Burgers and sausages created from its proprietary “Hooba” protein from oyster mushrooms have been launched by UK producer MYCO after a year of development. 10,000 burgers and 20,000 Hooba sausages have initially been produced for the launch, which was pre-announced in February.
The Yorkshire company states it has agreed listings with multiple suppliers, including leading artisanal and plant-based wholesalers, and that it has been in “pre-launch discussions with a range of retailers with the view of stocking and using Hooba”, though does not reveal at this point the names of the suppliers or retailers.
Hooba and the products created from Hooba protein are manufactured under the same roof as the vertical farm where the oyster mushrooms are grown. Since this leads to a reduction in food miles, MYCO makes the claim that the patties are “Britain’s Greenest Burgers”.
Following a £1.2m investment as well as the appointment of former Vbites boss David Wood as CEO, MYCO says it will ramp up production and create around 70 jobs at its Leeming Bar production plant.
Minimal environmental impact
“Developing and perfecting these products has been a true labour of love, so to finally bring them to market is an incredibly proud moment,” states Sales Director Andy Fenner. “MYCO’s team is full of parents and grandparents who want to play their part in giving our planet a future. Humans eat too much meat, so we need to find ways to make swapping it out of our diets a bit more appetising. We wanted to manufacture a product that matched meat for texture and taste – and the feedback has been glowing.
“In a blind taste test, our sausages and burgers beat some of the biggest plant-based brands in Britain, and there was high praise for the mouthfeel which, historically, has been one of the big stumbling blocks to people eating less meat. Our next goal is to get Hooba onto shelves and tables across the country and let suppliers and customers see how good it tastes for themselves.”
Fenner adds, “We are over the moon that our range is finally packaged and ready to go and given how little impact its production has on our planet, we believe this could revolutionise the way food is manufactured. Our hope is that our sustainable manufacturing process could become a blueprint for the food industry.”
