NutraWomen Wednesday: Julia Streuli, Co-founder, FUL Foods
For a research project on food solutions to the climate crisis, the trio used microalgae as a potential solution and were so impressed that they decided to launch a food tech company.
"We all became quite fascinated with the potential of microalgae to help play a critical role in a more sustainable food system and so by the time we were done with the research project, we didn't want to stop working on food tech and exploring the possibilities of creating products with microalgae, and we didn't want to stop working together,” Streuli said.
"And so we ended up entering the school’s Venture Competition, and we won right before we graduated. So that allowed us a little bit of money and enough of a reason to not take our corporate jobs after graduation and go all in and found this food tech company focusing on microalgae."
Today, the FUL Foods team is working on creating sustainable and nutritious products from microalgae, particularly spirulina. Streuli explained that spirulina is resource-efficient and can be produced using emissions from other industrial processes, making it a compelling option for a more sustainable food system. It is also highly nutrient-dense and can provide essential vitamins, minerals and vegan protein.
One of the main challenges they face is consumer acceptance, as spirulina can have a strong taste and smell that is not appealing to everyone. To address this, FUL is working on making spirulina taste better, more convenient to incorporate into products and more affordable for wider adoption.
Apart from her work at FUL Foods, Streuli also co-founded a nonprofit project focused on effective philanthropy and has been involved in health education initiatives in the U.S. and Thailand. For her, giving back to humanity and the planet is a natural part of her career.
“If there are all these challenges that exist and we can take part in helping to address some of those challenges and we're in a privileged position to do so, why wouldn't you do that? So yeah, that's kind of the way that I've thought about it,” she said.
