Plenty of natural food companies have cool origin stories, but Nature’s Fynd’s is pretty far out. In fact, the genesis of this Chicago, Illinois-based brand—whose Strawberry Dairy-Free Fy Yogurt won the 2025 NEXTY Award for Best New Dairy Alternative—has nothing to do with food.
Back in 2009, NASA researcher Mark Kozubal was probing the hot springs of Yellowstone National Park, searching for signs of life. Specifically, he was hunting for extremophiles—organisms adapted to survive in extreme conditions like the springs’ scalding, harshly acidic water. Should any such organisms be located, NASA hoped that could inform where to look for life on the moons of Saturn.
Well, Kozubal found a mighty microbe alright: an ancient, extremely rare fungus called Fusarium str. Yellowstonensis. But what became of that organism is less about exploring other planets and more about saving this one.
Thomas Jonas, CEO and co-founder of Nature’s Fynd
Thomas Jonas, CEO and co-founder of Nature’s Fynd
As it turns out, this fungus is packed with protein and highly sustainable, so Kozubal wanted to leverage it for a noble purpose. He then met Thomas Jonas, a former beauty product packaging exec turned eco-minded entrepreneur, who suggested they try turning it into food. The hope was that Fy, as they trademarked the microbe, could become a building block for nutritious, eco-friendly fungi-powered products.
So, in 2015, the two co-founded Nature’s Fynd and got to work. “We went on the journey from Mark’s discovery of this amazing creature to inventing a way to grow the microbe together,” says Jonas, the company’s CEO. “Then we also had to invent how to make a product from it.”
This endeavor involved lots of trial and error. But eventually, Jonas and Kozubal developed a new fermentation technology that could cultivate Fy efficiently, “much in the same way as you’d cultivate tomatoes or poultry,” Jonas explains.
By that, he means Fy is not a product of precision fermentation, which involves using a microbe to generate a separate ingredient, and then that ingredient is made into food. “We don’t do that,” Jonas says. Instead, with Fy, the microbe itself is the ingredient. “Every little fungi is like a little cow, and we eat the cow,” Jonas says. “This is a very natural product.”
It’s also a nutrient-dense one, boasting 60% protein and all nine essential amino acids, something very few plant-based proteins can do. And from a sustainability standpoint, Fy requires “a fraction of the resources” to produce as most animal proteins, Jonas adds.
Nature’s Fynd Dairy-Free FY Strawberry Yogurt won this year’s NEXTY Award for Best Dairy Alternative, but it is also available in Vanilla and Peach flavors.
Nature’s Fynd Dairy-Free FY Strawberry Yogurt won this year’s NEXTY Award for Best Dairy Alternative, but it is also available in Vanilla and Peach flavors.
From fungi to finished foods
As Jonas and Kozubal were perfecting Fy production, they discovered the ingredient’s exceptional versatility. They learned they could manipulate the protein into meat-like patties, for example, or a milk alternative to use in vegan dairy alternatives. The possibilities seemed boundless.
Finally, in early 2021, Nature’s Fynd started selling its first product, Meatless Fy Breakfast Patties, directly to consumers. “Initially, we had very small distribution because we had to build capacity to grow our microorganism,” Jonas says.
As they did that, the brand began generating big interest from big names. Chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernardin fame came onboard as culinary advisor; Bill Gates, Al Gore and other heavy hitters invested millions. Also around this time, Kozubal left the company.
In April 2022, Nature’s Fynd forayed into retail, launching its breakfast patties exclusively at Whole Foods Market, where they became “the fastest growing product in the set,” Jonas says.
Then in January 2024, the brand debuted an entirely new line, Dairy-Free Fy Yogurt, also at Whole Foods. “We felt [the market] was missing a product that could deliver a nice amount of protein but also have the creaminess and taste that people enjoy,” Jonas says. “That’s why we got after yogurt.”
The line was another runaway success, Jonas says. It also hasn’t hurt that Gates has praised this product publicly, saying, “I now prefer a fungi-based yogurt over the ‘real’ stuff.” Nature’s Fynd is the only fungi-based yogurt on the market.
“I guarantee we are not paying him to say that,” Jonas laughs. “He does whatever he wants. He just likes our yogurt.”
Fy Bites launched at Natural Products Expo West in March 2025.
Fy Bites launched at Natural Products Expo West in March 2025.
Retail expansion and continued growth
Now that the Whole Foods exclusivity deals are done, Nature’s Fynd products can be sold elsewhere. Jonas is eager to meet with buyers at Natural Products Expo West to discuss new opportunities.
“Now is the time to expand our distribution,” he says. “We’re looking forward to partnering with more retailers and being sold more places.” He’d also like to produce Fy in more places than just the company’s home base in Chicago, Illinois. “Our goal is to find other places to grow it at scale, in the most efficient and cost-efficient way,” Jonas says.
Meanwhile, Nature’s Fynd continues to innovate. The brand launched Fy Bites at Expo West and won the NEXTY in the vegan category. It has several more products in the development pipeline.
Further down the road, the company hopes to commercialize Fy as an ingredient. “We know a lot can be done with Fy as a protein platform, ranging from bars to drinks,” Jonas says. “As we grow our capacity, we absolutely want to partner with other brands to do that.”
