Since Tyson launched an innovation lab in Chicago earlier this year, its team has been tasked to coming up with new snack products that also combat food waste, and it just launched a crowdfunding campaign for its latest good.
The new snack, called ¡Yappah!, is a chip-like protein crisp made from chicken, rescued vegetable puree and rescued malted barley from beer brewing. Packaged in an aluminum can to help cut down on packaging waste, each one contains eight to 10 grams of protein, the company says.
Tyson launched a Kickstarter campaign this week to raise $2,500 for ¡Yappah!, though the company says all the proceeds will be donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository since the brand promotes awareness of food waste and global hunger. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Kickstarter had raised $1,277.
¡Yappah! comes in five flavors, including chicken IPA white cheddar, chicken celery mojo, chicken shandy beer, chicken and carrot curry, and its newest flavor, chicken michelada. The new flavor is inspired from morimoto, a popular Mexican drink that’s usually made with beer, lime juice, sauces and spices.
¡Yappah!’s products are made from spent grain from Molson Coors and chicken breast from Tyson. Additionally, ¡Yappah! works with Naturex, which provides the vegetable puree for the product.
Tyson originally introduced the ¡Yappah! brand in May when it launched a successful Indiegogo campaign, raising more than $8,000, which was donated to the food depository.
“We could not have developed the chicken crisps or test launched them without the collaboration of partners like Molson Coors, Naturex, Indiegogo and the great cooperation of Kickstarter,” said Rizal Hamdallah, who heads the group that created ¡Yappah!, in a statement. “We will continue to seek out partners, large and small, who have resources and goals that complement our own.”
Once the Kickstarter campaign concludes, ¡Yappah! will be available at Chicago-based grocery chain Treasure Island Foods in late October.
In addition to its innovation lab, Tyson also has a $150 million startup venture fund in Chicago that’s invested in local startups like Tovala. Additionally, the food conglomerate established relationships with 1871 and Plug and Play this year to better connect and collaborate with startup and tech companies in the area.
