18 Apr 2024
Meet Prime Roots, delivering high protein koji mycelium-based alternative meat products
Headquarters: Berkeley, CA
Leadership Team: Kimberlie Li, Joshua Nixon
Industry: Alternative proteins
Visit the Prime Roots website
Consumer interest in alternative proteins has been rising over the past few years, with the sale of plant-based products in the U.S. increasing since 2018. However, the space is also facing headwinds that has caused growth to stagnate for major players. Namely 1). plant-based alternatives are still costly compared to traditional meat 2). there have been questions around the ability of players to unlock convincing taste and texture beyond ground ‘meat’ products and 3). questions remain on whether plant-based alternatives are healthier than traditional meat due to their processed nature. Prime Roots enters this space with alternative meat products made using koji mycelium. Koji is a high-protein fungus commonly used in fermentation, with the benefit of naturally growing in a structure that closely resembles traditional meat.
More on Prime Roots
Koji foundation: From the beginning, the koji platform presents itself as a better alternative to traditional alternative proteins. It naturally grows in a fibrous structure called mycelium (like mushroom roots) and because these thin filaments already resemble meat muscle fibers, it can be used to produce convincing cuts of meat with minimal processing. From a nutrition perspective, it’s also high in fiber and has prebiotic properties which can promote gut health, similar to most fermented foods. Prime Roots has spent multiple years developing their platform to be able to cheaply produce, extract, and work with koji at scale using biomass fermentation.
Flexibility leading to growth: The company has identified the deli meat sector as their priority. With deli, it’s possible to simultaneously build product awareness by being featured in prepared sandwiches while scaling up a distributor/retailer network, as many grocery/retail outlets invest heavily in their prepared foods deli section where Prime Roots can enter the menu. Long term, they look to expand beyond deli to disrupt the broader global meat market. The company has already demonstrated the ability to make whole cuts of chicken, turkey drumsticks, and seafood and plans to expand their product portfolio over time.