Renewal Mill, an upcycled ingredient supplier making plant-based, climate-friendly baking products, has partnered with Salt & Straw, a large small-batch ice cream company, to create a custom, chef-driven vegan ice cream flavor—Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcake.
Launched on January 1, the flavor is available at Salt & Straw’s 25 locations, and online through the end of the month as part of Salt & Straw’s annual “Veganuary” campaign to raise awareness about vegan food options that not only taste great but are kind to the planet. Made with Renewal Mill’s Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix, the Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcake flavor features swaths of salted caramel frosting on top of dark chocolate brownie cupcakes, which is crumbled into fleur de sel-spiked oat ice cream.
Handcrafted by James Beard Award winning chef, Alice Medrich, Renewal Mill’s Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix is made with upcycled organic okara flour, which Renewal Mill crafts by upcycling the soybean pulp generated during soymilk production. Okara Flour is a versatile superfood that provides superior nutrition with a neutral taste that can be used on its own or in combination with other flours and baking ingredients as an eco-friendly, vegan ingredient option.
By upcycling the soybean pulp that would otherwise go to waste and release greenhouse gases that cause global warming, Renewal Mill is fighting climate change and global food loss by converting food manufacturing byproducts into superfood ingredients and healthy vegan baking staples.
“According to leading research, around 1.3 billion tons of food gets wasted each year with much of it ending up in landfills and contributing to climate change,” said Caroline Cotto, co-founder of Renewal Mill, in a statement. “By improving the efficiency of our food system, Renewal Mill is helping ensure that the next-generation of eaters have a healthy planet and a sustainable future.”
Renewal Mill’s Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcake flavor is the first on the menu to feature okara flour. It’s also the only upcycled company to be featured in Salt & Straw’s “Cupcakes by Vegandulgence” flavor series.
Related: New Product Roundup: Oat-Based Innovations; Plant-Based Dairy Company Raises $28 Million.