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Prime Roots
Koji based deli meats
- 21-100 employees
- B2C
- Sustainability
- Food
- Manufacturing
- Deep Tech
- Downtown Berkeley, Berkeley, CA
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Company mission
To empower and excite every type of eater.
Our take
In a bid to disrupt the $300 billion bulk deli industry, Prime Roots has created realistic deli meat slices using koji mycelium (a type of fungi). The company was founded by a couple of meat eaters themselves, however, they knew there had to be a more sustainable way to enjoy meat.
Due to the unique structure of koji, its long, microscopic fibers have the ability to closely replicate the structure and texture of animal meat, providing the same experience without the environmental impacts associated with animal meat.
The decision to create deli meats was a smart move by the company. The immensely popular charcuterie board, which primarily consists of deli meats and cheeses, has left vegans and vegetarians to search for alternatives. However, Prime Roots’ spread of koji-based turkey, hams, pepperoni, salami, pâtés, and foie gras enables everyone to join the charcuterie trend.
With its products being available primarily in the San Francisco Bay area, substantial funding has Prime Roots set to further scale and expand to more deli counters and restaurants.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Benefits
- Unlimited PTO and 11 paid holidays
- A fully stocked kitchen for when snacktime hits
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance
- 401K program
- Paid family leave
- An innovative startup environment that values your personal and professional growth
- Catered lunch from a local plant-based restaurant every Friday
Company values
- Be Fearless - It's scary to start a business, take a chance on a company, or even to try a new food. We're here to push each other and take big bets
- Be Curious - Asking questions and being lifelong learners is at our core. We believe that everyone has something unique to teach
- Be Better, Not Best - We truly believe that small steps make a big difference. We strive to be just a little bit better every day
- Value The Little Things - We stress the details for our customers, partners, teammates, and the planet. We appreciate the small wins
Funding (last 2 of 3 rounds)
May 2023
$30m
SERIES B
Jul 2018
$4.3m
SEED
Total funding: $34.5m
This company has top investors
Leadership
Kimberlie Le
(CEO)Fellow of both The Thiel Foundation and Unreasonable. Former Researcher at Berkeley Lab and Lead Course Instructor at UC Berkeley.
Joshua Nixon
(CTO)Former Software Engineer at Berkeley Lab and TeselaGen Biotechnology. Previously worked for Amyris in Scientific Computing and at Nano Precision Medical in Life Sciences Product Development.