Vegan egg for industry

Around 75 percent of the eggs produced worldwide come from ethically and ecologically questionable husbandry. With EggField, co-founder and ZHAW graduate David Ebneter offers a plant-based alternative.

Cheese cakes, chocolate mousse, meringues - many treats are also available vegan today. This is also thanks to the startup EggField, founded in 2022, which offers the food industry an egg alternative based on legumes. The idea came from one of the three co-founders, Silvan Leibacher, who was looking for an egg substitute for his Beaver Manufacture. Silvan Leibacher and David Ebneter met through mutual friends at the end of 2019. "We got to talking and Silvan told me he was looking for a vegetable egg substitute for his baked goods," says Ebneter, who had finished his studies at the time and was working in industry after gaining some initial work experience at the ZHAW.

"I was interested in this challenge, and without further ado I developed a first liquid prototype," says Ebneter, who holds a bachelor's degree in food technology and a master's degree in food and beverage innovation from ZHAW. The practice-oriented studies have brought him a lot for this development process. "But almost more important was the environment: at the ZHAW I met people who implemented their own ideas."

EggField, based in Illnau and employing three people, is focusing on a rapidly growing market. "Our main competitor is the huge, subsidized egg industry." In contrast, EggField cannot simply put its products on a shelf, because the company currently produces exclusively for the professional catering and food industries. The reason for this is the company's intention: they do not want to replace the relatively high proportion of "good" label eggs on the Swiss market, but rather those eggs that come from ethically and ecologically questionable sources - a higher proportion of which are used in processed products. "We accompany our customers in their product innovations and pass on our know-how." For example, it can take up to a year for a new product to emerge.

In terms of growth, EggField takes an SME rather than a traditional startup approach. "We want to take our time and grow sustainably, we want satisfied employees and satisfied customers. Ebneter considers this aspiration, as well as a great passion, to be important for entrepreneurs: "It takes a willingness to take risks and perseverance to endure and overcome headwinds and setbacks.

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