50CUT

What 50CUT does

50CUT is a DBA of Mush Foods, a US-based food technology company that develops and sells mushroom root (mycelium) blends designed to be combined with ground meat or poultry in restaurant and institutional food service applications. Founded in 2021 and headquartered in New York, the company operates an asset-light model in which it licenses its proprietary above-ground indoor cultivation process to Hudson Valley farmers, who grow mushrooms and mycelium fed by local upcycled food waste. The controlled indoor environment shields crops from weather and seasonality and enables 24 grow cycles per year, a meaningful process differentiation relative to conventional outdoor mycelium production.

The company's core product line centers on a roasted mushroom root blend engineered to integrate seamlessly with ground meat at a 50/50 ratio. Functional benefits claimed by the company and supported by a March 2024 life-cycle assessment from Boundless Impact Research & Analytics include 20% greater yield after cooking, improved moisture retention, elevated umami flavor, and reductions of roughly 95.5% in land use, 99% in water use, and approximately 50% in carbon emissions versus an equivalent beef dish. Products carry Kosher and Halal certifications and are positioned for taste parity with full-meat dishes; a 2024 K-12 taste test in Berkeley County, South Carolina reported 96% approval for meatballs and 92% for burgers.

50CUT monetizes primarily through one-time wholesale ingredient sales via three go-to-market motions: direct enterprise field sales to restaurants and food service operators, channel partnerships with established meat distributors (most prominently Pat La Frieda Meat Purveyors for the LaFrieda 50CUT Burger) and catering companies (Dufour Gourmet), and approved-vendor status with state purchasing alliances enabling institutional sales (Joyn Foods / South Carolina Purchasing Alliance for K-12 districts). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. To date, the company has raised approximately $10.45 million across multiple rounds from investors including Viola Ventures (lead, 2022-12), Lever VC and Alumni Ventures (2024-12), Arc Impact, Siddhi Capital, The Kitchen Hub, Milk & Honey Ventures, and PeakBridge.

Name

50CUT

Legal name

Mush Foods

Website

https://50cut.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

50CUT (DBA of Mush Foods) sells mushroom root (mycelium) blends for B2B food service operators, restaurants, and institutional buyers, enabling 50/50 meat-mushroom blends with reduced environmental impact. Founded in 2021 in New York, it licenses its proprietary indoor cultivation process to partner farmers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Food Ingredients — Mushroom Root (Mycelium) Blends

NAICS

Mushroom Production (111411), Food Manufacturing (311)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000), Miscellaneous Food Preparations & Kindred Products (2090)

akta.pro primary industry

Mushroom & Fungi Production (Indoor/Protected) (AFAGAHAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Ingredient Blends & Systems / Custom Formulation (Seasoning Systems, Functional Blends) (CRADAOAO)

Keywords

• Mushroom root blends
• Mycelium food ingredients
• Hybrid meat products
• Sustainable protein ingredients
• Food service distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. B2B Food Service Ingredient Sales: Selling mushroom root blends and mushroom-based protein ingredients directly to food service operators, restaurants, and brand manufacturers. Products are sold as ingredients to be blended with meat or poultry.
2. Wholesale Distribution: Wholesale accounts for restaurants and food service providers to purchase 50CUT products for their menus.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

50CUT develops, cultivates, and sells chef-crafted mushroom root (mycelium) and mushroom blends designed to be combined with ground meat or poultry for use in burgers, meatballs, sausages, chilis, sauces, and other menu applications. The company also offers co-branded hybrid products such as the LaFrieda 50CUT Burger (50-50 beef-mushroom blend) and a K-12 school nutrition mushroom blend, supplying food service operators, restaurants, brand manufacturers, and institutional buyers.

