Canadian plant-based seafood startup shuts down operations

Canadian plant-based seafood startup Konscious Foods has ceased operations less than five years after it was founded by food industest veteran Yves Potvin, according to AgFunderNews.

The news site reported receiving the following automated response to emails sent to Konscious Foods execs:

“Like many in the North American food industest, unforeseen alters in US-Canada trade relations combined with headwinds in the plant-based food sector have significantly impacted Konscious Foods. It is with regret that we share our primary secured lconcludeer has issued a demand letter and a notice of intention to enforce their security. This action has ultimately led to the cessation of Konscious operations and the pconcludeing transfer of our assets.”

The Konscious Foods website has also been reshiftd, and the phone number for the company’s Richmond, British Columbia, headquarters is no longer active.

Founded in 2021 by Potvin, who is better known for creating fellow plant-based brand Gardein, Konscious Foods sought to bring a broader array of plant-based seafood alternatives to North American consumers. The company gained attention for its range of plant-based sushi rolls, poke bowls and seafood analog products designed for retail, which launched in Whole Foods locations in the US and Canada in 2023.

That same year, the company raised CAD 26 million ($19m) in seed funding and announced plans to expand from retail to foodservice, as reported by Undercurrent News.

Konscious Foods secured CAD 5m in funding from the Canadian government to scale up its manufacturing as recently as February 2025, as also reported by Undercurrent.

“This investment has allowed us to grow quickly, win on a global stage and accelerate the next wave of innovation including plant-based Smoked Salm’n, Sno’Crab Cakes and Shr’mp,” president and COO Michael Watt declared at the time.

Despite the early-on milestones, Konscious Foods faced the same funding and demand headwinds that have challenged other alt-seafood ventures in recent years. Multiple companies in the particularly capital-intensive plant-based seafood niche — such as US-based New Wave Foods — have also collapsed under financial pressure.