Mush Foods Debuts ‘50Cut’ Mushroom Blends for US Foodservice Amidst $6.2M Seed Round

Mush Foods, the Israeli startup innovating mycelium-blended alt-proteins, is rolling out a line of mushroom root blends in the US market. Called 50Cut, the product is aimed at improving the sustainability of meat and fish-based dishes in restaurants.

Mush Foods, the startup behind a mycelium ingredient designed for ‘hybrid’ alternative meat products, is launching a line of mushroom root blends for US restaurants after debuting its ‘meat-plus’ range in Israel. The new range, dubbed 50Cut, is aimed at improving the sustainability, nutrition and flavour of dishes that contain ground beef, poultry and fish. 

Unlike many other plant-based food techs, Mush Foods is offering a blended solution. That means its product is meant to reduce, rather than eliminate, meat from restaurant tables. The launch of 50Cut in the US comes shortly after the firm bagged $6.2 million in seed funding last year led by Israeli tech investment group Viola Ventures, which fuelled its restaurant debut in its home market.

At the moment, Mush Foods has not announced specific foodservice partners or chefs where its product line will be used, but told Green Queen that the first US customer will be revealed “the the coming weeks” and that distribution will kick off “in the coming days”. 

50Cut: Helping consumers cut down on meat

The line is made using the company’s proprietary above-ground cultivation technique, which enables the rapid growth of culinary-grade mushroom roots on local farms in the US in just 8 days. These roots of a variety of mushrooms, including shiitake and king oyster mushrooms, are then used to create a number of pre-blended umami-flavoured products for chefs to incorporate into their dishes. It can replace 50% of the beef used in a burger patty, for example.

In conversation with Green Queen, co-founder and CEO Shalom Daniel told us that the product itself is 100% mushroom and mycelium-based, but has been designed for chefs to reduce the proportion of meat on plates. In a press release, the company said that nearly 1 in 4 US consumers say they are
attempting to cut back on meat. The ground meat category is estimated at $600 billion ($94
billion industry in the U.S. alone) while plant-based meat alternatives represent just 1.5% of the
category.* Mush Foods is offering the market a flavor-first ingredient that gives chefs the
culinary flexibility to meet evolving consumer needs.

“We craft the mushroom root blends for chefs to mix with meat,” Mush Foods says. “We blend specific varieties of culinary-grade mushrooms to match the taste and texture of meat, chicken, and fish.”

In an interview with Green Queen last year, Daniel added that the company’s product is a flavour enhancer too: “With Mush’s mycelium blends, the natural flavours of the meat truly come out,” notes Daniel. 

In addition, Daniel said that the goal is to cut global meat consumption by half, thereby reducing a significant portion of the food system’s emissions and climate burden. “We don’t need the entire world to go vegan to have a positive impact on our food supply and environment” and that Mush Foods’ mycelium is a part of the solution because mushrooms are not resource-intensive and their product does not require “tapping additional crops.” 

It might be especially appealing to the growing flexitarian population—people who are not vegan or vegetarian, but focus on a significant reduction of meat and dairy from their diets.

Aside from sustainability benefits, Mush Foods says its new blended roots line is a good source of dietary fibre including beta-glucan, and is rich in nutrients such as potassium, iron and calcium. It is also a complete protein, containing all 9 essential amino acids. 

Speaking about the product, Mush Foods culinary director AJ Schaller said she believes 50Cut is “poised to solve some of our most pressing environmental challenges in a stunningly simple and seamless way,” adding that it will “help reduce meat consumption while enhancing flavour, juiciness, and yields.”

Sustainable and cheaper

One of the main selling points of Mush Foods’ 50Cut solution for restaurants is its cost-efficiency. 

Speaking with Green Queen, Daniel says that much of the excitement about its mushroom root blends is that it “impacts the bottom line in a positive way.” 

One key benefit? Local production. Daniel confirmed that it is “growing the mushroom root with local farmers in the US, thus saving on expensive logistics and transport-related emissions.

When asked about the specific pricing, the company did not provide exact numbers but stated that it would be below that of conventional meat. “Not only is there a positive outcome for the environment and for the consumer in terms of flavour, but the price per pound to our customers is less expensive than meat.” 

“We already know that you can have a phenomenal product from an environmental standpoint but if the economics don’t work, it will not thrive. We believe this is a game changer for the industry,” Mush Foods added. 

It’s one of the main reasons why Yael Alroy, partner at Viola Ventures, invested in Mush Foods’ recent seed funding round. “To be a category leader in this space, a company must provide great flavour, price parity, and nutritional value,” she commented, adding that Mush Foods meets her criteria on “all three”. 

Other investors who joined the round include food tech incubator TKH, CPG and F&B investor Siddhi Capital, and VC accelerator Arc Impact Ventures.

Daniel added: “We’ve found investors – including those who are strongly anti-meat – are committed to the welfare of the planet and animals and see the blended solution as an immediate and achievable means of reducing meat consumption.”