What is innovative about your initiative?

We were the first company to put out plant-based meat with fat marbling, and, if I'm not mistaken, are the only company on the market that has it. This not only adds aesthetic appeal, but imparts a buttery mouthfeel akin to fat marbling in meat. In a more general sense, the ability to treat a plant-based meat as a 'muscle' that can be experimented with in countless ways is brand new to plant-based cooking. We doubled down on that front by releasing the Whole-Cut Loin in 2022.

How were you able to finance your work?

With an initial investment for participating in Y-Combinator, followed by a seed round.

What hurdles and obstacles did you encounter along your way and how did you deal with them?

One hurdle was learning how to market our products. Comparing them directly to their meat-based counterparts seemed like the clearest way to tell people how they should cook them. So, our first steak was initially named the "Filet Mignon'. This, however, created an unrealistic expectation that brought a lot of unintended criticism. After almost a year of hearing journalists say: "this steak is great, but it's not filet mignon," we renamed the product the "Thick-Cut Filet" and haven't heard a comment like that since.

What have you had particularly good experiences with? What recommendations would you like to share with other actors?

Direct to Customer (D2C) sales and email marketing have been instrumental in building our brand. In the beginning, these gave us direct insight into the customers' experience and helped us improve the product quickly as well as decide which products to release next. Focussing on D2C also helped us build an extremely loyal base with whom we have what feels like a real personal connection. It's been very important to us to maintain these relationships with excellent customer support and continuing to get feedback.

Are there any tools or other forms of support that have played a role for you?

Regular ping pong matches and extended roundtable discussions by the coffee machine are the pillars that uphold our sanity.

Where do you see yourself/your organisation in a few years? How do you rate your future prospects?

It's impossible to say how changing preferences will affect companies like ours—even a few years from now. That said, we believe plant-based whole cuts are a small but necessary piece of the future food landscape, so, for now, the future looks bright.

What are your demands for politicians?

To receive equal treatment comparable to any other food company, and it would be appreciated if concerns regarding labelling plant-based products as "meat" could be alleviated.