The Mediterranean Food Lab

What The Mediterranean Food Lab does

The Mediterranean Food Lab (MFL) is a food technology company that produces plant-based culinary flavor concentrates using a proprietary solid-state fermentation platform. The core technology, branded Real Food Flavor (RFF), transforms plant proteins into savory peptides and amino acids, carbohydrates into sugars, and fats into flavorful fatty acids by mimicking the natural environments of microorganisms, producing complex meat-like flavors without any animal ingredients or additives. The company was founded by three cooks and a filmmaker who previously operated a bistro called Brut in the French-Northern Italian tradition, and who spent several years researching fermentation before commercializing the technology.

MFL's commercial product line is SHO, a range of fermented, additive-free concentrated culinary stocks available in dark and light variants, designed as a 1:1 replacement for traditional meat and bone-based stocks across cuisines. The company is structured with a parent entity in Israel (The Mediterranean Food Lab Ltd) and a primary operating subsidiary in France (The Mediterranean Food Lab France SSA, headquartered in Dijon with €1,050,000 share capital), and it sells directly to professional chefs and restaurants across Europe. Marketing is driven by chef endorsements, tastings, and word-of-mouth through professional culinary networks.

The business model is B2B ingredient sales to professional kitchens, with a stated secondary target of food manufacturers and enterprise food-service operators seeking scalable, restaurant-quality flavor. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, and no recurring subscription contract mechanics are evident; revenue appears to be generated through one-time product sales. MFL has raised at least $33.1M cumulatively across disclosed 2023 and 2024 rounds (led by PeakBridge and Re:food respectively) and is presently scaling SHO from chef-led adoption toward broader commercial distribution.

Name

The Mediterranean Food Lab

Legal name

THE MEDITERRANEAN FOOD LAB (FRANCE)

Website

https://med-food-lab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Mediterranean Food Lab is a food technology company that uses proprietary solid-state fermentation to produce plant-based culinary flavor concentrates, sold under the SHO brand as concentrated stocks for professional chefs, restaurants, and food manufacturers across Europe.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Plant-based culinary ingredients

NAICS

Food Manufacturing (311), Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Pesto, Cooking Pastes & Concentrated Flavor Bases Manufacturing (AFAKADAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Foods for Special Dietary Needs Manufacturing (Gluten-Free, Allergen-Free, Low-FODMAP, Low-Sodium) (AFAKAJAD)

Keywords

• Plant-based flavor ingredients
• Fermented culinary stocks
• Solid-state fermentation technology
• Natural flavor solutions
• Professional kitchen ingredients

Headquarters

HQ city

Tel Aviv

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SHO Culinary Ingredient Sales: Sale of fermented, additive-free culinary stock ingredients (SHO dark and light stocks) to professional kitchens, restaurants, and food service businesses. Products serve as 1:1 replacement for traditional meat-based stocks across all cuisines.
2. B2B Flavor Solutions: Company provides flavor solutions to food manufacturers and restaurants seeking plant-based meat-like flavors. Revenue generated through product sales of Real Food Flavor (RFF) ingredients.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Mediterranean Food Lab produces and sells SHO, a range of concentrated 100% natural fermented culinary stocks (available in dark and light variants) for professional kitchens. SHO is manufactured using proprietary Real Food Flavor (RFF) solid-state fermentation technology that transforms plant-based ingredients — grains, legumes, and vegetables — into savory, multi-layered flavor profiles designed as a 1:1 replacement for traditional meat- and bone-based stocks across all cuisines.

Product overview

The Mediterranean Food Lab is a food technology company offering Real Food Flavor (RFF), a proprietary solid-state fermentation technology that transforms plant-based ingredients into complex, savory flavor profiles traditionally found in meat-based dishes. The company's primary commercial product is the SHO line of concentrated natural stocks (available in dark and light variants), which are fermented culinary ingredients designed for professional kitchens seeking to replace traditional meat-based stocks with plant-based alternatives that deliver equivalent depth and richness.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SHO: SHO is MFL's range of fermented, additive-free culinary ingredients designed as the new staple for any professional kitchen. SHO dark and light stocks are concentrated 100% natural stocks made from grains and legumes, with no additives, preservatives, or artificial flavors. They provide deep, multi-layered, slow-cooked flavor profile as a 1:1 replacement for traditional stocks across all cuisines and dishes.
• Real Food Flavor (RFF)

Products and services

• SHO Concentrated Stocks SHO is MFL's range of fermented, additive-free culinary ingredients designed as the new staple for any professional kitchen. SHO dark and light stocks are concentrated 100% natural stocks made from grains and legumes, providing deep, multi-layered, slow-cooked flavor profiles as 1:1 replacements for traditional meat-based stocks across all cuisines. They contain no additives, preservatives, or artificial or natural flavorings, with lower sodium and no added sugar.

Quantifiable outcome

• In taste tests, chefs consistently preferred SHO over competitors' products, including ones with animal protein

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Better Than Bouillon: A leading concentrated stock/bouillon brand sold through U.S. retail. Direct competitor in the concentrated stock category but lacks a fermentation-led, clean-label positioning.
• Custom Culinary: B2B flavor bases, sauces, and stocks supplier to foodservice operators. Comparable as a commercial-scale flavor-base provider targeting chefs and chain restaurants.
• Edward & Sons Trading Company: Natural and organic culinary brand offering bouillon cubes, stocks, and culinary ingredients. Comparable as a clean-label stock/culinary ingredient supplier to foodservice.
• Lesaffre: Global fermentation specialist producing yeast and savory flavors for food manufacturers. Comparable as a deep fermentation-expertise incumbent that could leverage its infrastructure to compete in clean-label flavors.

Emerging players

• Adamo Foods: Food-tech company developing plant-based whole-muscle cuts. Comparable as a chef-grade, clean-label plant-based food brand using proprietary technology.
• Verdant Ingredients: Plant-based flavor house using fermentation to produce savory ingredients for food manufacturers. Closest direct comparable on the technology axis (fermentation-driven plant-based flavors).
• Prime Roots: Fermentation-based alt-protein company producing meat alternatives from koji. Comparable as a food-tech startup using solid-state/koji fermentation to deliver savory flavor without animal inputs.
• Infinite Roots (formerly Mushlabs): Fermentation-based food-tech company producing mycelium ingredients for savory applications. Comparable as a European fermentation food-tech startup serving the alternative-protein flavor space.
• Ohmic: Food-tech startup applying novel processing technologies to create clean-label savory ingredients. Comparable as a B2B flavor-tech peer focused on natural savory solutions for food manufacturers.

Direct peers

• Osso Good: Premium bone broth and culinary stock brand serving chefs and consumers. Comparable as a chef-targeted premium stock brand, though Osso Good is animal-based rather than plant-based.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors4 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 The Mediterranean Food Lab