Nature’s Fynd:

Reimagining Protein in a Post-Agriculture World

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About the Guest

Thomas Jonas is the Co-Founder and CEO of Nature’s Fynd. Nature’s Fynd is a groundbreaking food company born out of NASA-supported research at Yellowstone National Park. The company’s fermentation technology grows a revolutionary complete protein, named Fy™, that is then made into delicious meatless and dairy-free foods. Thomas was previously president of two business units of MeadWestvaco, overseeing 15 operating plants around the world with annual sales of over $700 million. A French-born global executive, he’s held senior leadership positions at Rio Tinto, Alcan, and Pechiney. Thomas graduated from the prestigious international business school HEC Paris and also served as an officer in the French Air Force.

About this episode

In this conversation, we discuss why Fy protein is neither plant nor animal, how Nature’s Fynd has charted its own path amid the alt-protein backlash, and what it means to build a new food system from the ground up. Thomas opens up about his shift from corporate executive to food systems entrepreneur, the science and storytelling behind Fy, and his long-term vision to decouple food from traditional agriculture entirely.

Key Takeaways

  1. Nature’s Fynd is creating an entirely new protein category using a microorganism from Yellowstone’s hot springs—Fy is not plant-based or animal-derived, but something entirely new.

  2. Jonas pivoted from a corporate leadership career to food-tech entrepreneurship after a sabbatical in Hawai’i led him to meet NASA-backed researcher Mark Kozubal.

  3. Fy protein is grown using a highly efficient fermentation process that uses a fraction of the land, water, and energy required for traditional agriculture—without relying on light, sugar, or animals.

  4. Rather than chasing meat mimicry, the company focused on versatility and novelty, launching with breakfast patties and cream cheese to show Fy’s flexibility across categories.

  5. Nature’s Fynd has avoided the alt-protein hype collapse by building slowly, prioritizing product quality and differentiation, and resisting the “plant-based” label when it didn’t serve them.

  6. Consumer trust is built through radical transparency, nutritional integrity, and a grounding origin story—the Yellowstone connection serves as both scientific proof point and emotional anchor.

  7. Jonas sees Fy as a post-agricultural protein—a system-level solution that can feed billions, function in extreme environments, and help future civilizations decouple food from planetary degradation.