What Mission Barns does

Mission Barns is a Berkeley and San Francisco-based cultivated meat company founded in 2018 by Eitan Fischer that produces real pork products without slaughtering animals. The company takes small tissue samples from a live pig, grows pork fat cells in proprietary bioreactors (the process takes approximately two weeks), and combines the resulting 'Mission Fat' ingredient with plant proteins (pea, wheat, fava bean, flax seed) to manufacture five consumer SKUs: Italian-style meatballs, applewood smoked bacon, pepperoni, chorizo, and sausage. Mission Barns is the first company globally to receive both FDA and USDA regulatory clearance for cell-cultivated pork fat (FDA in March 2025, USDA in July 2025), and it began limited commercial sales in 2025 through Berkeley Bowl West (first US retail cultivated meat sale), a Sprouts Farmers Market in Oakland, and Fiorella restaurant in San Francisco, with meatballs priced at $13.99 for 8 pieces.

The company's business model has three revenue streams: (1) direct consumer product sales through retail and restaurant partnerships at premium price points, (2) B2B ingredient sales of Mission Fat to CPG food companies (announced partnership with Next-gen Flavor Solutions in July 2025), and (3) planned technology licensing of its proprietary bioreactor platform to reduce capital burdens for large-scale manufacturing deployment. Distribution today is exclusively the San Francisco Bay Area, and production runs from a USDA-inspected pilot plant in San Francisco. Mission Barns has raised approximately $28.4M across four funding rounds (most recent a 2021 Series A of $24M led by Lever VC), is privately held, and operates with 11–50 employees. Reported sustainability claims include up to 98% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, 99% reduction in land use, 96% reduction in water use, and 45% reduction in energy use versus conventional meat production.

Name

Mission Barns

Legal name

Mission Barns

Website

https://missionbarns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mission Barns is a Berkeley-based cultivated meat company founded in 2018 that grows pork fat in proprietary bioreactors, combining it with plant proteins to produce meatballs, bacon, pepperoni, chorizo, and sausage for Bay Area retail and CPG food company customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultivated Meat

NAICS

Animal Slaughtering and Processing (31161), Meat Processed from Carcasses (311612)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013), Fats & Oils (2070), Meat Packing Plants (2011)

akta.pro primary industry

Cultivated Meat Producers (Cell-Cultured Meat & Seafood) (AFANAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fat & Flavor Systems for Meat Alternatives (Cultivated Fats, Flavor Precursors, Masking) (AFANAKAH), Cell Line Development & Banking (Food/AG Cell Lines) (AFANAKAE)

Keywords

• Cultivated meat production
• Cell-cultivated pork fat
• Bioreactor food technology
• Alternative protein ingredients
• Sustainable meat products

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Direct Product Sales (Cultivated Pork Products): Mission Barns sells cultivated pork products (meatballs, bacon, pepperoni, chorizo, sausage) directly to consumers through retail and restaurant partnerships. Products combine cultivated pork fat with plant protein.
2. B2B Ingredient Sales (Mission Fat): The company sells its cultivated pork fat ingredient (Mission Fat) to other food companies, CPG manufacturers, and foodservice operators seeking to overcome flavor, health, and texture challenges in their products.
3. Technology Licensing: Mission Barns is pursuing technology licensing to reduce capital burdens for large-scale manufacturing deployment, selling or licensing bioreactor technology to other food companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Mission Barns produces cell-cultivated pork fat (Mission Fat™) by growing animal cells from small tissue samples inside proprietary bioreactors, then combines the cultivated fat with plant proteins to manufacture finished pork products such as meatballs, bacon, pepperoni, chorizo, and sausage. The company sells these products directly to consumers through retail and restaurant partnerships and also supplies Mission Fat™ as a B2B ingredient to CPG food manufacturers and is preparing to license its bioreactor technology.

