GREEN ISLAND, NY — Eben Bayer believes that mushrooms and animal meat share remarkable similarities. He explains that animal meat consists of muscle and fat that grow together as a single unit and is typically consumed as a whole cut. Similarly, mushrooms can offer a meat-like texture when eaten. The root structure of mushrooms, known as mycelium, functions in a comparable manner. Bayer’s company, MyForest Foods, utilizes a unique growth process that allows mycelium to form a slab of whole tissue, which can be sliced, shaped, flavored, and cooked just like animal meat. “You could think of them as sort of like this fermentable animal, really,” Bayer remarked. “It’s the closest thing you can get to animal flesh, right? Grown, self-assembled, it’s a whole cut — without having it be a sentient being.”
MyForest Foods has transformed the concept of mycelium as a fermentable animal into a popular bacon alternative. MyForest’s mycelium bacon has consistently sold out nearly every week for two years at Honest Weight Food Co-Op in Albany, New York, close to its base in Green Island. Since its inception in retail, MyBacon has expanded to 10 other natural food stores in New York and Massachusetts, as well as several local restaurants. Although MyForest is currently a small player in the market, the company has ambitious plans for significant growth in the near future. Its 78,000-square-foot Swersey Silos facility, touted as the largest mycelium farm in the world, is gearing up to produce nearly 3 million pounds of mycelium annually. In about a year and a half, Bayer anticipates that this high-tech mycelium farm will support approximately $20 million in annual bacon sales.
At the start of last month, the facility was a mix of R&D center and construction site. Inside, two towering green silos contained wood chips being infused with the necessary fungus to cultivate mycelium. On one side of the silos is the headquarters of Ecovative, Bayer’s first venture focused on mycelium packaging, leather, and other materials, where teams work on and test mycelium. A large screen displays various statistics, including the amount of mycelium harvested, water conserved, and pigs saved by creating MyBacon.
On the opposite side of a large paved road and equipment parking area, cavernous rooms filled with racks that nearly touch the ceiling have recently been completed. Each of these rooms can now be stocked with trays of mycelium for MyBacon. MyForest Foods, formerly known as Atlast Food, has garnered attention from significant investors and influential figures in the food industry. It has raised $47 million in funding to date, with contributions from notable individuals such as former Stonyfield Farm CEO Gary Hirshberg, Robert Downey Jr.’s Footprint Coalition, Whole Foods Market co-founder Walter Robb, and Applegate Farms founder Stephen McDonnell. Time magazine even named MyBacon one of the best inventions of 2022.
“We want people to enjoy this product because it’s enjoyable — it’s a tasty, delicious, like-bacon experience,” Bayer stated. “We aim to convey that this isn’t some foreign space food; it’s something that has been part of our lives forever. It’s a new approach, but it still delivers the flavors you love.” Mycelium, which Bayer and his co-founder Gavin McIntyre are well-versed in, can be utilized for almost anything. Their interest in harnessing mycelium’s potential began during their time as students at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where they were motivated by Professor Burt Swersey, after whom the mycelium farm is named, to “do something meaningful.”
Bayer reminisced about his childhood on a Vermont farm, where he closely observed mycelium growing around wood chips near the maple syrup evaporator. For Swersey’s class, he developed a project aimed at growing mycelium as a compostable alternative to plastic packaging, which ultimately led to the creation of Ecovative. About seven years ago, Bayer became aware of the ecological issues stemming from factory farming and recognized the rising trend of plant-based meats. “We’d been developing this technology to capture the essence of a mushroom found in the forest and grow it into large sheets or slabs,” Bayer explained. “That could translate into slabs of mushroom meat.”
Although Bayer and McIntyre were determined to turn mycelium into food, they needed to discover the best way to do so. They experimented with the mycelium of various popular edible mushrooms, which already had FDA approval and consumer familiarity. Some types worked better than others; for example, morels, known for their unique flavor, have mycelium resembling animal fur. Ultimately, they chose the mycelium of oyster mushrooms, leading to a series of culinary experiments. They created carbohydrate-free snacks, chicken breasts, fish filets, seafood-free clams casino, desserts, and, of course, bacon.
After developing these prototypes, MyForest organized several test dinners to gather feedback on the dishes. Mycelium bacon emerged as the clear favorite. Concurrently, the company assessed the market potential for their food options, evaluating scalability, market demand, and profitability. Their analysis indicated that bacon was the most viable option. In 2020, they discovered that the U.S. bacon market was nearly $6.5 billion, with 60% attributed to premium and organic products, while plant-based bacon accounted for less than 1%. “There’s essentially no plant-based bacon available,” he noted. “We wanted to try some, and we quickly understood why: it was terrible.”
Consumers are willing to pay a premium for bacon, and since MyBacon is positioned as a premium product, a bacon alternative that genuinely resembles and tastes like its animal counterpart could attract a wider audience. MyBacon is packaged similarly to pork bacon and resembles traditional bacon, though its fat marbling and slice angles are more uniform. Nick Ruscitto, MyForest Foods’ executive chef and a former owner of esteemed Albany restaurants, prepared MyBacon in a frying pan. It sizzled and caramelized just like pork bacon, filling the air with the aroma of cooking bacon and resulting in crispy, uneven edges.
