A PLANT-BASED food manufacturer is set to launch “Britain’s greenest burgers” following a £1.5m investment.
MYCO’s plant-based protein, Hooba, is produced from vertically farmed oyster mushrooms grown at the firm’s huge new production site in North Yorkshire.
The purpose built 20,000sqft complex is the only site in Britain where the protein is both farmed and produced under the same roof – meaning MYCO’s meat-free products create zero food miles.
And the sustainable range will be available to the trade by the end of March 2024, following the “significant” seven-figure cash injection that’s allowed the firm to move into full production.
“The investment is a real game-changer as it has allowed us to move full steam ahead with our full range,” said MYCO Chairman John Shepherd.
“We are currently meeting with buyers and the initial noises are incredibly positive.
“The goal is a trade launch in March, followed by a national rollout in supermarkets across the UK over the course of the year.
“That’s an exciting launch and one which will place Hooba among the biggest plant-based protein products in the market.”
And the firm’s burgers beat household names like Linda McCartney, Beyond and Plant Pioneers in recent independent taste and organoleptic benchmarking.
At a packed industry event at the Leeming Bar production site in January, the Hooba burger was judged to have the best texture and mouthfeel – whist crucially, guests also said it was the product they’d most likely buy.
“The feedback confirmed our belief that this is a special product that can disrupt the plant-based market,” said MYCO CEO David Wood.
“Our goal has always been to create a plant-based range that had the same mouthfeel as meat, and we were thrilled that the judges also deemed the texture to be excellent.
“And the fact it beat some of the most established plant-based brands in Britain for texture and taste shows that it is the total package, and coupled with its unmatched eco-credentials, everyone at MYCO is confident that it will keep going from success to success.
“We just want to thank everyone who attended the event and for the priceless feedback that will help us further in our mission to create sustainable products that make it easier for the public to consume less meat.”
Having initially launched in Darlington, MYCO moved into the new unit in November 2023 ahead of a scaling-up of the business which is expected to create 70 new jobs over the next few years.
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