegetables and fruits.
Creating better tasting, more nutritious options for both food and feed will play an important role in reversing these damaging trends. Food is health and the work we do will contribute to a healthier people and planet.
The Global Seed Bank, located near the North Pole, is home to over a million different varieties of seeds from the entire world. Its aim is to conserve crop diversity for the future so that scientists can innovate more nutritious and climate-resistant crops.
Yet currently, almost 100% of the calories in our food come from 1% of plants’ genetic diversity. Imagine the possibilities to feed and nourish the world if we unlocked more of that potential.
70% of our global fresh water supply is used for agriculture. Imagine the many other uses and the benefits for the planet if plants were bred to do more with less.
Where we can harness the plant’s ability to do just that, we can reduce not just the environmental impacts of our food but positively impact the economics as well.
One of our earliest innovations focused on traits that improve photosynthesis efficiency. This work is the genesis of our name. Drs. Andrew Benson and Robin Hill were unsung heroes in this pursuit. We are currently partnering with breeding and seed programs to bring improvements in these efficiencies to scale.
We are among a handful of companies that are Non-GMO Project Verified at the seed-level for our products.
We have developed a highly productive non-GMO soybean already sought after in international markets for its nutritional and taste attributes.
We’ve bred soybeans with competitive yields and high oleic oil, enabling healthier and better tasting fried foods and baked goods along with greater production efficiencies.
And, through all of this we’re looking to make food better tasting too. There’s no sense in creating products that are sustainable and healthier if they’re not desirable. Imagine a plant-based burger you can’t wait to bite into as it sizzles on the grill or fries you savor without guilt or reservation.
This can’t just be about creation of options. It must be about the creation of cravings. We have to want to eat better, or we won’t.
Everyone on the Benson Hill team shares a set of common principles fundamental to our identity. Our team is seriously real and authentic. We are bold yet humble. We believe that shaping the future of food requires deliberate purpose and more than just ourselves. We are inspired and energized by an emerging community of innovators across the value chain. If these values speak to you, come join us and apply cutting-edge data and biological sciences to one the most fundamental needs of our time – and have a lot of fun doing it!
– Matt Crisp
President & CEO
We redefine boundaries by providing new solutions to difficult problems. Together we are driven to transform the future and will not allow the fear of failure to prevent us from innovating. We voice our opinions, embrace change, and challenge each other to think creatively.
We have purpose in our work-we are curious, engaged, and have fun. We maintain an active learning mindset and are motivated by diverse people and thoughts. We are energized by all innovators and together we aim to make an impact and contribute to building a better world.
We understand who we are, what we want to achieve, and what it takes to get there. We hold each other accountable through timely, candid, and well-intentioned feedback. Together we engage in honest communication and healthy debate that leads to success through true alignment.
© 2020 Benson Hill Inc. All Rights Reserved.
BENSON HILL, CROPOS, CLOUD BIOLOGY, and the BENSON HILL logo are registered trademarks of Benson Hill Inc.