Impossible Foods, a vegan company best known for its “juicy,” meat-like meatless burgers, announced $75 million in funding late last week, TechCrunch reports. The company’s total funding now hovers around $300 million, and investors include Bill Gates and UBS.
The burgers are made from soy leghemoglobin, a vegan protein that carries an iron-containing molecule called heme that Impossible uses to imitate the taste and feel of meat. As of right now, the burgers are only available in a few restaurants across the country, including Public and Saxon+Parole in San Francisco, Umami Burger locations nationwide, David Chang’s Momofuku Nishi in New York City, and, most recently, a handful of Bareburger locations in New York.
Both purveyors dream of a world where everyone, former carnivores included, rely on plant-based protein. The meat industry — and the beef industry in particular — is one of the top contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, due in no small part to the large amount of food and resources needed to raise cattle.
Impossible Foods plans on opening up a new plant in Oakland to increase its output. Meanwhile, Beyond Meat, another meat-like veggie burger backed by Bill Gates, sells its patties at Whole Foods and Safeway locations across the country. The burgers will also soon be available in 600 Kroger stores nationwide.
