Whole Cuts

Plantbased Business Hour

The Demand for Plant-based, Juicy Steak with Amos Golan of Chunk Foods

Founder and CEO of Chunk Foods, Amos Golan, joins the CEO of VegTech Invest and host Elysabeth Alfano on The Plantbased Business Hour to discuss the demand and success of thick, juicy, plant-based steaks and the global outlook for foodservice today. Specifically, they discussed: Chunk Foods seemed to pop on the scene out of nowhere. Can you tell us a bit about your background and how you started Chunk in Israel? What has the reception been like in the US? Why initially foodservice only, and how big of a push is clean label? While I am sure IP is proprietary, what can you tell us of your fermentation technique and your production techniques to get whole cuts of meat? We speak endlessly of the US …

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Millennial Flavor Town debuts waygu beef steak in Europe at London Expo.

© Millennial Flavor Town
Products & Launches

Wagyu Beef Steak ‘Masterpiece’ by Korea’s Millennial Flavor Town Premieres at PBWE Europe

Korea’s Millennial Flavor Town, a food startup aiming to redefine barbeque with fermentation and plants, is introducing its wagyu beef line — MM Beef — at the Plant Based World Expo Europe in London. The range includes two products: marbled wagyu beef steak and shredded beef, in soy sauce and truffle flavors, which have been featured in media outlets, including The New York Times. Described as “a masterpiece boasting a rich heritage and a fusion of flavors that redefine the essence of beef,” the products have been crafted by co-founder, food technologist, and chef Bakrin Ahn and her team. Traditional Korean fermentation Millennial Flavor Town uses a patented method based on traditional Korean fermentation and a blend of ingredients: soybeans, hedgehog and button mushrooms, rice koji, …

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Chunk Foods steak retail

© Chunk Foods
Retail & E-Commerce

Chunk Foods Arrives in US Retail for 1st Time, Sets Prices Similar to Animal-Based Counterparts

Chunk Foods, a producer of plant-based whole cuts, has officially announced its entry into retail with four new products, marking its first direct-to-consumer availability. Until now, Chunk Foods products were available only through foodservice partnerships, including venues such as Jajaja Mexicana and Pastrami Queen in New York City, and a recent co-branded partnership with Better Balance in Latin America and Spain. The new retail products will be introduced in independent natural and organic retailers across Los Angeles and New York City in the coming weeks. The company has also hinted at further growth in 2025, with plans to partner with larger retailers to reach a wider US audience. Chunk Foods’ CEO and founder, Amos Golan, stated, “Our retail strategy is focused on a phased approach. …

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Novameat shredded beef

© Novameat
Investments & Finance

Novameat Secures €17.4M in Oversubscribed Round, Launches Improved Shredded Plant-Based Beef

Barcelona’s Novameat, a B2B company specializing in different cuts of plant-based chicken, beef, and turkey, announces it has raised €17.4 million in an oversubscribed Series A round led by Sofinnova Partners and Forbion via its BioEconomy Fund. Existing investors like Unovis Asset Management, Praesidium, and Rubio Impact Ventures also reinvested, betting on the company’s realistic alternatives to meat. The new capital will allow Novameat to expand its product range, including the launch of a new, improved shredded plant-based beef product — Shredded Nova-b*ef — on September 16th. The funds will also help boost commercial activities in new regions and scale production using its proprietary MicroForce technology. Giuseppe Scionti, CEO and founder of Novameat, commented, “This funding marks a significant milestone in our journey, and we …

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table setting with vegan meat and plates of salads, olives and more

© Veganic
Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Veganic to Showcase B2B Plant-Based Product Range at SIAL Paris

Estonia-based Veganic will be showcasing its latest innovations at SIAL Paris 2024. The company, which prides itself on using only natural ingredients without artificial additives, is focused on providing business customers and consumers with delicious, healthy alternatives to traditional meat products. Veganic’s flagship product, “THE SOURCE,” is a whole-cut vegan meat, made from “only 10 pure ingredients”, avoiding extrusion machines and heavy processing. By emphasizing clean plant power, Veganic aims to set itself apart in the plant-based market, catering to health-conscious consumers seeking both flavor and nutrition. At SIAL, Veganic will introduce attendees to a variety of products derived from “THE SOURCE”. These include: Plant-Based Prime Filet: Made from a blend of wheat, lentil, and pea protein, this filet offers 29 grams of protein per serving. …

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Planted steak launches in retail