Product overview

50Cut is a product line from Mush Foods consisting of chef-crafted mushroom root (mycelium) and mushroom blends designed to be combined with ground meat or poultry. The core product, 50Cut Mushroom Root Blend, serves as a meat extender/replacement that enhances nutrition, sustainability, and flavor in dishes like burgers, meatballs, sausages, and more. The company offers partnership products such as the LaFrieda 50Cut Burger and has expanded into K-12 school nutrition programs. All products utilize proprietary above-ground cultivation techniques with 24 grow cycles per year and feature near-zero carbon footprint.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 50Cut Mushroom Root Blend Chef-crafted line of mushroom root (mycelium) and mushroom blends designed to seamlessly combine with ground meat or poultry for burgers, meatballs, sausages, chilis, sauces, and other dishes. Sold B2B to food service operators, restaurants, and brand manufacturers.
• LaFrieda 50CUT Burger 50-50 blend of beef with premium mushrooms co-branded with Pat La Frieda Meat Purveyors. A burger patty product with virtually identical taste to full-meat patties but a significantly better environmental footprint, sold through LaFrieda's e-commerce and distribution network.
• 50Cut Mushroom Blend (K-12 School Product) A blended meat product using over 95% less land and 99% less water than conventional beef, with lower fat content and reduced calories, designed for K-12 school nutrition programs and institutional food service.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95.5% less land use than beef, 92% less than soy
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Pat La Frieda Meat PurveyorsflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlagship partnership to launch the LaFrieda 50CUT Burger - a 50-50 blend of beef with premium mushrooms. Pat La Frieda, a premier meat distributor, created a branded burger product distributed through their platform. This is the company's most prominent commercial partnership.
• Hudson Valley FarmerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Hudson Valley farmers who use Mush Foods' proprietary cultivation process to grow highly nutritious mushrooms and mushroom roots using local, upcycled food waste to feed crops.
• Joyn Foods / South Carolina Purchasing AlliancecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorJoyn Foods secured approval through the South Carolina Purchasing Alliance bid, giving school districts across the state a simplified pathway to purchase 50Cut Mushroom Blend products for institutional meals.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Meati Foods: Meati produces whole-food mycelium-based protein cuts as direct alternatives and extenders to meat. Both companies commercialize mycelium grown through proprietary fermentation processes and target the U.S. foodservice and CPG channels with sustainability-driven protein ingredients.
• MyForest Foods (Ecovative Design): MyForest Foods is the consumer arm of Ecovative Design producing mycelium-based "MyBacon" and related whole-cut mycelium products. It competes head-to-head with 50CUT in the mushroom-mycelium meat-extension category and pursues similar foodservice and retail channels.
• Atlast Food Co: Atlast Food grows mycelium to make whole-cut meat alternatives, including blends with traditional animal proteins. It targets CPG and foodservice customers seeking mycelium-based ingredients with sustainability and nutrition benefits, directly overlapping 50CUT's blend positioning.
• Prime Roots: Prime Roots produces mycelium-based deli meats and charcuterie for foodservice and retail. It directly competes in the same mushroom-root protein formulation space, particularly in sausages, meatballs, and similar applications where 50CUT's chef-crafted blends operate.
• Fable Food Co: Fable Food produces mushroom-based whole-food "meat" alternatives (including shredded pulled-mushroom formats) for foodservice and retail. It targets the same chef and restaurant buyers as 50CUT with mushroom-forward, umami-rich positioning.
• Nature's Fynd: Nature's Fynd produces Fy protein from a proprietary fungal fermentation process for dairy- and meat-alternative applications. It targets foodservice and CPG customers seeking sustainable protein ingredients, much like 50CUT's mushroom-root blend line.

Emerging players

• Bosque Foods: Bosque Foods develops whole-muscle mycelium meat alternatives with strong culinary and foodservice ambitions. It overlaps with 50CUT in the mushroom-mycelium ingredient space and pursues similar chef-driven go-to-market motions.
• The Mushroom Meat Co: A growing player developing mushroom-based meat alternatives for the foodservice and retail channels. The company overlaps with 50CUT in positioning mushroom as a primary protein source for burgers, meatballs, and similar applications.

Broad incumbents

• Lightlife (Maple Leaf Foods): Lightlife is an established plant-based protein brand (owned by Maple Leaf Foods) producing burgers, sausages, and ground proteins for retail and foodservice. While its base is plant protein rather than mycelium, it competes with 50CUT in the blended-protein foodservice ingredient and finished-product categories.
• Beyond Meat: Beyond Meat is the leading plant-based meat brand with broad foodservice distribution and branded blends. Although it uses pea protein rather than mycelium, it competes directly with 50CUT in the blended-meat foodservice and ingredient categories, and competes for institutional buyers and brand-manufacturer partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/50cut
• Instagraminstagram.com/50cut_mushfoods

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors9 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 50CUT