Chipotle Mexican Grill’s Cultivate Next fund is set to make minority investments in Plantible, a company utilising lemna, an aquatic plant, to develop a plant-based protein globally, and CH4 Global, which focuses on innovations to reduce methane emissions and combat climate change.

Cultivate Next was launched in 2022 and is designed to invest in early-stage companies that support Chipotle's long-term objective of expanding to 7,000 restaurants across North America.

Established in 2018, Plantible has created a vertically integrated manufacturing system for producing rubi protein using lemna, commonly referred to as duckweed.

This natural, plant-derived protein can replicate the quality, flavour and texture of widely consumed animal proteins, serving as a substitute for synthetic emulsifiers and binders.

By capitalising on rubi's functional and nutritional attributes, Plantible seeks to address the food industry's demand for a healthier, cleaner and allergen-friendly food system, in place of the current one which is compromised by unsustainable and unhealthy ingredients.

Chipotle chief customer and technology officer Curt Garner said: “Plantible's vertically integrated and traceable supply chain aligns with our commitment to ingredient transparency and food with integrity standards.

“Investing in a like-minded venture that strives to transform the global food supply could help the entire industry unlock new opportunities for plant-based menu offerings.”

CH4 Global aims to achieve significant emissions reductions over the next ten years by utilising whole, dried asparagopsis seaweed to target methane production in livestock.

The company's primary product, is the Methane Tamer feed additive, which incorporates asparagopsis to decrease methane emissions in cattle by as much as 90%.

Chipotle's investment will facilitate CH4 Global in scaling the production of this additive to address the increasing demand worldwide for natural solutions to reduce emissions of methane from the 1.5 billion cattle globally.

Asparagopsis not only has the potential to decrease methane emissions but may also enhance the energy retention from feed within the rumen of cattle.

This improvement implies that cattle could derive energy and nutritional benefits from the same quantity of feed, thereby promoting efficient growth and milk production while simultaneously mitigating the animals' environmental footprint.