At the end of the cooking process, the pan was devoid of excess oil. Ruscitto explained that while coconut oil is incorporated into MyBacon, most of it is absorbed by the mycelium. He also utilizes rendered MyBacon fat, similar to how chefs use bacon fat, to enhance the flavor of other dishes. The taste and texture of the crispy cooked bacon were notably pleasant, contrasting sharply with the cardboard-like consistency often associated with other plant-based bacons, thanks to the structure of the mycelium.
Consumer feedback on MyBacon has been overwhelmingly positive, according to Ruscitto. MyForest Foods has hosted pop-up events where customers sampled MyBacon in breakfast dishes. It has also earned praise at a restaurant known for its choice cuts of pork bacon. “Everyone really enjoys it,” Ruscitto shared. Bayer described Swersey Silos as a “magical factory.” “It’s like wood chips enter on one end, and bacon exits on the other,” he remarked.
While there is considerable science and precise calibration involved in mycelium production, the process is unique, utilizing techniques from both Ecovative and global mushroom farming. It begins with collecting wood chips, which are then heated and pasteurized before being inoculated with mycelium. The mycelium-infused wood chips are transferred to a pre-treatment room, where optimal growing conditions are established for the mycelium to thrive.
Once prepared, the seeded wood chips are put into MyForest’s mycelium farm, poured into 80-foot-long metal trays, and loaded into the farm’s expansive growing chambers via an automated system. After filling the trays, a camera system monitors the mycelium, although much of the process is automated. The door closes, and the proprietary growth system activates. In just 12 days, the trays are filled with fluffy sheets of mycelium that resemble long white strips of pork belly. Without the specialized system, the trays would yield mushrooms rather than the dense and solid mycelium.
Bayer explained that MyForest has mastered the art of preventing mycelium from forming mushrooms. “Mushrooms can appear rather quickly,” he noted. “You can stroll through the woods and find mushrooms that weren’t there the previous day.” MyForest’s growth system, called AirMycelium, mimics natural conditions. “It closely resembles nature,” Bayer said. “The fibers rise into the air, akin to how they emerge from the ground on a dewy day, feeling wind and mist. We essentially trick them into weaving themselves together rather than forming mushrooms.”
The growing chambers are specifically designed to resemble those in standard mushroom farms, which simplifies scaling for MyForest and facilitates collaboration with other mushroom growers. Earlier this year, MyForest partnered with Whitecrest Mushrooms to cultivate its mycelium. Whitecrest, which operates an organic mushroom business, already possesses the necessary equipment. MyForest will provide the mycelium-infused wood chips, which Whitecrest will grow under identical conditions to those at MyForest before shipping the mycelium back to New York.
Bayer highlighted that growing mycelium is lucrative for mushroom farmers, allowing them to utilize existing infrastructure to cultivate a product that commands a significantly higher price than standard mushrooms in a shorter timeframe. While it typically takes six weeks to grow mushrooms, MyForest’s mycelium requires just 12 days.
Once harvested, the mycelium is sent to a “smokehouse” facility to be processed into something that resembles and tastes like bacon. Currently, MyForest uses a former meat smokehouse in Albany for the drying, flavoring, and slicing of MyBacon; however, a larger facility is under construction in Saratoga Springs, New York, slated to begin operations next year. Bayer is preparing for mycelium food to make a substantial impact in the market. He is confident it will, but after 15 years with Ecovative, he understands the necessity of patience in business.
Mycelium, Bayer asserted, has vast potential. Apart from food, it can be transformed into furniture, lamps, acoustic tiles, and building materials. “Before you know it, you’ve accomplished a range of innovative projects, but no single item is perfected at scale,” he said. Ultimately, Bayer envisions MyForest producing various intriguing food products, including jerky, snacks, chicken, fish, and scaffolding for cell-based meat growth, though the current focus remains on bacon. “You’ll see new products emerge once we’ve established our presence in the market and confirmed our execution.”
As a self-described “weird mushroom person,” Bayer is optimistic that consumers will embrace mycelium. After all, it is increasingly recognized as a valuable material in fashion and even plays a central role in the “Star Trek: Discovery” series, where the USS Discovery employs its “spore drive” to traverse the “mycelial network,” connecting the universe. Beyond pop culture, Bayer recognizes the practical advantages driving mycelium’s popularity and ongoing success. It is easy, cost-effective, and quick to cultivate. Mycelium is highly nutritious and requires minimal processing, making it a sustainable option for creating diverse products, from beverages to cheese to meat analogs.
In five to six years, Bayer anticipates that MyForest will produce around 50 million pounds of mycelium annually. He believes that as long as people have the opportunity to sample MyBacon, their appreciation for mycelium will naturally follow. “We’re really focusing on owning mycelium,” Bayer said, gesturing toward a MyBacon package. “We’re aiming to engage people in a fun way and gently introduce them to this concept without overwhelming them. The key terms here are whole cut, fantastic taste and texture. There aren’t many ingredients.”
Additionally, as consumers explore various aspects of nutrition, they may discover how to take calcium citrate, enhancing their overall dietary experience. This knowledge aligns with MyForest Foods’ mission to provide nutritious alternatives while maintaining a delicious flavor profile.