You have already heard about successful meat substitute companies.
The good intentions resulted in handsome profits, celebs invested in the important ventures, and the desired change seemed within reach.
Something nevertheless stopped the existing meat substitutes from entering the mainstream of the food industry, but now it seems that a young Israeli company may do the unbelievable - and reach out to you restaurants and refrigerators on a regular basis.
The company is called "Redify Meat" ("redefine meat"), and according to CEO and founder Eshchar Ben Sheetrit, its goal is not to give another option of meat substitute, but to "replace the need for a cow", literally.
This is not a joke.
Ben Sheetrit, whose products (hamburger, sausage, lamb kebab, cigars and minced meat) have already been successful in blind tasting tests, began to incorporate them, relatively quietly, in the menus of quite a few well-known restaurants in Israel such as Nam, Hudson Lilienblum and more. It was a great success.
Eshhar Ben Sheetrit, Eran Barry
"Soon, the CEO continues, any share that the cow offers - the company will also be able to offer. Even on the economic level, the company, which was only established in 2018, is not modest." We are working on making Redfin Meat the largest meat company in the world, "says the CEO. Our competitors are not companies that produce meat substitutes, but the traditional and old meat companies. "
One of the clear reasons for the great security shown by Redifine Meat, is the integration of people from the field of food in the start-up already from the stage of establishing the company.
One of those key people is Chef Shay Hyman, who started working for the company in 2019, and who already as a child dreamed of being two things: a chef and a scientist.
Chef Shai Heiman, Eran Barry
"At that time I created a venture that focused on vegan sandwiches," Heiman recalled. "One of my favorite things - culinary and science. Since then, I have been leading the culinary field in the company."
What actually sets you apart from the other substitutes that have entered the Israeli market in recent years?
"Probably what sets us apart the most is the fact that I, a chef, was among the company's top five employees. Our products are built to meet the needs and desires of chefs and culinary professionals, who understand the challenge of replacing meat and the fact that we have no choice but to incorporate new meat. "The raw material in all the dishes we all love. Our ambition is to produce meat that gives it a culinary experience inherent in animal meat, one that is first and foremost delicious."
Hot dogs by Redfine Meat, Afik Gabay
The integration of experts in the field of food and restaurants in start-ups, including a meat professor who lives in Argentina (but what), has led to the creation of high-level products, such that any chef can work with, in any restaurant, in any style or type of cooking.
"Over the last three years our development team has studied the world of meat down to the smallest detail and understood what makes meat so delicious. We integrate meat experts in the process and get feedback from chefs and people from the food industry. With this knowledge my team and I work. This is what makes our products For much more accurate and tailored to fit into any restaurant.
As a chef I understand the needs of other chefs in depth and know how to convey the required needs of the product to the development teams. Beyond the obvious emphases for any meat lover, such as color, taste and texture, as a chef there are quite a few more details I expect "Frying, preparation times that will suit the service times in the restaurant, etc. My culinary team and I participate in the design stages of the products, from how they are prepared to application in the kitchen."
If we go back for a moment to our starting point, one of the most common explanations for the limited success of meat substitutes so far, is precisely that desperate attempt to emulate the real thing, which supposedly preserves "meat culture" - with a vegetarian agenda.
Hyman is not afraid of that.
Redfin Meat lamb kebab, Afik Gabay
"We understand that in order to create real change in the world, people need to be connected and brought closer to the source. We do not go against meat culture, but offer a good solution that may reduce or stop real meat consumption. They can be based on new meat, in a way that will not harm our lifestyle. "
You have already fulfilled your childhood dream. What next?
"On a professional level, I plan to continue to develop with the company, which will unequivocally become one of the largest meat companies in the world. I have no doubt about that. On a personal level? I am a simple person, looking for a relationship and establishing a home here, I do not need much more than that."