INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
which just received $12 million in funding, is looking to rethink the way we grow crops, feed our livestock, and ultimately take better care
The strategy is three-fold.First, Cooks Venture partners with small farms to set up regenerative agricultural practices from its own IP,
which it has also set up at its own 800-acre farm
This includes determining which types of plants will protect the soil itself and sequester carbon in the ground
It also includes measuring soil carbon, nutrition and other biological factors to promote biodiversity and stave off pest populations
According to the company, leading climate scientists believe that if this process was carried out for all farms across the globe, climate
change could be reversed.But regenerative agriculture as a product is just a small slice of what Cooks Ventures is all about
After all, what is Cooks Venture actually growing on its farm? The answer is chicken feed
chickens, which have been selected over many, many generations of Heritage chickens to have the best digestive health, and are given
unrestricted access to the outdoors
All in all, it took more than a decade to isolate the genetic lines that have resulted in Cooks Venture chickens, called Heirloom chickens
These chickens are also more heat resistant, meaning that they can be raised in unusually hot places once the company looks to expand
globally.Because these chickens are able to eat a more diverse diet, with more fiber and protein than the chicken feed used on other chicken
farms, they are higher in omegas, healthier and taste better, according to Wadiak
Moreover, Cooks Venture has managed to scale up its operations, including its own processing facility, to distribute upwards of 700,000
The company is currently working with FreshDirect, Golden Gate Meat Company, and has more retail partnerships to announce soon, alongside
sales of the chickens on its website.But the funding will also go towards building out the upstream and downstream revenue models
Upstream, Cooks Venture wants to partner with farmers to not only build out regenerative agricultural practices, but to show them that they
can actually grow more calories per acre (and thus make more money) by using these regenerative processes
product.Downstream, the company wants to work with chicken farmers or companies who are interested in proliferating the Cooks Ventures
genetic lines throughout the world.In this way, Cooks Venture is the first vertically integrated agricultural company to operate solely on
regenerative agriculture.Wadiak says the greatest challenge to Cooks Venture is educating people around regenerative agtech and mobilizing
population, whereas billions of dollars are spent lobbying congressman to vote for proliferating subsidies in corn and soy.The $12 million
in financing was provided by AMERRA Capital Management.
