A new report by NECTAR, a philanthropic initiative working to accelerate the protein transition with taste, has found that 74% of US consumers surveyed are interested or extremely interested in blended meat products. Blended meat (also referred to as “plant-rich meat”) consists of a combination of conventional animal meat and plant-based protein. 51% of omnivorous consumers said sustainability was their biggest interest driver in blended meat, while 47% cited health. Products with a 50/50 mix of plant-based and animal-based ingredients were perceived to be the most appealing. Interestingly, plant-based nuggets outperformed conventional chicken nuggets in blind taste tests conducted as part of the report, while animal-based products remained in the lead in most categories. However, when consumers were given blended meat burgers, they rated them …
Australia’s Fable Food Co. has raised US$8.5 million in Series A funding for its minimally processed meat alternatives made from mushrooms. The round was led by K3 Ventures, with participation from former YUM! Brands CEO Greg Creed, SaladStop! founders Frantz Braha and Adrien Desbaillets, and Professor Peter Singer (a founder of the modern animal rights movement). Existing investors Blackbird, AgFunder, and Aera VC also took part. Fable will use the funding to accelerate research and development, launch new mushroom-based products, and continue to expand internationally. North America, the United Kingdom, and Singapore are currently the main areas of focus. “Delicious, clean-label, & sustainable” Fable Food Co. launched in 2020, rapidly expanding across its home country of Australia. The following year, the company raised $6.5 million …
UK chain Honest Burgers is to launch V Honest, its first all-vegan restaurant. The menu will feature vegan versions of some of the chain’s existing burgers, as well as a selection of new ones — including mushroom-based options developed by Fable Food. New for Veganuary is the Teriyaki Plant, featuring a plant-based patty with Fable pulled shiitake mushrooms, teriyaki sauce, Applewood Vegan cheese, grilled peppers, spring onions, umami mayo, and lettuce with homemade rosemary chips. This burger will be available at all locations for the month of January. Exclusive to V Honest are the Pulled Shiitake Nuggets, consisting of Fable pulled shiitake fritters with spring onions and umami mayo. The new restaurant will also offer more brand-new options such as the Buffalo, Pesto, and Chilli …
As part of World Vegan Month, the vegan restaurant chain formerly known as byChloe which rebranded as Beatnic this July, is partnering with Australia’s Fable Food Co, to bring its mushroom-based meat products to the US for the first time. Headquartered in New York City, Beatnic operates ten restaurants in NY, Providence, and Boston. “It’s incredibly exciting for us to bring our meaty mushrooms to the US market and be a part of Beatnic’s story as they continue to push the envelope and reimagine deliciously creative vegan food as we know it.” Fable products are made with Shiitake mushrooms and are created by fine-dining chef and mushroom scientist Jim Fuller, leveraging their nutritional benefits and natural umami flavors. The company closed a $6.5 million AUD …
Continuing its recent reign of success, Australia’s Fable Food Co, known for its “meaty” food created by fine-dining chef and mushroom scientist Jim Fuller, today announced a $6.5 million AUD seed funding round led by Blackbird Ventures to expand growth and launch into the US by the end of 2021. In interview with vegconomist last year, Co-founder and CEO Michael Fox described how the “first product replicates slow-cooked meats like pulled pork, braised beef and beef brisket” and that the taste and texture are so similar to meat that hundreds of consumers had no idea that it did not come from animals. The popular brand, which only launched a year and a half ago, is endorsed by celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal, who features it on …
Michelin star chef Heston Blumenthal has created a plant-based burger for Australian healthy burger chain Grill’d. The burger uses a mushroom-based patty made by alt-meat brand Fable Food, also based in Australia.
For Fable Foods, the story just keeps getting better. The Australian makers of mushroom meat have been on a steady climb to success in the past 12 months, after coming onto the scene late last year through the Mars Seeds of Change Accelerator.
Fable Foods expands its line of plant-based ‘slow-braised meat ‘ready meals into Woolworths and Spar as consumer demand for plant-based food surges in Australia. Fable’s Plant-Based Braised Beef has been endorsed by celebrity Chef Heston Blumenthal and features on the menus of his Michelin Star restaurants in the UK and across Australia.
In times of crisis, people seek transparency. Now more than ever, we ask more questions, take stock of our realities and shift our direction accordingly. It’s in this adversity that industries are also forced to lift the lid, with some so publicly disrupted that it can accelerate a reshaping in consumer behaviour to fuel new and emerging industries.
Australia’s Fable Food developed hugely popular product Plant-Based Braised Beef which was launched into Woolworth’s to celebrate World Meat Free Week in June, and the product was so popular it received praise including from Michelin Star celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal and that shoppers were reportedly “hunting it down” in stores.
