Archer Daniels Midland

RANK27

ADM has been on a quest to turn plants into meat substitutes since the 1950s, and claims the title of inventor of the soy veggie patty. Today, as a $64 billion ingredient company supplying global food brands, it may be the biggest plant-based protein producer you’ve never heard of. Its 10 joint ventures and investments in the category range from growing meat from animal cells to creating protein through fermentation to building the world’s largest insect protein production facility (it’s designed to convert flies into animal feed). These deals are key to ADM’s effort to remake itself into more than an agri-giant processor of commodity crops. ADM expects the $10 billion plant-protein sector to triple in size over the next decade as consumers become more concerned about the impact of their diets on the environment.