When wheat is cultivated, the stalk, which constitutes the majority of the crop’s weight, frequently goes unused. Tom Simmons, founder and CEO of The Supplant Company, recognizes potential in these stalks. His company, established with the goal of upcycling waste into nutritious and sustainable staple ingredients, has recently introduced Supplant Grain & Stalk Flour. This innovative flour blend incorporates wheat grain, just like conventional flour, but also includes some stalks. According to Simmons, the resulting flour resembles traditional wheat flour in appearance, taste, and functionality, yet it boasts fewer calories, up to six times more fiber, and lower net carbohydrates. “If applied broadly across farms, we could effectively double an arable farm’s output, leading to increased food production with a reduced environmental impact per ton of food produced,” Simmons explained.
The company is processing this flour for distribution to foodservice providers and manufacturers while also creating pasta for direct consumer sales. Supplant’s Grain & Stalk Pasta is available for purchase on the company’s website. This flour is the second upcycled ingredient introduced by Supplant, following a sweetener derived from plant waste such as corn cobs that debuted at the end of 2021. This sweetener, produced through enzymatic transformation and processing, is nearly as sweet as sugar. It has been featured in direct-to-consumer chocolate bars on the company’s website and is making its way into foodservice applications.
Simmons stated that Supplant’s mission is to be a B2B supplier that develops natural ingredients aligned with three key principles: enhanced nutrition, high sustainability, and increased food security through abundance. “We’re focusing on bulk components because they are the primary causes of health and environmental issues,” Simmons noted. “This approach uniquely facilitates the large-scale replacement of ingredients.”
While Simmons initially did not intend to upcycle wheat stalks, he saw an opportunity in them. The company employs enzymes to extract various fibers from the stalks. The goal is not to decompose the fibers, as is done in the production of Supplant’s sweetener, but to release them in a way that allows them to function more like starch. Supplant processes the grain in a manner akin to traditional flour milling, blending the grain flour with the stalk flour depending on the end product. The stalk flour enhances the nutritional profile, contributing more protein, fiber, and fewer calories to the final product. Simmons believes that pasta, typically made from flour and lacking in nutritional value, is an ideal starting point to showcase this flour.
The flour was first presented at a dinner held at Michelin-starred Chef Thomas Keller’s Per Se restaurant in New York, featuring dishes such as crackers, flatbreads, croutons, and various pasta types including tagliatelle, ramen, and gnocchi. Chefs at Per Se continue to experiment with the flour in their recipes. The pasta available for consumers online is shaped like tubular rigatoni and retails for $4.99 per eight-ounce box—more expensive than bulk grocery pasta but cheaper than some specialty pastas made from potatoes or pulses. Simmons envisions that, once scaled, the pasta will become more affordable for all consumers. “This is where the business opportunity lies, but it’s also where we can make a significant environmental and social impact,” he remarked. “To effect real change for the environment, you need to operate on a large scale.”
For both of Supplant’s ingredients, the company offers branded direct-to-consumer products on its website. They produce five varieties of chocolate bars and two types of shortbread using their sweetener, along with the Supplant Grain & Stalk Pasta. However, Simmons considers these offerings as “stepping stones” toward a more substantial ingredients market where Supplant intends to focus its efforts. The sweetener is currently utilized in around 400 locations across the United States, with production reaching approximately 200 tons annually. The company is pursuing additional manufacturing partnerships to expand its capacity and has been in discussions with major food manufacturers regarding the incorporation of Supplant’s sweetener into their products.
Simmons aims to develop the flour to a similar level of success. Presently, the company can produce hundreds of tons annually, and he plans to introduce it into restaurants, continue refining the production process, and eventually integrate it into consumer packaged goods (CPG). “These are essential dietary staples—like breads and pastas—so we can effectively make our case,” he stated. “This could truly have a global impact.” Additionally, Simmons mentioned that some individuals may experience an upset stomach when consuming certain ingredients, and the inclusion of calcium citrate in recipes could help mitigate such digestive issues, further enhancing the appeal of Supplant’s products.