News reinforces support for sustainability initiatives and Athian’s model for facilitating verifiable change across food supply chains

Athian is a convener, as evidenced by our funding partners, bringing together companies from every step in the food supply chain to deliver a more resilient and sustainable industry from farm to fork.”
— Paul Myer, Athian founder and CEO

INDIANAPOLIS, IN, UNITED STATES, November 19, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Athian announced today that it has facilitated $18 million in payments to farmers since 2024, financially rewarding them for implementing emissions-reducing practices, including innovative feed ingredients and alternative manure management. Athian, which was founded in 2022 to connect food companies with farmers in their supply chains to achieve Scope 3 goals, also announced it successfully completed a $4 million Series A funding round.

New investors include Ajinomoto Group Ventures; Chipotle Mexican Grill Cultivate Next Fund; and Mondelez International, Inc., through its impact investing platform, Sustainable Futures. Along with Athian’s seed investors – the Australian Agriculture Company; California Dairies, Inc.; Elanco Animal Health Incorporated; dsm-firmenich Ventures; Newtrient, LLC; and Tyson Ventures – these funding partners span the breadth of the food supply chain, from global leaders in protein production to ingredient manufacturing, consumer-packaged goods companies and food service. These investors will help inform Athian’s continued growth as it expands its capabilities and reach to accommodate new species and international markets.

"Athian's original vision was to bring together companies from every step in the food supply chain to deliver a more resilient and sustainable product to consumers,” said Paul Myer, Athian founder and CEO. “Our new funding partners are helping us achieve that vision by supporting our industry-wide effort to give credit to farmers, processors and food companies for their sustainability efforts.”

Athian helps farmers adopt science-based practices, called protocols, by selling the verified outcomes to downstream partners, such as CPGs, grocery stores and restaurants. These food brands then claim and report project outcomes as Scope 3 insets that help make credible progress toward their corporate goals, reward producers for on-farm reductions and meet increasing consumer demand for sustainable products.

“At Mondelez, we are interested in sparking and scaling change,” said Susanne Mathis-Alig at Mondelez, which established its Sustainable Futures platform in 2021 to support impact investments in circularity, community and climate. “The Athian model has the potential to help us achieve our business goals by measurably addressing key challenges, such as expanding adoption of emissions-reducing practices and delivering ROI to farmers, so they can be successful for generations to come.”

Athian announced the first sale of verified insets to Dairy Farmers of America, the largest U.S. milk marketing cooperative, in January 2024. Since then, major accomplishments have included:

- Increasing the number of on-farm protocols to include alternative manure management, additional feed ingredients and digester cap and flare;
- Facilitating $18 million in payments to farmers for emissions reductions achieved on their operations;
- Expanding Athian’s independent Scientific Advisory Board to include Australian market expertise; and
- Signing a new memorandum of understanding with the National Milk Producers Federation and California Dairies, Inc. to develop a carbon intensity protocol.

Athian’s technology helps food companies achieve their Scope 3 emissions goals by making the process more predictable, efficient and trustworthy for credible progress reporting. Reductions achieved through the supply chain partnerships Athian facilitates are improving the footprint of dairy products such as milk, cheese and dairy ingredients.

“Chipotle’s Cultivate Next investment in Athian furthers our mission to Cultivate a Better World by addressing emissions from areas like animal agriculture and developing innovative solutions that will make lasting change,” stated Curt Garner, President, Chief Strategy and Technology Officer, Chipotle. “By 2030, we aim to report a 50% reduction in Scope 1, 2 and 3 greenhouse gas emissions from a 2019 base year and with tools that incentivize on-farm GHG reductions, it will help companies like ours that are sourcing the materials to achieve these ambitious goals.”

This funding round will help Athain continue to grow and integrate additional capabilities, such as:
- Increasing the number of protocols available for farmers;
- Facilitating cost and claim sharing among supply chain partners; and
- Piloting the Athian model in beef cattle operations and outside the U.S.

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Athian
Athian was founded in 2022 to help the livestock value chain capture and claim greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reductions by aggregating, verifying and certifying them, and then monetizing those reductions for farmers through the sale of the resulting insets. Athian’s platform is a secure software tool that simplifies data entry, upload, measurement and verification at scale, resulting in high-quality and credible GHG emission reductions that help satisfy Scope 3 goals and fund livestock producer sustainability measures. Athian provides a way for leading food brands to not only invest in climate and sustainability initiatives but also to mitigate enterprise risk by supporting the financial and environmental resilience of the farms in their supply chains. Athian is an Alloy Partners company based in Indianapolis, Ind. Learn more at www.athian.ag.

Mondelez International
Mondelez International, Inc. (Nasdaq: MDLZ) empowers people to snack right in over 150 countries around the world. With 2024 net revenues of approximately $36.4 billion, MDLZ is leading the future of snacking with iconic global and local brands such as Oreo, Ritz, LU, Clif Bar and Tate's Bake Shop biscuits and baked snacks, as well as Cadbury Dairy Milk, Milka and Toblerone chocolate. Mondelez International is a proud member of the Dow Jones Best-in-Class North America and World Indices, formerly Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. Visit www.mondelezinternational.com or follow the company on X at www.x.com/MDLZ.

Chipotle
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) is cultivating a better world by serving responsibly sourced, classically-cooked, real food with wholesome ingredients without artificial colors, flavors or preservatives. There are over 3,900 restaurants as of September 30, 2025, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the Middle East and it is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants in North America and Europe. With over 130,000 employees passionate about providing a great guest experience, Chipotle is a longtime leader and innovator in the food industry. Chipotle is committed to making its food more accessible to everyone while continuing to be a brand with a demonstrated purpose as it leads the way in digital, technology and sustainable business practices. For more information or to place an order online, visit www.chipotle.com.

Jacque Matsen
Athian
+1 515-321-8305
[email protected]

How it Works: Athian Facilitates Supply Chain Solutions from Farm to Final Product

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