When your dinner is printed with Eshchar Ben-Shitrit of Redefine Meat
Sep 28, 2023
38:40
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Eshchar Ben-Shitrit, co-founder and CEO of Redefine Meat, talks about his journey from a corporate career to joining the plant-based meat revolution. He discusses the environmental impact of beef consumption and the challenges of 3D printing meat. He shares the process of creating prototypes for 3D printed plant-based meat and their future plans as the world's largest meat company.
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Quick takeaways
Redefine Meat uses 3D printing technology to create plant-based meat that replicates the texture and flavor of animal-based products.
The company aims to become the world's largest meat company without relying on animal agriculture, and is focused on improving scalability and cost efficiency.
Deep dives
Using 3D Printing to Create Plant-Based Meat
Eshhar Ben-Shitrit, the CEO of Redefined Meat, discusses the use of 3D printing technology to create plant-based beef, pork, and lamb products that closely resemble their animal-based counterparts. Through trial and error, they were able to develop a process that replicates the texture and flavor of meat, particularly with their short rib product. Their goal is to create a fully plant-based steak that is indistinguishable from an animal steak. The company has partnered with renowned chefs like Marco Pierre White and Ron Blau to fine-tune their products and improve the taste and texture. They are working towards becoming the world's largest meat company without relying on animal agriculture.
The Challenges and Potential of Plant-Based Meat
Redefine Meat faces challenges in terms of scalability and cost efficiency due to the capital-intensive nature of their technology. However, they have found success in the Israeli market and are expanding to European restaurants and retailers. Price point and flavor are also important considerations, as they aim to offer a competitive product that appeals to meat consumers. The company continually seeks feedback from chefs, butchers, and consumers to improve their plant-based meat offerings and expand their addressable market. They envision a future where major meat companies do not rely on animals, and Redefine Meat aims to be at the forefront of this transformation.
The Journey to Redefine Meat
Eshhar Ben-Shitrit's journey towards plant-based meat started when he quit his job and began experimenting with 3D printing technology in his kitchen. With a team of passionate individuals and various iterations, they developed the technique of layering plant-based ingredients to mimic the texture and taste of meat. They sought collaboration with chefs, including Marco Pierre White and Ron Blau, to receive honest feedback and fine-tune their products. They changed their initial plan of selling 3D printers to focusing on selling their plant-based meat directly. The company raised significant funding and aims to become the world's largest meat company without using animal agriculture.
The Vision for the Future
In the next five years, Redefine Meat plans to have a presence in European restaurants and retailers, while continuing to improve their products' quality and scalability. They intend to develop plant-based alternatives for a wide range of meat cuts, including wagyu beef, to meet consumer demands. By providing a variety of high-quality plant-based products, they aim to compete in mainstream steakhouses and expand their retail distribution globally. The company's long-term vision is to lead the transformation of major meat companies away from animal agriculture, offering sustainable and healthy alternatives.
Redefine Meat co-founder and CEO Eshchar Ben-Shitrit long had aspirations to lead a company, though he never imagined taking the risk to start his own. But learning about the environmental harms of mass beef production, plus having to answer his kids’ questions about what happens to baby cows at certain farms, was enough to convince him to say goodbye to corporate life and join the plant-based revolution.
This week on How I Built This Lab, Eshchar recounts his path from product manager to marketing executive to Redefine Meat — the company he launched in 2018 to commercialize 3D-printed, plant-based steaks. Today the company’s printed beef, lamb and pig alternatives can be found across Israel and Europe, with imminent plans to enter the U.S. market.
This episode was produced by Kerry Thompson and edited by John Isabella, with research by Chris Maccini.
Our music was composed by Ramtin Arablouei. Our audio engineer was Gilly Moon.