© Planted Foods AG
Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Planted Presents Plant-Based Whole Muscle Steak at SIAL Paris, Announces Listings in French Retail and Food Service

Swiss food tech company Planted has announced that it will be exhibiting at this year’s SIAL Paris. With ‘planted.steak’, Planted has developed a plant-based steak that is already available for consumers in many European restaurants. Following its successful launch in food service, it is now also available in retail outlets in Switzerland at Coop and in Germany at REWE. The steak will be presented to the international trade public at this year’s SIAL Paris in October. Planted’s vegan steak launches in France “We are very proud to showcase our latest innovation the planted.steak at SIAL this year, which has launched across food service as well as retail in Europe such as at Coop, Edeka and REWE. It will also be making its debut in French …

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ProVeg - the role of whole cut plant-based meat products

© ProVeg
Meat- and Fish Alternatives

The Role of Whole-Cut Plant-Based Meat Products

It’s out with the old, and in with the new – the plant-based meat industry is undergoing a new surge in innovation. While the industry has experienced a shake-out and consolidation in brands and products in recent years, it’s also seen food-tech milestones achieved. As a result, tastier, meatier, and more in-demand products are now taking centre stage and attracting new consumers to the category. In its latest New Food Hub interview, ProVeg International sat down with Edwin Bark, Senior Vice-President of Redefine Meat. Following the Flank Steak product launch, Edwin shared thoughts on attracting meat-eaters, industry challenges, and the future of plant-based meat. “As good as the animal version” Consumer research shows that the sensory experience of plant-based meat products is vital to their …

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Pierre Dupuis of Adamo Foods

© Adamo Foods

Interviews

Adamo Foods: “Our NPD Pipeline is Vast and We Plan to Launch a Realistic Alternative to Every Type of Animal Whole Cut”

UK’s Adamo Foods, creator of fungi-based whole cuts, last week announced it had secured $2.5 million in seed funding to help scale production to pilot levels, expand its team with senior food industry experts, and develop new products, including a chicken breast alternative. Adamo’s mycelium steak, touted as the first ultra-realistic beef alternative made from fungi, aims to disrupt the whole-cut meat market by offering a cleaner-label, high-protein product with significantly lower environmental impact. The company is gearing up for a limited UK pilot launch, followed by a broader European rollout. We were excited to finally speak with CEO and founder Pierre Dupuis who tells vegconomist that the team has developed a technology that allows them to effectively mimic animal muscle tissue. “We’re clear and …

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Adamo Foods steak

© Adamo Foods
Fungi, Mushrooms & Mycelium

Adamo Foods Secures $2.5M to Scale Clean-Label Mycelium Steak

Adamo Foods, a UK startup making beef steak alternatives from fungi, has raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round co-led by UK Innovation Science and Seed Fund (UKI2S) and Joyful Ventures. Adamo will use the funding to increase the production of its clean-label mycelium steak to pilot scale and expand its team by hiring senior food industry experts. The company also plans to develop more products, such as a chicken breast alternative. Milo Runkle, co-founder and General Partner at Joyful Ventures, will join Adamo’s board following the raise. With the mycelium steak, which is claimed to be the first ultra-realistic beef steak alternative made from fungi, Adamo plans to disrupt the whole-cut meat alternatives market. While most conventional meat products consumed worldwide are whole …

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Plant-based brand Plantaway has introduced India’s first plant-based chicken whole cut: the Chick'n Fillet.

© Plantaway
Products & Launches

Plantaway Launches India’s First Plant-Based Chicken Fillet

Plant-based brand Plantaway has launched a new chicken alternative that the company claims will set a new standard in the market: India’s first plant-based chicken fillet. Whether grilled, baked, or sautéed, Plantaways’s whole cut, branded the Chick’n Fillet, is said to replicate the taste and texture of chicken, “satisfying even the most discerning palates.” Crafted from pea protein, it offers 19g of protein per pack (two pieces), dietary fiber, and an option without soy, making it an excellent choice for those looking to boost their protein intake. Moreover, the new fillets are said to have zero trans fats, preservatives, artificial colorings, or flavorings, targeting health-conscious consumers. Chick’n Fillet is available on the company’s website and at Swiggy and Zomato in Mumbai, Delhi NCR, Bangalore, Chennai, Pune, and Hyderabad. …

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Prolific Machines' co-founders.

