Mushrooms are quickly becoming a top ingredient of choice for many alt-protein brands and startups, thanks to their exploding popularity as a highly functional and sustainable food with a pleasing taste.
However, mushrooms currently do not star as the top ingredient in most plant-based meats. Shroomeats, founded by Thai native Dissaya Theerakaosal, seeks to disrupt this status quo and launch a new trend for cleaner-label, mushroom-based meat alternatives.
“We started a meat alternative brand with a mission to reduce the use of livestock and improve nutrition in packaged foods”
First launched in 2019 as a frozen product, the US-based Shroomeats now sells a line of shelf-stable vegan meats made from upcycled shitake mushrooms. Containing just six ingredients, Shroomeats’ line includes Mushroom Patties, Meatballs, and Shred-It (a shredded product.)
The brand says its simple list of ingredients – shiitake mushroom, pea protein, sunflower oil, salt, pepper, potato flour – are nutrient-dense and offer important B vitamins, niacin and selenium, as well as clean protein with all 17 amino acids. Shroomeats is also non-GMO certified, and free from gluten, cholesterol and artificial flavorings.
“We started a meat alternative brand with a mission to reduce the use of livestock and improve nutrition in packaged foods,” Dissaya tells vegconomist. “Current meat alternatives are overly processed and contain ingredients that are not beneficial to our diet or not delivering on health, which is the #1 driver for consumers to eat plant-based.”
She adds that Shroomeats doesn’t aim to taste exactly like meat, but rather, “It tastes like the mushrooms it is made from and has an amazing texture.”
Creating real change
Dissaya reveals the product was first created in her home kitchen, when she sought to provide her vegetarian mother with a simple and nourishing source of protein. After working and traveling across several continents, and witnessing first-hand the destructive impact of human civilization on natural environments, Dissaya says she was moved to create change.
“I grew up in Thailand where I was lucky enough to explore nature from mountain tops to under the ocean,” explains Dissaya. “Those experiences opened my eyes to the severity of the impact humans have on the life and environment around us. After working, traveling, and expanding my education in Southeast Asia, South America, and the US – where I completed UCLA’s Sustainability Program – I knew I was capable of affecting change that benefited our planet.”
She adds, “Shroomeats was created with [the] purpose of changing the way people eat and making a positive impact on the environment by replacing meat dishes with mushroom-based alternatives, something I was already using in my kitchen, already so close to me.”
Shroomeats products can be found in select US national and regional grocery stores, including Sprouts and Pete’s Market, as well as online via Amazon, GTFO It’s Vegan and the Shroomeats website.
