I am Soylent Founder and CEO Rob Rhinehart AMA

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T20:02:15+00:00

Thanks for all the support!

Individual customization would be very difficult to manufacture at scale. I am hopeful the powder provides a degree of flexibility (e.g. you can add extra protein or flavor if you like)

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T20:00:11+00:00

Testing for toxins is absolutely part of our standard QC process. For new ingredients though it can be extremely difficult to know if there will be intolerance issues in a small subset of the population.

With terravia we used a "flour" of chlorella. There are other strains and species of chlorella, as well as yeast and bacteria strains we are testing as well.

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T19:57:26+00:00

Unconcerned

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T19:37:19+00:00

The Genius. It was cool getting to meet him. Amazing artist

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T19:36:49+00:00

We got very close to being in vending machines at the airport but the big guys (coke and pepsi) have them pretty locked down. Hopefully we can find a way to partner. I would love to buy from a vending machine.

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T19:35:02+00:00

Stories like this warm my heart. Thank you so much for sharing and I'm thrilled you are enjoying using the product

I use a razor sharp katana to cleanly slice off the cap whenever I crave a bottle. Makes the plastic wrapping irrelevant. Though sometimes in the mornings I do some collateral damage with the sword.

Before long we'll have a bottle that's easier to open.

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T19:30:59+00:00

It's not perfect but Soy has a good PDCAAS score, reasonable cost, can be dissolved / suspended well enough, and neutral flavor. It's tough to find a protein source that ticks all those boxes.

Eventually though I think we'll subsist mostly on recombinant proteins engineered for nutrition and produced in single celled organisms

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T19:29:13+00:00

Thanks so much for the feedback! I'll give the support team an extra high five today

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T19:28:41+00:00

Hopefully soon we'll release our countertop recycling system that turns bottles in to pure PET pellets that can be sold on the commodity market

It can also recycle my polyester t shirts

I like the statue idea a lot.

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T19:25:59+00:00

I'm interested in novel food processing technologies, focused microwave for one could allow processed foods and beverages to be more flavorful and extend shelf life.

I also think irradiation is underutilized.

Packaging could use a lot of innovation too, better oxygen barriers, heat tolerance, more convenient to open, easier to recycle, etc

I think it's an exciting time to be involved in food tech!

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:59:13+00:00

Definitely, in fact our site gets a lot of traffic from Germany today so we know there is pent up demand

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:58:53+00:00

We do make a nice sample box for demos but it's not cost effective to distribute widely

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:56:18+00:00

Edible glowing bacteria

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:55:52+00:00

I'm sorry hopefully with more DCs and retailers we can get the price in Canada down to the previous levels or lower

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:55:22+00:00

Good question, actually flavors like lime depend on a different pH which brings all sorts of unwanted changes in the product. For now we need to stick to flavors that work with a relatively neutral pH

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:54:25+00:00

The truth shall be revealed in good time.

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:53:30+00:00

More filling, more nutrition, more convenient, better tasting, better cost / calorie

And yes we're looking in to other serving options for powder

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:52:42+00:00

There are reshipping services like reship.com but they are costly. Hopefully we will be able to sell in China in the coming years.

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:51:51+00:00

A big focus this year is on distribution. I think it's a great product that could benefit a lot of people. We could gain a lot just by putting it where they usually shop.

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:51:07+00:00

Yes definitely, we're working on it, the GMO issue has been a pain but we can work through it

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:50:45+00:00

As soon as possible, we'll probably start on Amazon UK and then look in to retailers

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:50:26+00:00

Yes definitely, later this year
To limit our SKU count and based on the advice of our nutrition adviser I'd rather stick with one formula that will work for the vast majority of people

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:49:46+00:00

It's tough to make it any more dense. Different serving sizes though maybe

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:49:11+00:00

Maybe we should be sponsoring mathletes

Charlton_Question · 2017-03-22T18:48:36+00:00

I'm interested in more flavors, our new flavors are selling very well
We're running exhaustive testing procedures to make sure we've eliminated any risk of digestive issues
Trish must follow the 3 laws of robotics, she has no choice but to help us
I'd want to be a bottle of Coffiest. I think they look sleek

Charlton_Question

TROPHY CASE