They understood that the environment can’t continue to withstand the pressure we put on it. They see nutrition as a right and believe all people should have access to sustainable protein. That’s why they created Meati.
The story of meati foods
The Story of Meati started with two university students, connecting over a couple of beers and sharing their passion for helping people and the planet with fungi-licious food.
IT ALL STARTED OVER A COUPLE OF BEERS
IT ALL STARTED OVER A COUPLE OF BEERS
Tyler and Justin met in Boulder during their PhD studies at the University of Colorado. Tyler was studying civil and environmental engineering, and Justin was in mechanical engineering. The two learned early in their careers that the best way to make a difference is through entrepreneurship.
They connected over a few beers and realized their shared passion for helping people and the planet through engineering and science.
Instead of looking to others to solve the world’s challenges, they wanted to be hands-on, conquering the issues themselves.
Then there were batteries
Then there were batteries
Tyler and Justin’s first project together used fungi to produce battery electrodes that could outperform conventional flaked graphite in lithium-ion batteries. (Don’t worry, we don’t know what that means either.)
In an attempt to reduce the resources required, they developed a way to use leftovers from beer brewing as the only raw material input. This nearly neutralized the energy, water, and emissions of the process.
Somehow their story always comes back to beer. Still does...
And then things got meati
Batteries were awesome and all, but this engineering duo knew they could make a greater impact if they focused on food. It wasn’t long before they pivoted their attention to something more personal: meat consumption.
Tyler grew up in a logging town where he observed loggers and environmentalists constantly reaching for compromise to settle their issues. Later, his father purchased a bison farm, and Tyler was torn between his identities as an environmentalist and a meat-eater (we think usually with beer). He understood that not everyone, including himself, was willing to give up meat. So, he thought, “What if we compromise?”
Tyler and Justin imagined a food company that would encourage people to eat alternatives to animal meats on the reg, and save their real meat consumption for the weekends or special occasions.
And as they say, the rest is Meatistory.
