(PRESS RELEASE) ROLLESTON, NZ — Leaft Foods, a company that extracts Rubisco, the planet’s most abundant protein, directly from green leaves, announced its expansion into the pet nutrition market with Alfalfa Protein Concentrate (APC), a sustainable protein ingredient that delivers meat-like nutrition with dramatically reduced environmental impact. The company simultaneously announced a strategic partnership with Meateor Pet Food Ingredients New Zealand for distribution in the United States, with European expansion planned for 2026.
The move represents a natural evolution of Leaft’s comprehensive food production system, which creates maximum value from multiple nutrient streams within harvested alfalfa plants. While the company has gained recent recognition for its breakthrough Rubisco Protein Isolate for human nutrition applications, APC represents years of intentional development specifically for pet food applications, demonstrating how Leaft’s total utilization approach serves both human and animal nutrition markets through distinct, purpose-built products.
“Our total utilization approach was always designed to create value from the entire leaf, and pet nutrition represents the perfect application for our Alfalfa Protein Concentrate,” said Ross Milne, CEO of Leaft Foods. “We’re not just adding another ingredient to the market. We’re providing pet food manufacturers with a way to maintain their premium meat-forward positioning while significantly reducing their environmental footprint.”
Meateor Partnership Accelerates U.S. Market Entry
Leaft’s U.S. distribution partnership with Meateor provides immediate access to established distribution networks and customer relationships across the country. Meateor is part of Scales Corporation’s Global Proteins Division, operating across Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and Europe with specialized frozen ingredient production and distribution capabilities, and world-class logistics infrastructure.
“Meateor’s operational excellence and reputation in bringing New Zealand pasture-raised proteins to global markets makes them the ideal partner for APC,” said Milne. “We’ve built a strong relationship with them, and their focus on pet food ingredients alongside their understanding of protein scarcity and sustainability challenges aligns perfectly with our approach. We’re proud to work together to provide manufacturers with solutions that address both nutritional and environmental goals.”
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“Meateor is excited to bring Leaft’s innovative APC to the U.S. pet food market,” said Tim Harty, General Manager, Meateor Pet Food Ingredients New Zealand. “American pet owners increasingly demand premium nutrition with minimal environmental impact, and APC enables manufacturers to deliver on both fronts. They can maintain their meat-forward positioning while achieving meaningful greenhouse gas reduction. This partnership aligns perfectly with our commitment to providing solutions that address the ever-changing protein landscape and support our customers’ sustainability goals.”
The partnership leverages Scales Corporation’s integrated logistics division to ensure seamless service delivery, while Meateor’s dedicated pet food focus and expertise with frozen protein ingredients allows for specialized support in this growing market. This collaboration accelerates Leaft’s path to building a business worth tens of millions of dollars (USD) over the next five years.
Meat-Synergistic Innovation with Dramatic Climate Benefits
APC’s design as a meat-compatible ingredient delivers both operational and environmental advantages for manufacturers. The frozen block format, which is identical to traditional meat ingredients, means manufacturers can seamlessly integrate APC into existing supply chains and production processes without disruption. APC also addresses a critical challenge for pet food manufacturers seeking to reduce their carbon footprint without compromising nutritional quality. APC delivers protein levels comparable to meat while providing 99% lower carbon emissions than beef and lamb, according to an independent life cycle assessment.
When substituted at just 5% of recipe formulation, APC can reduce a product’s embedded carbon by up to 20% for beef-based formulations, while maintaining target protein levels and adding comprehensive micronutrients including omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, antioxidants and vitamin K. APC works synergistically with animal proteins, delivering enhanced nutritional density that helps support immune function, skin and coat health and joint mobility.
Proven Market Demand in Asia-Pacific
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Leaft’s entry into pet nutrition builds on established market validation, with three customers already featuring APC in commercial products across the Asia-Pacific region:
Hitowan, Japan’s upmarket pet retailer, launched a premium freeze-dried range featuring APC in September 2025. The three-SKU range (Lamb & Salmon, Venison, and Beef) targets Tokyo’s discerning pet owners who prioritize fresh, minimally processed foods with recognizable ingredients.
GoodNoze, a Hamilton-based New Zealand brand owner and manufacturer, is developing a kibble product with freeze-dried inclusions featuring APC, targeting January 2026 launch. Their “best of New Zealand” positioning aligns with APC’s premium provenance story.
Fourflax, a premium pet supplements business based in Canterbury, New Zealand, is developing a new addition to their range of supplements for cats focused on immune health, blending antioxidant-rich APC with their South Island-grown flax seed. The company plans to launch in New Zealand first in early 2026, with expansion into Taiwan, Hong Kong and other Asian markets planned.
About Leaft Foods
Leaft Foods harnesses the planet’s most plentiful protein, extracted directly from green leaves, to make industry-defining products with a fraction of the carbon footprint of conventional dairy protein. Leaft’s allergen-free Rubisco protein matches animal proteins in digestibility and nutritional profile and allows their farmer-growers to diversify how they use their land. Founded in New Zealand by highly experienced corporate leaders John Penno and Maury Leyland, who bring deep expertise in food and farming, and led by food industry veteran Ross Milne, Leaft has evolved from a kitchen experiment into a proven sustainable protein solution for pasture-based agricultural economies worldwide. Now accelerating its expansion with a focus on the United States, the company’s transformative approach has attracted diverse backers including prominent Silicon Valley firm Khosla Ventures, NBA basketball star Steven Adams, indigenous investor Ngāi Tahu and ACC’s Climate Change Impact Fund. Learn more at LeaftFoods.com.
