Founder Spotlight: Grace O'Brien (Peggs)
Meet Grace O’Brien
Company:
Peggs
A plant-based egg alternative made from chickpeas that can be used for vegan scrambles, omelettes & baking: on a mission to make food more sustainable, ethical, and healthy.
When did you launch the business?
October, 2019
Startup Stage:
Bootstrapped
Locations:
Laguna Beach, California, USA
What led you to where you are today?
Peggs was a passion project I developed throughout quarantine. I try to be mindful about eating sustainably, always looking for the plant-based version of my favorite foods. However, it constantly irked me how I can never find good plant-based egg alternatives. So, I started tinkering around in my own kitchen, trying to fill the gap in my life. Originally, my goal was just to design an egg-alternative for myself -- so I could enjoy a breakfast scramble guilt-free -- but I got totally enthralled by it. The deeper I got, the more I learned how unsustainable the egg industry truly is, and how many other consumers, like me, wanted an eggless egg (for reasons beyond sustainability as well).
What do you wish you knew before embarking on your entrepreneurial journey?
I wish I knew how much iteration and diligence it would take just to develop a recipe. I have no experience in food science or cooking -- I literally just started reading scientific research papers on the chemical components of eggs, researching possible ingredients, and then tried probably 30 to 40 recipes over the course of a few months.
What is the most difficult decision you've had to make regarding your business so far?
"Powder versus liquid" was my hardest decision. I really wanted Peggs to be a liquid substitute, because I felt like it would lead to more optimal, impactful product-placement. When I think about how we can truly change consumer behavior towards more plant-products, it means putting them next to the traditional products. Thus, I wanted to develop a liquid that could be displayed in the fridges alongside eggs. I realized that developing a liquid, though would require much more regulation and capital that I just don't have, so I decided to start with the powder version as an MVP.
What can you help the VEGPRENEUR community with?
I love design, branding, and technology , and am happy to help others with their own branding process.
How can the VEGPRENEUR community help you?
Food science and chemistry is something I have a very trivial amount of knowledge on, so would love any support when it comes to perfecting the recipe. I'd also love support raising money to go from home-packing to a real co-packer. Also, would love people to test our product and share on social media @peggs.planteggs.
Fun fact about you:
I moved out of my SF apartment at the beginning of the pandemic and have been nomading ever since, living out of different mountain Airbnbs.
Anything else you would like to share?
I am SO new to this space, and have a lot to learn. Thanks for letting me be apart of your community.
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