Deep Branch has named John Hays as its new Vice President of Commercial and Sales. He will act as a key spokesperson for the company and further develop distribution and outlet for the company’s flagship product Proton™, a single-cell protein developed for the animal feed industry.
Deep Branch has announced that John Hays has been appointed as its new Vice President of Commercial and Sales. John’s primary responsibilities will be to further develop distribution and outlet for the company’s flagship product Proton™ and explore alternative applications and potential products using (R)evolve™, its proprietary gas fermentation platform. He will also play an active role in Deep Branch’s management team and act as a key spokesperson for the company, particularly on application and market development topics for Proton.
John brings over 10 years of experience in finance and business development within the food and agriculture industries to Deep Branch. He joins the company from Cefetra Group, where he was Head of Business Development. During this time, John developed the company’s Road-to-Ingredients strategy and established partnerships in the venture food scene with industry platforms, university institutions and corporate venture capital firms. Prior to his role at the Cefetra Group, John was a Project Manager in BayWa AG’s Corporate Finance team for over three years.
With a strong track record of devising and executing strategies for bringing ingredients to market, John is the ideal person to shape Deep Branch’s commercialisation strategy for Proton. Proton is a single-cell protein developed for the animal feed industry. It is made from locally sourced ingredients and has a bespoke nutritional profile produced from microbes grown on clean and sustainable carbon dioxide. Proton provides security, transparency and traceability and is 60% less carbon-intensive than conventional proteins.
Commenting on his appointment, John said: “I’ve been following the alternative protein space for a while, and Deep Branch was one of the standout companies with both the technology and vision to make a real difference. The sustainability savings are significant, the scalability makes it a needle-mover, and the economics prove it is a viable option. However, meeting the management team truly sold me on the company. I’m thrilled to join such a passionate team.”
Pete Rowe, Deep Branch’s CEO, added: “This is a very exciting time for Deep Branch as we get ready to create Proton on a large scale. Our commercial plants will produce over 100,000 tons of Proton every year, and bringing the protein-rich powder to market will not only tackle the climate emergency but reduce the food industry’s impact on biodiversity loss. I’m delighted that John has joined our team and believe he will play a vital role in the commercialisation of Proton.”
