'ReGrained' in Berkeley transforms beer grains into super grains
BERKELEY, Calif. -- As a consumer, Daniel Kurzrock was alarmed at the staggering amount of food waste across the country.
"About 40% of all the food that we grow is wasted, which is about the equivalent of going to the grocery store, filling up five bags and dropping two in the parking lot and thinking, 'no worries,'" Kurzrock explains.
As a result, Kurzrock and Jordan Schwartz co-founded ReGrained, an innovative company focused on revolutionizing the way the world uses its food.
"What we are obsessed with doing is making sure we are eating all the food that we are growing as a planet," Kurzrock said. "Starting with the incredible grain that's created every time beer is brewed."
ReGrained created a patent-protected "upcycling" process that takes the "spent" brewing grain no longer needed and reuses it for other food products.
"Beer makers are just taking the sugar from the grain, what is left is really good eating. Good fiber. Good protein. Delicious." Kurzrock reveals, "This was an ingredient that could be used in a huge range of products. The question became why isn't it being used today, so we set out to build a business to answer that question."
Kurzrock describes this super grain as "super-nutritious, super-flavorful, and super-functional."
"It's got about 20% protein, so close to twice whole wheat flour. It's got about 40% fiber, which is close to four times that of oats," Kurzrock states.
After the production process, the super grain is milled into fine flour and used to make other food products, like bread, pasta, and even ice cream.
"It also can be used for similar inputs such as the co-products that are created from plant-based milk production, juice production and others," Kurzrock says with a smile. "The future is: you are going to see many brands that you know and love introducing products using upcycled ingredients."
According to Kurzrock, ReGrained's plan is to use upcycling and food product development ultimately as "a force for good."
