The power of leaves
It takes around 50,000 green leaves to fill a 100 ml pouch.
The leaves are grown on the Canterbury Plains, harvested and pressed within hours, and processed in Rolleston. The result is a surprising source of protein made from something most of us have spent our lives not giving much thought to: green leaves.
The protein is called Rubisco, and it is found in every green leaf. In nature, Rubisco helps plants turn sunlight and carbon dioxide into energy. For food scientists, the challenge has been figuring out how to extract it from the leaf without losing the qualities that make it interesting as a food ingredient.
That is the problem Maury Leyland and her husband, John Penno, set out to solve.
The pair came from the dairy industry. John was a co-founder of Synlait, while Maury held senior roles at Fonterra. As they looked to the future of New Zealand agriculture, they began to consider whether the country’s existing farming systems could produce something quite different.
“The eureka moment was realising not only the quality of the protein, but looking at New Zealand’s farming systems and the technology we could bring to bear,” Maury says.
What caught their attention was Rubisco itself. Maury describes it as “almost the perfect protein”, pointing to its essential amino acid profile and functionality.
Leaft’s own testing has found that Rubisco protein is rapidly digested. That has obvious appeal in sports nutrition, where protein timing and recovery are well-established concerns, but the potential is considerably broader. As people mature, maintaining adequate protein intake becomes increasingly important, particularly for preserving muscle mass and strength.
The protein itself is sold as Leaft Blade, a 100 ml pouch containing 18 grams of complete protein, along with naturally occurring iron and vitamins.
For someone rushing out the door, the appeal is straightforward. For athletes, Leaft recommends Blade before or during training, although the same convenience makes it useful on a recovery day or simply as an easy way to add more protein to a hectic day.
From late August, Leaft protein will also feature in a smoothie at Barefoot Eatery at Riverside Market, with more locations to follow.