(L) Max Huisman (CTO), Deniz Kent (CEO), and Declan Jones (CDO) - Image courtesy of Prolific Machines
Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Prolific Machines Raises $55M to Offer “Never Before Possible Biosolutions” Including Cultivated Meat Whole Cuts

Emeryville-based Prolific Machines, a US company pioneering the use of light as a tool to grow and control cells in biomanufacturing, has announced it has closed a $55 million Series B1 funding round. The new capital will help Prolific Machines scale and commercialize its photo molecular biology platform, which it claims can significantly improve the production and lower the costs of bioproducts, including cultivated meat, nutritional and therapeutic proteins, pharmaceuticals, and more. Ki Tua Fund led the round, bringing the company’s total funding to $86.5 million. Previous investor Breakthrough Energy Ventures and other mission-aligned investors, including Mayfield, SOSV, Shorewind Capital, Darco Capital, Conti Ventures, and In-Q-Tel (IQT), participated. Deniz Kent, Prolific Machines’ co-founder and CEO, shares, “We have proven that we can successfully control several …

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Better Balance launches Better Nera with Chunk Foods

© Sigma
Meat- and Fish Alternatives

Better Balance Launches Plant-Based Whole Cut ‘Better-Nera’ in Spain with Chunk Foods

Following the announcement this January that the company was to develop co-branded plant-based whole cuts for the Latin American market in collaboration with Chunk Foods, Better Balance now presents the 100% plant-based “Better-nera” cut for the Spanish market. Also co-developed with vegan steak specialist Chunk Foods, using a patented solid-state fermentation technology, this innovative cut of plant meat is a pioneer in its category in Spain, says Better Balance, a subsidiary of the Sigma group. Better-nera has a high protein content (21%) and is an excellent source of fibre, enriched with iron and vitamin B12. In addition, it is cholesterol-free, low in saturated fat and sodium, and contains no artificial colours or preservatives. The product has been categorised with Nutriscore A and can be prepared …

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Pacifico Biolabs, a Belin-based biotech startup, announced that it raised $3.3 million to make mycelium-based whole-cut alternatives.

© Viktor Strasse
Fermentation

Pacifico Biolabs Secures $3.3M to “Transform Seafood” with Whole Cut Alternatives

Berlin-based biotech startup Pacifico Biolabs emerges from two years in stealth mode with the announcement of a $3.3 million oversubscribed pre-seed round.  With the capital, the startup plans to improve and further scale its “unique” biomass fermentation process to make mycelium-based whole-cut alternatives, starting with seafood. In addition, it will expand its team with key positions, such as a CTO and chief of staff. Simon Capital and FoodLabs led the funding round, joined by Exceptional Ventures and Sprout & About Ventures. Patrick Noller, General Partner at FoodLabs, comments, “We are confident that Pacifico’s technology strongly positions them to transform seafood and beyond, addressing the urgent demands of a changing climate.”  Friedrich Droste, Managing Partner of Simon Capital, shared, “Their innovative technical approach to alternative seafood …

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Juicy Marbles launches at Tesco

© Juicy Marbles
Company News

Juicy Marbles’ Whole Cuts Arrive in Tesco, Retailing at Lower Price Than Animal Steak

Juicy Marbles, creator of luxury plant-based whole cuts including the “world’s first marbled plant-based steak” which caused a stir upon its announcement in 2021, announces the rollout of the famous steak into 350+ Tesco stores. This marks Juicy Marbles’ third major UK supermarket distribution deal following its initial distributor Waitrose and most recent listing at Whole Foods. Juicy Marbles reports that “Tesco has seen a big increase in demand for versatile, high-quality plant-based meat products in recent months, as shoppers look to reduce their meat consumption” and that Tesco’s buyers were “drawn to the versatility and quality” of the product, as well as strong sales to date. Cheaper than the “real” thing The product lands on Tesco shelves at £9 rrp and at a £6.75 …

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Juicy Marbles' famous filet mignon arrives at UK Whole Foods stores

Image provided
Retail & E-Commerce

Juicy Marbles’ Famous Plant-Based Filet Mignon Arrives at All UK Whole Foods Stores

Slovenian company Juicy Marbles, a pioneer of 100% plant-based marbled whole cuts, announces that its famous plant-based filet mignon — the Thick-Cut Filet — is now available at Whole Foods stores across the UK.  This initiative marks the first-ever launch of the famous vegan steaks in Whole Foods and the company’s second supermarket listing in the country following a successful deal with Waitrose in June.  The Thick-Cut Filet will be available in a two-piece package for £10.99. The steaks come raw and unseasoned, allowing customers to use any recipe and cooking method: fried, grilled, stewed, and even boiled for broth. Notably, the product has a Nutri-Score A.  “When reviewing our plant-based protein category there was a gap for a premium plant-based cut,” said Daniel Gill, …

