In the U.S., egg prices have recently skyrocketed. The text below is copied and pasted from a proposition I produced about an idea to replace eggs with plant-based alternatives in New York City businesses that sell baked goods. I'm posting here for 1) general feedback 2) potential pitfalls/oversights 3) brainstorming 4) contact from people who want to either help me with this or take over the idea entirely 5) to inspire similar projects in other U.S. cities.
VALUE PROPOSITION
The current U.S. climate with egg prices and bird flu present a unique opportunity to promote the use of plant-based methods for binding and emulsification in baking. Small businesses hurt by the increased costs may currently be more receptive to alternate recipes for baked goods. Following a similar model to Plantega [an NYC org that has resulted in menus of veganized offerings at local delis], PlantBake could offer curated information and support to help businesses transition to egg-free baking with minimal disruption to their daily routine and product quality.
Each success can be modular, low-barrier, and incremental; transitioning even one business to egg-free baking can be of substantial value to plant-based advocates.
FORMAT
materials Volunteer baking consultants (one already identified) work to put together clear, concise, and simple materials on transitioning common baked goods to eggless recipes. A website, pamphlets, and short videos are produced by a promotional media consultant (already identified).
candidates A running spreadsheet of potential candidate businesses in NYC will be populated. PlantBake will aggressively pivot and update the list as we determine which types of businesses are the most receptive.
outreach The candidates will be approached by phone, email, and in person with the value proposition, resources, and contact information. Businesses who request more information will be offered additional assistance (phone or in-person consultation) as resources allow.
follow-up and growth PlantBake will follow up with interested candidates to measure followthrough and to get feedback from businesses about the recipes and the process. Feedback will be diligently reviewed, considered, and implemented, as resources allow.
SERVICES
PlantBake will produce and provide materials about how to transition to egg-free recipes. Materials will include information about cost savings relative to eggs and recommendations on sourcing ingredients.
As access to volunteers allows, we will also consult with select businesses to help develop alternatives catered to their specific needs and recipes.
Medium term (3-6 months) and as financial resources allow, we could guarantee an initial bulk order for a trial batch of baked goods, potentially to be donated to a local community kitchen.
Longer term (2 years) we could foster connections and insider prices with vendors of egg substitute ingredients.
CLIENTELE
Dedicated and boutique bakeries may already have plant-based offerings or may be resistant to outside suggestions due to the years of skill and knowledge they have put into their products. However, other businesses also produce baked goods and may be less partial to their current recipes: facilities like cafeterias, cafés, grocery stores, hotels and small catering businesses.
Excited to see people capitalizing on opportunities like this!
I'd wonder how much harder it would be to get large commercial product vendors to consider the same thing. (Approaching them is probably harder, and they likely already have food chemists, etc. who would have vested interests and/or would need to be convinced.)
No idea, but could be great down the line. I bet way more red tape and just a lot more people in the chain of command who you'd have to convince, but who knows, there may be a sweet spot for medium-large companies looking to save money 🤷♂️