
50CUT
A chef-formulated mushroom mycelium blend designed for foodservice to replace half of meat in dishes while preserving taste, texture, nutrition, and sustainability.
Date | Investors | Amount | Round |
---|---|---|---|
investor | €0.0 | round | |
* | $6.2m | Seed | |
Total Funding | 000k |
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50CUT is a product line from the Israeli startup Mush Foods, designed to reduce global meat consumption by providing mushroom and mycelium-based blends for meat dishes. Founded in January 2021 by Shalom Daniel, Idan Pereman, and Dr. Dan Levanon, Mush Foods developed 50CUT to be mixed with ground meat, poultry, or fish, aiming to cut the animal protein in a dish by half. The company operates on a B2B model, supplying its products directly to restaurants and foodservice providers.
The 50CUT blends are created using a proprietary above-ground cultivation technique that allows for the rapid growth of culinary-grade mushroom roots, also known as mycelium, in just eight days. This process utilizes upcycled agricultural waste as a substrate. The resulting product is rich in umami flavor and nutrients like fiber, potassium, iron, and calcium, while containing all nine essential amino acids. By blending mycelium with conventional meat, the product aims to retain a desirable meaty taste and texture while improving nutritional value and sustainability.
Mush Foods launched 50CUT in the U.S. market and has established a significant partnership with renowned meat purveyor Pat LaFrieda Meat Purveyors. This collaboration introduced the LaFrieda 50CUT Burger, a patty made of a 50-50 blend of premium ground beef and a mix of oyster, trumpet, shiitake, and lion's mane mushrooms. The product is available to LaFrieda's extensive network of over 1,600 restaurant and foodservice customers. The company's business model involves collaborating with local farmers who grow the mushroom roots, which Mush Foods then processes and develops.
Keywords: mycelium blend, meat alternative, food technology, sustainable protein, foodservice, B2B, mushroom root, meat reduction, blended meat, culinary ingredient