JUST

Eat Just, Inc. operates as a food technology company focused on developing and marketing plant-based and cultivated food products. Founded in 2011 by childhood friends Josh Tetrick and Josh Balk, the company initially launched as Beyond Eggs and later became Hampton Creek Foods before rebranding to Eat Just. The founders' journey was driven by a shared mission to create a more sustainable and ethical food system. Tetrick, with a background as a social entrepreneur and experience in social campaigns in Sub-Saharan Africa, and Balk, a vice president at The Humane Society of the United States known for his work in farm animal protection, combined their expertise to challenge the conventional egg and meat industries.

The company's business model revolves around two core technology platforms: plant-based alternatives and cultivated meat. Its primary revenue source is the sale of its flagship product, JUST Egg, a plant-based egg substitute made from mung bean protein. This product line, which includes liquid and folded formats, is sold through major retailers like Walmart, Costco, and Whole Foods, as well as in foodservice channels. Eat Just has established a significant retail presence, with distribution in over 48,000 retail points in North America and partnerships with foodservice providers. The company's second pillar is its GOOD Meat division, which focuses on producing cultivated meat by growing cells in a lab. In a significant milestone, Eat Just became the first company to receive regulatory approval to sell cultivated meat, launching its cultivated chicken in Singapore in December 2020. It has since gained approval to sell its cultured chicken in the United States.

Eat Just's product portfolio addresses the consumer market for plant-based alternatives and the emerging market for cultivated meat. The JUST Egg line offers consumers a cholesterol-free, non-GMO alternative to conventional eggs that mimics their taste and cooking functionality. The products are designed to be direct replacements for chicken eggs in applications like scrambles and omelets. The GOOD Meat division grows real meat from animal cells, eliminating the need for animal slaughter. This process involves nourishing cells in bioreactors to grow tissue, a method that differentiates it from plant-based meat substitutes. After starting in Tetrick's garage, the company secured early funding from Khosla Ventures and achieved unicorn status in 2016 with a valuation surpassing $1 billion. It has navigated challenges, including legal disputes with competitors and internal board restructurings, to establish itself in the alternative protein market.

Keywords: cultivated meat, plant-based eggs, food technology, sustainable food, alternative protein, JUST Egg, GOOD Meat, Josh Tetrick, cell-based meat, food innovation, mung bean protein, egg substitute, cultured meat, plant-based foods, food science, venture capital, food manufacturing, sustainable agriculture, food system disruption, animal welfare