There are a handful of food startups racing to create the most meat-like plant-based burger replacement imaginable. Companies like Impossible Foods and Beyond Burgers are betting on the fact that the demand for beef will one day outpace what’s sustainable to produce, and that today’s veggie burgers aren’t a delicious enough replacement.
Investors seem to agree. Impossible Foods raised $182 million in venture capital since it opened its operations in 2011, including funds from Bill Gates, Google Ventures and Li Ka-shing’s Horizon Ventures from Hong Kong. And Beyond Burgers, which already has products available for sale at select Whole Foods markets, recently added Tyson Foods, the largest meat processor in the U.S., to its list of investors.
Recode visited the Impossible Foods lab to try the latest iteration of its burger technology and learn more about how the high-tech patties are made.
