They produce meat substitutes nonstop: After the Swiss scale-up Planted already attracted attention with vegan chicken substitutes or vegan Viennese schnitzel, the master discipline is now to follow. The Swiss company, founded in 2019, is now even trying to offer the steak in vegan form. It is said to be “confusingly similar” to the animal original and is made from soy protein, rapeseed oil, bean and rice flour and one A special mixture of microbial cultures is produced – so it is fermented.
“No other plant-based steak uses only natural ingredients, no additives and is characterized by such juiciness and tenderness. During the research and development process, we worked with more than 50 restaurateurs to develop a product that is unparalleled in terms of taste, texture, processing and taste experience,” said Lukas Böni, co-founder of Planted in a press release. First, the steaks are offered in partner restaurants – in Austria, Le Burger is the partner. Retail is expected to follow later this year.
The “steak” from Planted not only has an advantage for those who are nutritionally conscious, but is also said to be better from an ecological point of view than the animal original. According to the Swiss company, it produces 97% less CO2 emissions per kg and uses 81% less water in production compared to its animal counterpart.
The price for the steak substitute is also hefty: the price per kilo is between 25 and 30 euros. The planted.steak is initially only available in restaurants, in Austria it is currently exclusively available at Le Burger. There the planted.steak with vegetables costs 22 euros and the planted.steak pulled burger costs 22.70 euros.
Fermentation is intended to create better meat alternatives
The basis for the production of the vegan steaks is an in-house fermentation technology. The Swiss innovation agency Innosuisse supported Planted with 2 million Swiss francs in the development of the “Whole Muscle” platform as part of the Swiss Accelerator Program 2023. The proprietary technology makes it possible to grow plant-based muscle using proprietary fermentation processes. This distinguishes Planted from artificial meat manufacturers who are still waiting for approval in Europe.
Since its founding in 2019, Planted has developed into a model European startup. In 2022 there was a financing round of 70 million euros, which was led by the private equity company L Catterton from the LMVH group. Vorwerk Ventures, Gullspång Re:food, Movendo, Be8 Ventures, ACE, ETH Zurich Foundation and Yann Sommer also invested.
Planted: Startup with vegan chicken raises 70 million euros