Episode 4 - Greg Shewmaker, TeakOrigin

Spoiler alert: the nutritional information we think we know about our food is incomplete and inaccurate according to Greg Shewmaker, Co-Founder and Chief Commercial Officer of TeakOrigin. Greg explains why the price we pay for food in grocery stores has no relationship to nutritional quality, and how TeakOrigin is bridging the gap. We’re talking about the implications for eaters and producers—and how major retailers are helping to drive progress.

TeakOrigin came out of Greg’s experience as a curious consumer in Hong Kong wondering about what he was eating. This simple question led to the startling realization that there are no simple answers to what we should be eating, and why this is the case. We explore a future where we as consumers can use our phones to scan our food and know the precise nutritional profile of what we are eating. But first, the company is building the data to make this possible. TeakOrigin is flying forward creating new data every five weeks— starting with produce, and with applications for meat, dairy, and wine. 

Our conversation extends into the need for an ecosystem that stitches together the technologies trying to solve our global food challenges. Greg envisions a collaboration that battle tests technology for effectiveness and ensures we can easily deploy and apply technologies where they are most needed. We are not talking about dusty models of information sharing, we’re getting specific about how to construct a collaboration that produces results.

This is a story about nutrition, data, tech, and collaboration—and how these come together for the future of our food. And yes, we dig into how all of this is playing out as we navigate the Covid-19 uncertainties. Join our conversation.