Nicole Johnson-Hoffman Joins Meati Board
Meati Foods, the producer of animal-free meats crafted from the company’s whole-food MushroomRoot, has appointed food and agriculture luminary Nicole Johnson-Hoffman to its board of directors.
Johnson-Hoffman brings over two decades of transformative leadership within the food and ag sectors to Meati, most recently serving as CEO of cultivated meat company Believer Meats. Her rich career, spanning roles with industry stalwarts like Cargill and OSI, has positioned her at the forefront of managing the global beef industry’s most dynamic supply chains and making them more sustainable.
“In the realm of animal meat and animal-free alternatives, Nicole stands unmatched in her depth of experience and knowledge of operations, market requirements and emerging opportunities,” said Tyler Huggins, CEO and co-founder of Meati Foods. “Having Nicole on board with team Meati is a testament to the uniqueness of our product and the boundless promise of our MushroomRoot, as well as an endorsement of our vision and overall approach.”
Meati Foods continues to scale its fully vertically integrated manufacturing capabilities to support rapid growth in the coming months in both retail and food service locations. Its Eat Meati line recently launched at Whole Foods Market with its Classic Cutlet, Crispy Cutlet, Classic Steak and Carne Asada Steak. In foodservice, Meati Foods most recently announced its first Northern California restaurant offering in San Francisco’s Causwells after a series of restaurant launches including Birdcall, PLNT Burger and Next Level Burger.
“I’m frustrated when I see brands, interest groups and other organizations put the onus of change on the consumer, asking them to shop our way out of problems caused by the food industry,” said Johnson-Hoffman. “It’s the responsibility of incumbent industry leaders and disruptors like Meati to bring solutions that work for consumers. Meati is nailing it, and I’m thrilled to partner with such a great group of people who are doing great things.”
Featuring its nutrient-dense and nearly infinitely scalable whole-food MushroomRoot, Meati Foods today makes whole-cut steaks and cutlets that deliver not only unprecedented, clean nutrition, but flavors and textures that have won the enthusiastic support of some of food’s biggest icons, including David Chang (chef and founder of Momofuku and Majordomo Media) and Sam Kass (former White House senior policy advisor for nutrition and partner at Acre Venture Partners).
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