The Pitch
Ceres creates nourishing experiences for people and the planet through sustainable cereal. Ceres has developed the 1st cereal with 20g plant protein and 0g sugar on the market, and is vegan, keto and gluten free. Founded in New Orleans, Ceres sees an opportunity to make high-protein, plant-based foods more available in areas they may not traditionally blossom in.
Rich Simmerman & Branson Morgan
The Entrepreneur
Rich Simmerman is the Co-Founder, CEO, and Creative Director of Ceres. Passionate about sustainable entrepreneurship and plant-based foods, Rich founded Ceres during his senior year at Loyola University New Orleans. Pursuing an MBA at Tulane University, Rich enjoys exploring ways to advance plant-based food ventures within the Greater New Orleans Area and has participated in various accelerator programs including the 2021 Ideavillage IDEAInstitute program.
Branson Morgan is the Co-Founder and Vice President of Ceres. Born and raised in New Orleans, Branson grew up in a food-friendly environment and has always been interested in the city’s rich culinary culture. A dedicated problem-solver, Branson graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree in Information Systems in 2020, and immediately took his talents to early-stage Louisiana startup Tigeraire. Since then, he’s worked for prominent tech companies including Levelset and Samsung, while also pursuing his JD at Santa Clara Law School.