The Mushroom Angel Company is a Detroit-based startup specializing in whole food products made from mushrooms. The company’s flagship offering, the Cruz Burger, is described by the company as an “old school veggie burger with new school flavor.” This mushroom-based burger is designed to replicate the texture and mouthfeel of meat while maintaining a distinctive vegetable flavor.
The company was founded by Wendy (W.E.) and Dominique DaCruz, who moved to Detroit in 2016 and subsequently built successful business careers. Their inspiration to create meat-free burgers came after a trip to Malawi, where W.E. sampled a delicious chickpea meatball dish. This experience, coupled with the onset of the pandemic, motivated the DaCruzes to develop a wholefood mushroom burger patty, leading to the creation of the Cruz Burger in 2020.
From concept to commercial
With assistance from the Michigan State Product Center, the DaCruzs developed their initial samples into a commercial product, which was first sold at Eastern Market in Detroit. In February 2022, The Mushroom Angel Company secured an investment from the Fair Food Network for product development and formed a regional distribution partnership with Carmela Foods, which facilitated the sale of their products in various retailers and restaurants around Michigan.
Subsequent financial support from Black Leaders Detroit enabled the company to upgrade to commercial-grade equipment, and last year, the company expanded into a 1,800-square-foot production facility at Eastern Market.
A recent partnership with Meijer has allowed the company to expand its retail presence to six states, including Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, and Kentucky, bringing its products to an additional 72 locations across the Midwest. Additionally, the company has launched a second product, the Cruz Chop, a ground mushroom product intended for use in tacos, meatballs, or as pizza toppings, currently available online exclusively for foodservice.
Startup to Watch
This week, The Mushroom Angel Company was recognized as the recipient of the Michigan State University (MSU) Product Center’s 2024 Start Up to Watch Award. MSU commended the company for its sustained success and growth in entrepreneurial and business development, annual sales, and the establishment of a strong business culture in Detroit and the broader Midwest region.
W.E. DaCruz commented on the award to MSU, stating: We started the Mushroom Angel Company as an idea by creating our made-from-mushroom burger, Cruz Burger, in March 2020 when we stopped eating meat as part of a spiritual fast. The idea didn’t take form until we began working with the MSU Product Center in May 2020, registered it as a company, and acquired a food license.
“From producing samples in our home kitchen to manufacturing in our 1,800 sq. production facility in Eastern Market to supplying restaurants and stores across six states, finding the right people in our business has given us the support needed to grow and scale to where we are today.”
For more information visit themushroomangel.com
