MyBacon package

©MyForest Foods

Company News

MyForest Foods Triples MyBacon Availability, Grows Production and Prepares to Launch First Jerky

Mycelium innovator MyForest Foods Co. announces a series of major growth milestones, including the expanded availability of its flagship MyBacon and the launch of its second product, MyJerky, later this year. The company also reveals new progress in mycelium production and growing its R&D team. MyBacon, MyForest’s best-selling mycelium bacon product, is now available at 32 retailer and foodservice locations across New York and Massachusetts. The news follows MyBacon’s initial debut in New York City with two retail partners in November 2022. The current list of partners includes: A Matter of Health (Upper East Side), Amish Market (East Village), Brooklyn Fare (West Village), Elm Wellness (Greenwich Village), Food For Health (Upper East Side) and Garden Gourmet (The Bronx).  In addition, MyForest announces it is entering …

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vegan 2023

@Pixelbliss - stock.adobe.com

Market & Trends

Industry Leaders Reveal Their 2023 Food Trend Predictions, Part 2

Following part one from yesterday, in this second part of our 2023 predictions series, leaders from JPG Resources, MyForest Foods, and ISH Foods share their thoughts on what 2023 will bring to the vegan sector.  Many in the food industry wonder what the future holds after a mixed year marked by food innovations and market uncertainty driven by inflation and supply chain disruptions.  F&B consultancy JPG Resources: Glenn Pappalardo, Managing Director  Allulose: According to Pappalardo, health and sustainability will continue to drive trends forward. JPG Resource‘s MD says that sugar substitutes will be in high demand. “Historically, other ingredients have done a decent job of giving people an alternative to sugar, but allulose appears to be the next evolution with fewer side effects.”   Vegan versions of …

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Mycelium MyBacon

©MyForest Foods

Company News

Following Strong Demand, MyForest Foods Expands MyBacon into New York City

Food tech startup MyForest Foods Co. announces its mycelium-based MyBacon is now available in NYC, marking the product’s first foray into a major retail market. MyBacon can now be found at Westerley Natural Market and organic grocery store Elm Wellness in Manhattan and the West Village, respectively.  According to MyForest, the launch results from significant momentum the company has gained since unveiling MyBacon in 2020. In addition to retail, MyForest will expand into food service by offering MyBacon at Herbie’s Burgers, a popular burger chain in Albany, NY.  “Westerly Natural Market is New York’s City’s destination for plant-based, organic and all-natural items and supplements, which serves a diverse customer base with equally diverse preferences,” said Ricardo Nieves, store manager of Westerly Natural Market. “We are …

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Meati Mushroom chicken burger

©Meati

Marketing & Media

TIME Names Meati Cutlet, Beyond Steak and MyForest Bacon Among Best Inventions of 2022

TIME Magazine has named plant and fungi-based meat creations from Meati, Beyond Meat and MyForest Foods among its top 200 Inventions of 2022, which selects innovations changing how we live. Best-selling cutlets Made from 95% mycelium, or mushroom roots, Meati’s Crispy Cutlet and Classic Cutlet earned glowing praise for looking and tasting like actual chicken. The Colorado startup has identified a unique strain of mushroom root that provides unparalleled flavor, texture, nutrition and speed of growth. According to Meati, it can transform a fifth of a teaspoon of spores into a full cow’s equivalent of meat in four days. The company also reports its first pre-order event in early 2022 sold out in less than 24 hours, while its most recent product drops sold out …

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MyForest Foods Bacon

©MyForest Foods

Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

MyForest Foods Opens ‘World’s Largest’ AirMycelium Vertical Farm and Expands MyBacon Retailers

MyForest Foods Co., maker of mycelium-based MyBacon, announces the opening of Swersey Silos, a new vertical farm dedicated to scaling the brand’s popular mushroom bacon. Utilizing AirMycelium technology, the farm is part of 120,000 sq. ft. of new infrastructure MyForest is building to serve one million consumers by 2024.   Located in Green Island, NY, Swersey Silos was designed and constructed by Ecovative, the mycelium materials company that spun off MyForest in 2020. Using patented AirMycelium technology, the farm is the largest facility of its kind, and is capable of producing nearly 3 million pounds of MyBacon annually. With the opening of another facility in Saratoga Springs, NY this fall, MyForest projects it can serve one million consumers by the year 2024. This autumn, the brand …

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MyForest Foods Bacon

©MyForest Foods

Food & Beverage

MyForest Foods Closes $15M Venture Loan for Whole Cut Mycelium Bacon

Horizon Technology Finance Corporation, a leading specialty finance company, announces it closed a $15 million venture loan to MyForest Foods Co., which produces mycelium-based bacon. Horizon states it funded $7.5 million toward the venture loan facility, with another $7.5 million contributed by advisor Horizon Technology Finance Management LLC. MyForest plans to use the loan proceeds for company growth and working capital purposes. Formerly known as Atlast, MyForest says it produces whole-cut animal-free meats from mycelium, the underground root structures of mushrooms. MyForest’s first product is MyBacon – gourmet strips created to offer the same taste, smokiness and crunch of traditional pork bacon. “Hyper-focused” on scaling Made from just six ingredients, MyBacon’s first pre-order sale sold out of its entire planned production run back in 2020. …

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Eben Bayer, founder of Ecovative & MyForest Foods

Eben Bayer, founder of Ecovative & MyForest Foods. Image supplied

Interviews

Eben Bayer: “Ecovative Has Engineered Mycelium Structures That Out-Perform Plastic, Leather, Even Meat”

It’s been a couple of years since we last spoke with Eben Bayer, and to say he has been busy since 2020 is quite the understatement. The founder and CEO of Ecovative Design and MyForestFoods Co. (previously known as Atlast) is inarguably one of the most active and prominent global players in the wonderful world of mycelium. Here are just a few of Bayer’s incredible achievements since the last Q&A with vegconomist: Nov 2020: Atlast Food Co launches its mushroom-based bacon alternative April 2021: Ecovative raises $60M in a Series D, for mycelium based packaging, alt leather, and bacon. April 2021:  Atlast Food Co secures $40 million from investors including Robert Downey Jr.’s Footprint Coalition Ventures, bringing the total raise to $100M Jan 2022: The …

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