[imagesource: Atlast Food Co.]

This bacon does everything that normal bacon does; it looks like bacon, it smells like bacon, and it tastes like bacon.

But it is not bacon.

Well, it’s not made of pork, that is.

It is made from the roots of common mushrooms.

We reported on the race towards the perfect meat-free bacon (or ‘facon’ if you will) in 2019, and finally, one company reckons they have won.

Forbes reports that Atlast Food Co. believe in their product so much that they’ve managed to raise $40 million (around R570 million) from investors to forge on with development.

Atlast Food Co. wants their ingredient for oink-less bacon patented so that they can start mass-producing the product and capitalising on it as soon as possible.

Their bacon (pictured above, and below) is supposed to be the best in the business because of the magical ingredient of mushroom roots, or more particularly, mycelium, which they say is better than the other alternatives out there like soy or pea protein-based meats.

Image: Albany Business Review

Eben Bayer, the cofounder of Atlast, wants to start selling this product to major food stores, and is hoping to use the money he has raised to fund the world’s largest mycelium farm.

The goal is to be able to produce 100 million pounds (just over 45 000 tonnes) a year of the super ingredient.

Jeez, that’s a lot of facon…

While still a student at Rensselaer Polytechnic studying “mycelium materials” in 2007, Bayers had also started a company to continue with the research.

During that time, he developed a line of home-compostable packaging and a line of vegan leather that is licensed to Bolt Threads.

Then, he started Atlast after what he described as a “second awakening” that helped him see how mycelium technology could be applied to food.

Apparently, the mouthfeel of this bacon is very on point – the key for selling to a world of meat lovers:

“What we found out about bacon is it’s one of the most incredible replacements we can make with the ingredient. It really lends itself to a bacon-type texture and flavor,” Bayer says.

Image: Atlast

“It’s also one of the most valuable meats you can make, and you can charge a high price point, which is really helpful.”

Cooking it is also meant to be quite familiar:

Where the mycelium’s texture and mouthfeel are lacking and require a little boost for the imagination, modern flavor science comes in to offer the waft expected when cooking fatty bacon.

Surprisingly comforting smells are followed by a sight that also feels and sounds familiar, bubbles forming on top of the bacon as it actually sizzles.

OK, my mouth is officially watering and I don’t feel guilty about it.

Luckily for meat lovers, vegetarians, and vegans alike, who can’t get bacon off their minds (because frankly, it is nearly impossible), Atlast seems to be on a very successful trajectory.

[source:forbes]