Product overview

Mission Barns is a cultivated meat company producing real pork products without slaughtering animals. The company takes a small tissue sample from a live pig, grows the cells in a cultivator (bioreactor) to produce pork fat, then combines it with plant proteins to create finished products. The product portfolio includes Italian Style Cultivated Meatballs, Applewood Smoked Cultivated Bacon, Cultivated Pepperoni, Cultivated Chorizo, and Cultivated Sausage—all featuring Mission Fat™ (cultivated pork fat) combined with various plant proteins (pea protein, wheat protein, fava bean protein, flax seed protein). The company also licenses its proprietary cultivated fat ingredient and bioreactor technology to other food companies as a B2B offering.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mission Fat: Proprietary cultivated pork fat ingredient that serves as the company's flagship ingredient for food companies and manufacturers to replicate the richness and depth of conventional meat products.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 98% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to conventional meat
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Berkeley Bowl WestflagshipChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 November 2025Berkeley Bowl West hosted the first retail sale of cultivated meat in the United States on November 1, 2025, selling Mission Barns cultivated pork meatballs, salami, and bacon.
• Sprouts Farmers MarketcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 24 July 2025Sprouts Farmers Market serves as retail partner for Mission Barns cultivated Italian-style meatballs at Oakland Broadway location. Limited high-impact retail placement designed to showcase product and gather consumer feedback.
• Next-gen Flavor SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2025Following USDA approval, Mission Barns announced strategic partnership with Next-gen Flavor Solutions, enabling broader B2B distribution of cultivated pork fat ingredient to food companies.
• FiorellaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 March 2025Fiorella, a leading Italian restaurant group in the San Francisco Area, is Mission Barns' first restaurant launch partner. Co-founder Brandon Gillis created seasonal Italian dishes featuring Mission Barns cultivated fat including meatballs and bacon, participating in this historic product launch.
• Sweet FarmminorOthersSweet Farm is a nonprofit climate sanctuary in upstate New York dedicated to tackling factory farming impacts. Dawn, the pig who provided the original tissue sample for Mission Barns cultivated pork, now lives at Sweet Farm.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UPSIDE Foods: Cultivated meat pioneer that was the first company to receive FDA/USDA clearance (for chicken) and sell cultivated meat in the US. Direct competitor in cultivated protein technology, regulatory pathway, and retail/foodservice launch strategy.
• GOOD Meat (Eat Just): Subsidiary of Eat Just; second company to sell cultivated meat in the US (chicken) and operates the world's first commercial cultivated meat facility in Singapore. Closest analog in regulatory milestones and global commercialization approach.
• Wildtype: Cultivated seafood company (salmon) that has received FDA clearance and sells in US restaurants. Comparable in scale, regulatory pathway, and direct-to-consumer premium positioning.
• Believer Meats: Cultivated meat company producing beef, chicken, and pork; one of the few US players pursuing pork, directly competing with Mission Barns in cultivated pork fat and pork protein.
• Bond Pet Foods: Cultivated protein company focused on pet food using similar bioreactor and cell-cultivation technology. Comparable in technology platform and regulatory pathway, with adjacent B2B go-to-market via pet food manufacturers.

Emerging players

• SCiFi Foods: Cultivated meat hybrid producer combining plant-based proteins with cultivated animal fat — overlapping Mission Barns' fat-first hybrid formulation thesis.
• Omeat: Early-stage cultivated meat company focused on beef and pork using a growth-media-light approach; relevant competitor in the cultivated pork and fat ingredient space.
• Vow Food: Australia-based cultivated meat company producing exotic cell-cultured meats (kangaroo, Japanese quail, alpaca). Relevant peer for cell-line development, bioreactor scale-up, and global regulatory navigation.

Broad incumbents

• Mosa Meat: Pioneer of cultivated beef (first cultured burger, 2013); European leader with EU regulatory approval. Comparable in maturity, technology platform, and fat/muscle co-cultivation R&D.
• Aleph Farms: Israel-based cultivated beef company with a broader portfolio of formats (steak, whole cuts) and strategic investors including Cargill. Comparable in cultivated-meat technology and ambition for premium CPG partnerships.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors20 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Mission Barns