About
Ecovative is a pioneering biotechnology company with over 18 years of R&D focused on growing mycelium-based food and materials at commercial scale. Headquartered in Green Island, NY, they operate two commercial farms and a 180,000 sq ft facility combining lab, engineering, pilot, and production operations. Their flagship consumer product, MyBacon, is a whole-cut vegan bacon made from wildtype gourmet mycelium—not extruded protein isolates—delivering natural large-slice texture ready to cook like traditional meat. Available in 3,300+ stores including Whole Foods, Giant, and Natural Grocers, MyBacon achieved 404% year-over-year growth in 2025 and is the #1 velocity product in its category. Ecovative's core innovation is the AirMycelium™ platform, which integrates with 450 million square meters of existing global mushroom farming infrastructure, enabling rapid and capital-light expansion through technology transfer to contract growers who reach target yields within months. The company reached direct margin positive manufacturing in 2025 across multiple commercial facilities, with unit costs dropping 65% year-over-year. Beyond food, Ecovative produces mycelium-based foam and fiber, targeting industries reliant on synthetic inputs. With 40+ patents, proven operational excellence in strain optimization, and a live farm dashboard tracking real-time weekly production of bacon, foam, protein, and fiber, Ecovative is building toward a long-term vision of biological manufacturing at global scale.
Key Features
- MyBacon – Whole-Cut Mycelium Protein: A sliceable, whole-cut vegan bacon grown from wildtype gourmet mycelium, available in 3,300+ stores with roughly 2× category sell-through velocity.
- AirMycelium™ Production Platform: Proprietary platform that integrates with 450M+ sq meters of existing global mushroom farming infrastructure, enabling capital-light and rapid scaling via contract growers.
- Agricultural Waste-to-Protein Conversion: Converts US wood waste (70M tons/yr) and soy byproduct (3M tons/yr) into high-fiber whole-cut protein, foam, and fiber products at multi-million pound scale.
- Live Farm Production Dashboard: Real-time public dashboard tracking weekly mycelium production rates, bacon output, foam square footage, fiber yield, and grow room status across active farms.
- Multi-Output Mycelium Crop: A single mycelium grow cycle yields food protein, packaging foam equivalents, and fiber—diversifying revenue from one unified production system.
Use Cases
- Retail consumers seeking clean-label, whole-cut vegan bacon alternatives with natural meat-like texture and no artificial binders or extrusion
- Grocery and natural food retailers looking for high-velocity plant-based protein SKUs with proven repeat-purchase rates and nationwide distribution infrastructure
- Food manufacturers and CPG brands exploring mycelium as a whole-cut protein ingredient for next-generation meat alternative product development
- Sustainable packaging and materials companies sourcing mycelium-based foam and fiber as drop-in replacements for petroleum-derived packaging inputs
- Agricultural operators and mushroom farms seeking to monetize wood waste and crop byproducts through licensed AirMycelium™ contract growing arrangements
Pros
- Commercial-Scale Profitability Achieved: Reached direct margin positive manufacturing in 2025 across multiple facilities—not just pilot scale—with unit costs dropping 65% year-over-year.
- Explosive Retail Growth: MyBacon expanded to 3,300+ stores in all 50 states with 404% YoY growth and the #1 velocity ranking in the vegan bacon category.
- Deep IP and Operational Moat: 40+ patents combined with 20 years of accumulated strain optimization and feedstock-to-food knowhow create durable competitive barriers.
- Capital-Light Global Scaling: Technology transfers successfully to contract growers who hit target yields within months, leveraging hundreds of millions of square meters of pre-built infrastructure worldwide.
Cons
- Premium Price Point: Products are positioned and priced against premium alternatives, which may limit adoption among mainstream or price-sensitive consumers.
- Niche Consumer Awareness: Whole-cut mycelium protein is still an emerging category; widespread consumer education is needed to drive trial and repeat purchase at scale.
- Feedstock Supply Variability: Dependence on wood waste and agricultural byproducts as feedstock introduces potential supply chain variability by region and season.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is mycelium and why does Ecovative use it?
Mycelium is the thread-like root network of fungi. Ecovative cultivates wildtype gourmet mycelium as a domesticated crop because it grows rapidly on agricultural waste, produces natural whole-cut textures without extrusion, and yields food, foam, and fiber from the same production system.
Where can I buy MyBacon?
MyBacon is available in 3,300+ stores across all 50 states, including Whole Foods, Giant, Hannaford, Natural Grocers, Schnucks, and Gelson's.
How does the AirMycelium™ platform work?
AirMycelium™ integrates Ecovative's strain development, environmental programming, and grow system optimization with existing mushroom farming infrastructure. Contract growers adopt the technology and typically reach target yields within months of onboarding.
What agricultural waste does Ecovative convert into products?
Ecovative primarily uses US wood waste (70M+ tons generated annually) and soy byproduct (3M tons/year) as feedstock, converting them into protein, foam, and fiber at commercial scale.
Has Ecovative reached profitability?
Yes. Ecovative achieved direct margin positive manufacturing in 2025 at commercial scale across multiple facilities, with MyBacon unit costs dropping 65% year-over-year through scale, strain optimization, and operational discipline.
