Mushroom-root Protein Processor Opens ‘Mega Ranch’ Production Facility

Feb. 6, 2023

Meati Foods, processor of protein analog products made from mushroom root, has opened its first industrial-scale production facility in Thornton, Colo., dubbed the “Mega Ranch.”

Andy Hanacek

Meati Foods, processor of protein analog products made from mushroom root, has opened its first industrial-scale production facility in Thornton, Colo., dubbed the “Mega Ranch.”

According to a release from the company, the fully integrated operation will produce Meati Foods products “at an annual rate of tens of millions of pounds by late 2023, making it a producer of animal-free meat at a scale that will match and often exceed that of the United States’ largest individual animal-based ranches.”

Mega Ranch is a vertically integrated facility, comprising the growing, harvest, processing and packaging of the Eat Meati line of products, able to grow mushroom root spores into protein product in a few days’ time. It represents a crucial step in Meati’s goal to scale up to an omnichannel, national footprint for its products by late 2023.

Eat Meati products include Classic Cutlet, Crispy Cutlet, Classic Steak, and Carne Asada Steak, sold online and through select retail and foodservice partners.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.