“It’s important for us to be not only where the consumer is today, but also to evolve and be where the consumer is going.” That’s the philosophy guiding 199 Ventures, Hormel Food Corp.’s venture capital arm, and Bryan Kreske is leading the effort. A 23-year veteran at the Austin, Minnesota-based food company, Kreske has played a key role in determining where to send Hormel’s investment dollars. In recent years, the company has partnered with several young businesses working on alternative proteins. It’s a pronounced shift for the company that introduced Spam to the world almost a century ago, but Kreske thinks it will pay off in the long run: “Innovation is in our DNA.”

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