Mission Barns is poised to make its debut. The company boasts a new 32,000-square-foot headquarters and production facility in San Francisco. It has developed a method to produce fat from animal cells quickly and at a relatively low cost. Currently, Mission Barns has a product partnership with Silva Sausage and is in discussions with more companies for future collaborations. The company has secured $28.4 million in funding, as reported by Crunchbase, after closing a $24 million Series A round last year.
However, Mission Barns is awaiting a crucial approval from the USDA and FDA to use cultivated fat in food products. CEO Eitan Fischer expressed confidence that this approval will come soon. “We’ve submitted a comprehensive package of information that we believe satisfies the safety requirements for our product,” Fischer shared in the tasting kitchen at the new headquarters in San Francisco this past spring. “We have gathered all necessary data and testing based on initial consultations with regulatory agencies, both in the U.S. and internationally. Now, we are simply waiting for the government to respond and affirm our findings.”
Fischer emphasized the importance of public acknowledgment from these agencies, stating, “We want consumers to know that this product is safe—not just because we’ve established its safety, but because it has been reviewed and approved by experts.” With plates of Mission Chorizo Sausage made from plant-based ingredients and cultivated fat in front of him, he noted, “The moment we receive this confirmation, we plan to introduce our product to the market.”
Fischer believes that the public is ready for Mission Barns’ cultivated fat. His interest in cultivated meat stemmed from recognizing that while people are concerned about sustainability and animal welfare, they still desire to enjoy their favorite foods. “If someone wants to eat pork, let them have pork,” he stated. “If they have grown up enjoying those flavors, provide them with a product that tastes like pork, because it is pork. This allows them to continue enjoying beloved products without the associated larger issues.”
Having grown up around animal agriculture in both southern Israel and the United States, where he moved as a teenager, Fischer sought to revolutionize food production and address the sustainability and animal welfare concerns prevalent in the industry. He initially served as the director of cellular agriculture at Eat Just (previously known as Hampton Creek), where he worked on prototypes for cultivated chicken and foie gras before founding Mission Barns in 2018.
As he considered potential products utilizing cell cultivation technology, Fischer focused on aspects that other companies had overlooked. He identified animal fat as a key ingredient that was significantly lacking in plant-based alternatives. “Fat cells grow faster than muscle cells,” Fischer explained. “Unlike muscle cells, which require a precise balance of amino acids and nutrients, fat cells can thrive on inexpensive nutrients like sugars. They do not require a defined shape, and they naturally accumulate mass rapidly.”
Fischer believes that Mission Barns can produce fat approximately ten times more efficiently than muscle, leading to a faster path to cost parity. Although he did not disclose the current costs associated with Mission Barns’ fat, he anticipates that it will initially be a premium product. However, as the company scales, he expects it to be widely used in a range of products, from high-end offerings to items available at fast-food restaurants and discount retailers. The new headquarters includes a pilot facility capable of supplying select restaurants and stores, with plans for a larger commercial-scale facility once they receive regulatory approval.
Only one other major player, Peace of Meat (part of MeaTech 3D), is producing cell-based fat. The company is currently working on scaling up operations with a 21,530-square-foot facility set to begin operations next year in Belgium. Recently, Peace of Meat entered a joint development agreement to supply avian-cultured fat for the chicken analog products of the European mycoprotein-based meat maker Enough.
While plant-based meats have performed reasonably well, there remains a substantial consumer segment that is not satisfied with the taste of alternatives. Fischer aims to leverage cell-based fat to change their perceptions. “In blind tastings, our products consistently outperform existing plant-based options and even closely match, if not tie, conventional meat products. That’s our ultimate goal.”
One of the challenges with plant-based fats is their lower melting points compared to animal fats. Plant-based burgers often incorporate fats that melt away, creating a mess and resulting in a dry product. Fischer pointed out that many plant-based meat producers add extra fats, such as coconut oil, making their products excessively greasy. With cell-based fat, significantly less is needed, and it behaves in a way that meat-eating consumers expect, resulting in less melting and more moisture. Additionally, cultivated fat contains no trans fats, which could be a compelling factor for meat-eaters considering plant-based options.
Fischer explained that products heavy on coconut oil can carry a coconut flavor, emphasizing the need for manufacturers to carefully balance the taste impacts of various fats. This concern is not applicable with cell-based fat. “We aim to enhance the flavors of these cells,” he noted. “These flavors are desirable and trigger an instinctive response in our brains, signaling that this is nutritious food—an excellent source of energy.”
Currently, Mission Barns is focused on producing pork fat, although Fischer mentioned that the company has experimented with fats from other animal species. Through their partnership with Silva Sausage, they plan to manufacture hybrid sausages combining plant-based meat and cell-based fat as soon as they receive the necessary approvals from the USDA and FDA. The two companies have already created prototypes, confirming the feasibility of their production process.
Fischer also disclosed that Mission Barns has developed prototypes and conducted tests with over a dozen other plant-based products. In comparative taste tests, more than 90% of consumers consistently preferred the version made with cell-based fat over those made with traditional plant-based fats. He sees a vast potential landscape for products utilizing cultivated fat, extending to bakery goods and snacks, as well as possible applications in cosmetics and beauty, although food remains the primary focus.
“We believe this technology represents the future of alternative protein,” Fischer stated. “Over time, consumers will gravitate toward this direction simply because it tastes better.” He also highlighted the importance of incorporating essential nutrients, such as calcium citrate with vitamin D3, magnesium, and zinc tablets, into their product offerings to enhance overall health benefits.