Planted launches the first fermented steak of its kind and expands production

Plantedthe Swiss FoodTech pioneer for clean-label plant-based meat, presents its latest culinary innovation: the planted.steak, a new type of fermented steak plant-based steak, which is now available in numerous European restaurants. The launch of planted.steak as the first product in Planted's "Whole Muscle" platform [1] coincides with the announcement of the strategic expansion of the company's production capacity with a state-of-the-art fermentation facility in Kemptthal.

The planted.steak: meat lovers won't believe their eyes 

Planted has developed its first plant-based steak, which is juicy and tender thanks to an innovative fermentation process and has an unmistakable umami taste. True to the company's philosophy, the steak is made exclusively from natural ingredients such as soy protein, rapeseed oil, bean and rice flour and a special blend of microbial cultures and is a testament to sustainable culinary ingenuity. It has a high protein and fibre content, contains important micronutrients such as vitamin B12 and iron and is low in saturated fatty acids. Planted offers health-conscious palates and true gourmets a steak that is juicy, tender and full of flavour.   

The planted.steak is now on the menu in many European restaurants:  

- In Germany, the steak is available in Tim Raue's Michelin-starred restaurant and in Tim Mälzer's Bullerei in Hamburg.

- In Austria, the well-known burger chain Le Burger offers planted.steak.

 - In Switzerland, well-known restaurants such as Gartenhof, Kronenhalle, Lindenhofkeller, StudioBellerive in the AMERON Bellerive au Lac, NOA Restaurant Bern, Café de Prélaz and KJU delight their customers with their planted.steak creations. 

If you would like to try the steak here find all participating restaurants.

"Our planted.steak is crafted to satisfy even the most discerning palate. This is a real game changer - not just for us, but for the entire industry," says Lukas Böni, co-founder and CEO of Planted. "No other plant-based steak uses only natural ingredients, no additives and is characterized by such juiciness and tenderness. During the research and development process, we worked with more than 50 restaurateurs to develop a steak that is unparalleled in terms of taste, texture, processing and flavor experience. We are very proud that so many restaurants have already added it to their menus." 

"The planted steak has a great structure and texture, its bite is exceptional and, together with its hearty flavor, it is simply the best ingredient for a vegan main course! It makes our guests go into raptures and creates enthusiasm. It's so much fun for the team in the kitchen and for me too to cook with it", says Tim Raue, Michelin star chef from Berlin.

The better steak: 97% less CO2e than its animal counterpart 

The planted.steak is not only a culinary innovation, but also a scalable and sustainable solution to the environmental challenges associated with traditional meat production - especially beef production. The production of a planted.steak generates 97% less CO2 emissions per kg compared to its animal counterpart. Beef production requires large areas of pasture or agricultural land to grow feed, the production of which requires significant amounts of energy, land and other resources. The digestion of cattle and manure release additional greenhouse gases. Compared to poultry or pigs, cattle have a longer growing period before they are ready for slaughter. During this time, they continuously produce methane and need a lot of feed and water. Here too, the planted.steak is convincing, requiring 81% less water than its animal counterpart.   

By significantly reducing CO2 emissions and water consumption, Planted meat products are paving the way to a more sustainable future without compromising on taste, quality and enjoyment. 

The future of alternative proteins: planted.steak will be the first product on the new Whole Muscle platform 

Fermentation is one of nature's most versatile processes. It has the ability to improve and optimize the taste, tenderness and wholesomeness of food. The use of fermentation technology enables Planted to find new clean and healthy protein sources while improving taste and naturalness. This overcomes previous limitations of alternative proteins. 

At the beginning of 2023, the Swiss innovation agency Innosuisse recognized this and awarded Planted 2 million Swiss francs as part of the Swiss Accelerator Program to accelerate the development of its Whole Muscle platform. This has enabled Planted to bring its fermentation-based steak to market just one year later, with a planned launch via D2C channels and retail across Europe in 2024.  

Planted aims to develop as many different product concepts as possible based on its pioneering Whole Muscle platform, which grows muscle through proprietary fermentation processes. The muscle cut is comparable to a whole loin, allowing for versatility and seamless integration into existing meat processing operations. This allows Planted to bring new and differentiated meats to the market while adapting to local preferences and tastes.   

Leading the way in sustainable food production: the Kemptthal expansion 

To coincide with the launch of planted.steak, Planted is introducing the strategic expansion of its production capacity with a state-of-the-art fermentation plant in Kemptthal, Switzerland. The new production facility has created 30 technical and operational jobs. 

"The investment in our expansion is the result of a strategic decision to expand our biotechnology site in Kemptthal - from the laboratories to production. Our goal is to quickly bring innovative products from our fermentation platform to the market, especially our planted.steak, which uses the most advanced and disruptive fermentation technology currently available in terms of scalability, taste and product quality," explains Lukas Böni. "We are proud to be one of the few innovators of plant-based meat that takes over all steps of the production process - from research and development to industrial production. The additional new production facility enables Planted to move very quickly from the pilot phase to industrial production, which significantly shortens the time to market." 

Green technologies played a central role in the construction of the new production facility. The entire building, which is used by various FoodTech companies, has an environmentally friendly energy system. This system uses the ambient air as an energy source. The air feeds the heat pumps that provide environmentally friendly heating and cooling in the buildings. According to EKZ, this will save more than 44,000 tons of CO2 over a period of 30 years. 

[1] Breakthrough platform for premium cuts of meat that grows muscle through proprietary fermentation processes