VILLAGEx 2023 Founder Friday: Ceres
Founder Fridays is a series that spotlights VILLAGEx founders and their startups
Over the last few years, plant-based food alternatives have captured the attention and dollars of markets across the United States and the world. For Rich Simmerman and Branson Morgan, Louisiana natives, the plant-based cereal market sparked their interest. Thus their entrepreneurial journey began to create a healthy and more sustainable cereal than the cereal they grew up on. In 2022, Rich and Branson founded Ceres, a CPG startup that offers cereal with 20 grams of plant protein and 0 grams of sugar.
“We both grew up in communities where big-box foods with low nutritional value were readily available, but healthier, plant-based alternatives were not.” said Morgan. "As we got older, we began to realize just how unhealthy cereal was, not only for people, but for our planet. We felt like the cereal industry hadn’t done much to make cereal healthier for people and more sustainable for the planet to grow, so we created Ceres plant protein cereal,” said Rich.
According to a report published by Statista Research Department, nearly 300 million people in the United States eat cold cereal for breakfast, and that number is projected to increase in 2024. Tie that research to the increased market demand for more plant-based food options, people’s desire to buy from eco-friendly brands, and goals to live a healthier life, creating a plant protein cereal felt like the right thing to do for the founders behind Ceres.
Rich and Branson are proud to offer people a healthy plant-based food option for their morning (or afternoon!) cereal. The plant protein cereal is made with high-quality, non-GMO ingredients that are packed with plant-based protein and essential nutrients. The main ingredients include whole grains such as oats, which are rich in vitamins and minerals that support heart health and digestion. In addition, Ceres also contains 20G of protein from various plant-based protein sources, such as pea protein, hemp protein, and natural soy.
“We believe that eating sustainably-sourced foods that are made with natural ingredients are essential to improving the climate health of the planet and the public health of society, and we think a food as popular as cereal can go a long way to achieving our goals. We know that ceres plant protein cereal can revolutionize the cereal industry,” said Rich.
In just a year, the Ceres team has seen major success. They have grown their team by hiring three more people. They won the “Top Physical Consumer Product” in the 2022 AWS University Startup Competition, and also launched their product on Amazon Prime North America. Ceres now forms part of the VILLAGEx cohort. Like many founders in the Consumer Packaged Goods industry, the journey to scale is an exciting challenge. The Ceres team is committed to combating the lack of access to accessible, plant-based protein in food deserts and beyond.
Q & A
(Responses have been edited for clarity)
What’s your best piece of startup advice for an entrepreneur in your industry?
Branson: “Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) is a tough space to be in. A lot of people will tell you that it’s less flashy than software and tech, and that might be true. But remember that 8 billion people have to eat in a world where it’s becoming harder to grow food. Stay focused and stay true to your vision.”
Why startup in New Orleans?
Branson: “We both grew up in Louisiana, moved to California, then came back because there’s no place like home. New Orleans is arguably the most exciting, friendly place to follow your dreams, because the natural state of this city is to work with you, rather than against you. We also feel like people here largely lack access to sustainable, plant-based nutrition, so we see an opportunity to improve the public health of New Orleans.”
How do you hope you and your business evolve while in the VILLAGEx program?
Branson: “We hope that the experienced mentors and people who have ‘been there and done that’ around the VILLAGEx program will help us become a more adaptable, future-forward business. We know that there’s a limitless amount of knowledge when it comes to our space, and we want to learn as much as we can while in VILLAGEx.”
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Ceres is the 1st cereal with 20 grams of plant protein and 0 grams of sugar. Created to be just as sustainable for the planet as it is for people, Ceres is 100% plant-based, vegan, non-GMO, and gluten-free. Because they believe that sustainable, plant-based nutrition should be available to everyone, everywhere, they place a particular emphasis on bringing our cereals to underserved communities.