Led by a team of experienced entrepreneurs, industry analysts, and investors, Mission: Plant provides groundbreaking plant-based and alternative protein companies with the strategic guidance and outsourced management services to enter and succeed in this rapidly evolving market.
Founding Story
Driven passionately by a vision for a more just food system, David Benzaquen has spent the last 15 years as a consultant, investor and food entrepreneur in the plant-based and alternative protein industry. During this time, he founded and later sold a strategy consultancy (PlantBased Solutions), through which he worked with over 100 clients, including many of the plant-based industry’s leading brands.
David built an unmatched network and deep knowledge of the intricacies and nuances of the alt protein industry. He went on to found and later sell Ocean Hugger Foods, a first mover in plant-based seafood. Following these successes, David set his sights on a new model. He founded Mission: Plant to help the most game-changing companies enter and successfully capitalize on the US market.
The Team
David Benzaquen
CEO & FOUNDER
David is one of the world’s leading experts in the plant-based food industry. Among his experiences, he spent nearly a decade leading a corporate strategy consulting firm for plant-based consumer products, founded one of the first plant-based seafood companies, and invested in several businesses in the space. David serves as an adviser with multiple food accelerators and venture capital funds and has spoken at conferences all over the world about the plant-based industry. He and his companies have been profiled in The New York Times, USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Fast Company, Wired, Inc, CNN and more.
Born in France to a multilingual family spread across three continents, David is a true third-culture kid. He has spent most of his life in New York, where he now resides with his wife and two beautiful plant-based kids.
Blythe Whitten-Snarr
DIRECTOR OF MARKET INTELLIGENCE
Blythe has spent 6 years leading market research and strategy efforts for alt protein companies. She is skilled at blending analysis and creative thinking to distill market research into impactful insights that inform omnichannel strategies. Blythe’s passion lies in integrating market, competitive, and consumer insights to reveal the biggest opportunities for brands, and in developing strategies to capture those opportunities. She continues to deepen her experience on the executional side of marketing to achieve an even more well-rounded view of strategy and how it comes to life.
Blythe lives in the Finger Lakes of New York with her fiancé, who is a seventh-generation farmer, and their rescue pitbull Luna. In her free time, she loves to cook delicious vegan things, draw, browse Zillow, and go on long, backroads-y drives.
Joseita Tesolin
RESEARCH ASSOCIATE
Joseita has an unwavering passion for driving the growth of the plant-based food industry. With a solid foundation in market analysis and a deep understanding of the evolving industry, Joseita helps our clients identify lucrative market opportunities, assess consumer preferences, and pinpoint key areas for growth. Her comprehensive research and data-driven recommendations empower our clients to make informed decisions, navigate challenges, and capitalize on untapped potential.
Joseita was born and raised in Toronto, Canada, but has a deep passion for travel and has been living abroad since 2018, in various countries across Asia, Europe, and the Americas. She loves to explore and learn about different cultures, go hiking, study languages, and try new vegan food.
Che Green
HEAD OF CONSUMER INSIGHTS
Che is a 25-year market research veteran focused on sustainable and ethical consumerism, including plant-based foods. He has led research efforts for groups ranging from Fortune 500 companies to international nonprofits. His work has involved understanding consumers’ behavioral motivations and decision-making and applying these insights to help companies expand their customer base and increase sales. His deep consumer research experience includes a range of quantitative (surveys, experiments), qualitative (focus groups, interviews), and mixed-method research.
Che calls the Pacific Northwest home, where he lives with his wife and two rescued companion animals, Bella and Junebug. Che spends his non-work time mountain biking, gardening, reading, and trying new things with vital wheat gluten.