The Mediterranean Food Lab (MFL), an Israeli company creating natural and fermented flavors and culinary ingredients to make alt meat and plant-based foods “delicious,” has raised $17 million in a series A investment round.
Gullspång Re:food led the round, with other participants including previous investor PeakBridge (member of Edmond de Rothschild Private Equity), Arancia International, FoodBridge (Axel Johnson’s group), and additional investors, according to the announcement.
“The Mediterranean Food Lab has developed a breakthrough technology with immense potential to transform the food industry”
With the new financing, the company will increase its industrial production and establish a sales team to promote and sell its fermented flavors for food service and CPG companies. “There is no way to reduce our dependency on animal protein without addressing “the flavor function” meat performs in the food system,” states the company.
BZ Goldberg, CEO of MFL, shared: “The Mediterranean Food Lab has developed a breakthrough technology with immense potential to transform the food industry. We are excited to partner with Re:food, Peakbridge, Arancia, and Axel Johnson, who share our mission to facilitate the sustainable protein transition, in our drive to bring our products to the market. I would also like to thank our team, who are working around the clock and extremely hard to make it happen.”
Flavors for the diet transition
MFL argues that global cuisines, spanning from France to China and Italy to Japan, rely on the ability of meat to enhance the flavor of other foods. According to the innovative company, 60% of meat is used to amplify the flavour of other foods.
With the ultimate mission to accelerate the transition to plant-based foods, MLF has developed a flavor-crafting platform that combines culinary expertise, microbial science, and AI. Its unique approach leverages solid-state fermentation to transform ingredients such as grains, legumes, and upcycled farm waste into “rich” flavors that enhance alternative meats and other foods such as casseroles, soups, and sauces.
Yoni Glickman of Peakbridge said that after meeting the team and sampling their products, he realized the potential of MFL’s flavors in upgrading the sensory experience of plant-based foods.
Gustaf Brandberg, General Partner of Re:food, said, “We are impressed by the team’s ability to tailor complex and delicious flavors from natural ingredients, inspiring more people worldwide to choose alternatives to meat.”