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Martin Habfast, cofounder of Umiami

Martin Habfast © Umiami
Interviews

Umiami: “We’re the First Company Worldwide That Can Create a True Whole-Muscle Chicken Breast at Scale”

Umiami‘s story is nothing short of a phenomenon, one that we have been following closely since its beginnings in 2020. Along with La Vie, Umiami is effecting a successful plant-based business ecosystem in its home country of France, continuing to go from strength to strength and creating 70+ jobs following the acquisition of a former Unilever production facility. Such is the popularity of Umiami’s unique plant-based chick*n whole cuts. Just this month, the startup secured €32.5 million in a Series A, bringing the overall capital raised to an impressive €100 million in just three years, with plans to further expand in France and accelerate the distribution of its products in Europe, and outlining an expansion into the US. We spoke with Co-founder Martin Habfast hot …

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Umiami has recently secured €32.5 million in funding in a Series A round, bringing its overall capital raised to an impressive €100 million in just three years.

© Umiami
Investments & Finance

Umiami Hits €100 Million Capital Milestone, Supporting Expansion into US Market

French startup Umiami, an innovator in the plant-based whole cut category, has recently secured €32.5 million in a Series A round, bringing its funding to €59 million and its overall capital raised to an impressive €100 million in just three years. With the new capital, Umiami aims to become a leader in the plant-based meat market with its whole cuts and clean-label alternatives. The company announced plans to further expand in France and accelerate the distribution of its products in Europe. Moreover, the company has outlined plans for a US market expansion, with the appointment of John Hatto, an experienced FMCG executive, as the new managing director. Renewed trust from investors The new round was led by Bpifrance-managed funds Sociétés de Projets Industriels Fund (SPI) and French Tech Seed. …

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Amos Golan, CEO, Chunk Foods

Amos Golan, © Chunk Foods
Interviews

Chunk Foods: “The Feedback from Our Launch with Charley’s Steak House in Orlando Has Been Overwhelming”

Chunk Foods is on a mission to “make delicious, nutritious, plant-based whole cuts that are kind to the environment, and accessible to all,” and has successfully launched its first development, plant-based whole-cut beef steak, utilizing solid state fermentation technology, with further plans to later develop pork, lamb, and poultry. Recently, the biotech raised $15M in a seed round which it described as the biggest ever seed funding round for an Israeli plant-based company, with the funds set to be invested in one of the largest plant-based whole cuts factories in the world, scheduled for completion in Summer 2023. Following the huge amount of noise around the steak’s addition to menus in a well-known Florida steakhouse, which attracted press attention around the world (several of them …

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Chunk Foods partners with Charly's Steak House

Image courtesy of Chunk Foods

Food Service

Florida Steakhouse Chain Orders 100,000 Units of Chunk Foods’ Plant-Based Steak

The Talk of the Town Restaurant Group, encompassing six restaurants in Central Florida, has partnered with Israeli food tech Chunk Foods to offer a plant-based steak across its locations, starting with Charley’s Steak House, a traditional fine-dining steakhouse. The restaurant group, which says it has been seeking a vegan meat option for years in every food tech event, has committed to the purchase of 100,000 units of Chunk Food’s plant-based steak, confident of its superior quality, reports Business Insider. “We are reshaping the steakhouse experience and catering to the expanding tastes and preferences of today’s consumers. At our core we serve the finest steaks and seafood and we have been searching for over 15 years for a plant-based option for our guests that meets our standards,” said Seth Miller, …

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Taiwan launched startup to produce plant-based whole-cuts using breakthrough tech

© Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) - Taiwan
Politics & Law

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs Launches Startup to Produce Plant-Based Whole-Cuts Using Breakthrough Innovation

Taiwan’s Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) announced that at the end of the year, it will launch a startup to produce plant-based whole cuts using a novel texturizing technology developed by the Department of Industrial Technology (DoIT). Samples of the new plant-based meat were showcased at BIO Asia-Taiwan 2023, reports Taiwan News. The breakthrough process mimics the texture of meat by introducing a multi-directional fiber structure that can recreate the muscle consistency of beef, pork, chicken, and fish without using additives or artificial ingredients. Furthermore, it uses soy and wheat protein, which have complete essential amino acids and higher protein content, to offer a full nutrition product different from the traditional texturized vegetable protein, explains MOEA. The process had been tested at scale, proving its commercial viability. It will …

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