The food technology start-up Planted from Kemptthal near Winterthur has set out to start a small revolution in frying pans and on plates. The company's goals: offering tasty, sustainable, healthy and versatile proteins that are fun to cook with and will convince even the staunchest meat lovers. To achieve this, the ETH spin-off, founded in 2019, specializes in the production of fibrous structures from plant proteins. This results in products whose texture is similar to that of meat, while being purely vegan and consisting of just a few, natural ingredients.
As a young start-up, Planted uses state-of-the-art production methods, but is also innovative in its interaction with customers, relying heavily on digital communication channels. "Data is extremely important to us," emphasizes management member Judith Wemmer. She is responsible for product development at Planted Foods AG. Planted constantly collects data throughout the entire production process and has its own web shop. "Cybersecurity plays a significant role for us, we think strongly in terms of prevention," says Judith Wemmer.
Zurich customer advisor Stephan Federer has accompanied Planted virtually since the very first day after the company was founded: "I have seen how the company has grown and therefore understand the company very well. I'm delighted about all the successes, as if I were a little bit involved myself." During the conversion of the factory in Kemptthal, Stephan Federer stood on the construction site with Planted employees and considered with them what risks the company faces and what insurance coverage it needs as a result.
During the consultation process, it soon became clear that, in addition to traditional property and asset insurance, cyber insurance was also important for Planted: at Planted, all machines are digital, so a cyber attack could quickly bring production to a standstill. A hacking attack on the webshop or the websites could also have far-reaching consequences, explains Markus Siegle. As Head of Complex Claims Property & Liability, he is responsible for the topic of cybersecurity in the provision of services: "I'm not just thinking about direct financial damage here, but also reputational damage."
The cyber insurance solution covers the company's own costs for recovering data and repairing systems, as well as liability losses if, for example, data is stolen. Business interruption can also be covered. "Crisis management is particularly important for a fast-growing company like Planted," stresses Markus Siegle: "If something happens, our specialized partner companies are quickly at the customer's site and help with experts on-site to get operations up and running again as soon as possible." The expert expects that in our increasingly networked world, the risk of cyber attacks will continue to rise: "Many SMEs are not yet aware that they are also exposed to this risk. I think cyber insurance will become increasingly important for our customers in future."
Stephan Federer, general agent and dedicated customer advisor to Planted, is glad that Planted has already opted to take out cyber insurance. He has a very personal interest in the smooth running of operations – because he is not only a customer advisor to Planted, but also a fan: "Although I still eat meat, there are always some Planted products in my fridge as a delicious alternative. I am fascinated by Planted's philosophy – it is exciting to accompany such an innovative start-up on its journey into the future as an insurance partner."
This is where Zurich Switzerland weighs in: the leading Swiss insurer offers companies more than just customized insurance solution – it is also active in the area of prevention. In addition to consultation, our offering now includes employee training.
These consist of e-learning modules and phishing simulations and are offered by our partner SoSafe, a leading provider of cyber security trainings. Learn more.
