Some big names in the restaurant industry are now investor-advisors of plant-based meat maker Meati Foods, the company announced Wednesday.
Among the roster of industry names supporting the Boulder, Colo.-based company are Nicholas Jammet and Jonathan Neman, co-founders of Sweetgreen; Sam Kass, former White House senior policy advisor for nutrition; Chef Grant Achatz and The Alinea Group; and David Barber, co-owner of Blue Hill Restaurants.
They are among a large group of investors that contributed to the closing of Meati’s $50 million Series B funding round.
The company said it would use the funding to scale production capacity and launch products nationwide next year.
Meati creates “high-protein, high-fiber and nutrient-dense meats” using mycelium—the root structure of fungi—as its single main ingredient, according to a press release.
The mycelium is used to create whole-cut meats that replicate chicken breasts, steak, jerky, pork tenderloin and deli meats.
Meati has developed a proprietary process to cultivate the fast-growing mycelium and “gently form its naturally fibrous texture into whole-cut products without chemicals or processing,” the company said.
At scale, the company claims it can produce the meat of 4,500 cows every 24 hours, while using less than 1% of the land and water needed for industrial meat production.
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