![\"Marlow](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/KL4RLGAZ4RAITPJORVXI33DE6Q.jpg\")
Marlow Foods-owned Quorn was last profitable in 2021. (Image: Quorn)<\/p>\nMycoprotein is facing a rough patch. One of the category\u2019s biggest names, Quorn, is struggling with sales. Another in the US, Meati Foods, is laying off staff, while Swedish supplier Mycorena recently filed for bankruptcy.<\/p>\n
At the same time, consumer awareness remains low. Few people globally have even heard of mycoprotein \u2013 and brands aren\u2019t doing much to change that. When they do try, they get it wrong: Meati faced a legal challenge after marketing its products as made from \u201cmushroom root\u201d. In reality, they\u2019re made from a type of red mould commonly found on bread.<\/p>\n
Yet the promise of mycoprotein is compelling: a savoury, meat-like taste, high protein content, minimal processing and extraordinary sustainability credentials. So what\u2019s holding it back? Is this an image problem? Or is mycoprotein simply too unfamiliar for consumers to embrace?<\/p>\n
Mycoprotein wasn\u2019t always struggling<\/p>\n
The mycoprotein sector wasn\u2019t always hard up. For decades, it was both smaller and more successful.<\/p>\n
Marlow Foods first launched its Quorn brand in 1985. Entering the market more than 10 years ahead of the EU\u2019s novel foods laws, the company\u2019s Fusarium venenatum mycoprotein strain was allowed to freely enter the market without going through the arduous novel food risk assessment first.<\/p>\n
As recently as 2021, Marlow Foods was still profitable \u2013 but its financial results have declined each year since. In 2024 alone, revenue had fallen by \u00a3186.7m (\u20ac211.5m).<\/p>\n
Marlow Foods-owned Quorn was last profitable in 2021. (Image: Quorn)<\/p>\n
While Quorn has dominated the mycoprotein space for decades, the rise of meat alternatives saw more mycoprotein makers enter the market. Meati was one, Mycorena another.<\/p>\n
And although Meati is now hitting roadblocks and Mycorena filed for bankruptcy, new mycoprotein companies continue to enter the market. One of the most recent, Smaqo, has risen out of Mycorena\u2019s ashes, with the same founder now blending mycoprotein with traditional meat for wider consumer acceptance.<\/p>\n
What went wrong? Is mycoprotein just too weird to win with consumers?<\/p>\n
Mycoprotein might seem unusual. When consumers think of alternative proteins, pea and soy are the familiar choices. By contrast, mycoprotein comes from microscopic fungi filaments fed with nutrients and fermented in large tanks \u2013 a process that doesn\u2019t exactly sound appetising.<\/p>\n
But it wasn\u2019t an image problem that pushed Mycorena into bankruptcy, says founder Ram Nair. Rather, there were two unrelated factors at play: the first was that its B2B business model had a longer go-to-market lead time than expected, with many businesses not quite ready to make the switch to mycoprotein.<\/p>\n
The other was the market downturn for plant-based meat, which Nair admits affected funding traction. \u201cEspecially at the stage when we needed larger, institutional-level investments. It was extremely difficult to raise capital for making large capex investments, but with longer ROI.\u201d<\/p>\n
Quorn is also unconvinced an image problem is at play. Not all shoppers are engaged with mycoprotein, admits the business\u2019 marketing director Lucy Grogut, but she believes the protein has a \u201chuge opportunity\u201d to attract new shoppers.<\/p>\n
Building appetite for mycoprotein with…meat<\/p>\n
Mycoprotein has so much going for it. It\u2019s healthy, sustainable, and for meat-free alternatives, surprisingly, well, meaty. <\/p>\n
The many benefits of mycoprotein
\nMycoprotein is healthy: it’s a complete protein, rich in fibre, low in saturated fat and cholesterol-free<\/p>\n
Mycoprotein is sustainable: production requires little land and water, and overall it boasts a low carbon footprint with minimal waste<\/p>\n
And mycoprotein is tasty: the filamentous structure of fungi gives mycoprotein a fibrous, chewy texture that mimics meat surprisingly well<\/p>\n
So how can mycoprotein be framed in a way that shoppers understand, are willing to try, and return for that all-important repeat purchase?<\/p>\n
One approach is to build familiarity and relatability with consumers. That\u2019s the approach Nair\u2019s Smaqo is taking. \u201cTo make mycoprotein more approachable, we\u2019re positioning Smaqo as a hybrid brand \u2013 combining mycoprotein with traditional meat.”<\/p>\n
The founder hopes this approach will help bridge the gap between the familiar and the new. And importantly, it\u2019s not asking too much from the consumer, who doesn\u2019t have to give up on meat completely and make a \u201cdrastic\u201d change in their food habits.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a slow and steady strategy, he explains. \u201cWe believe that over time Smaqo will build brand trust and shift consumer perceptions, helping to position mycoprotein as a mainstream, accessible ingredient rather than a niche alternative, which is how it is perceived today.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is education the secret sauce of success? <\/p>\n
Others are seeking to educate. To a certain extent, that\u2019s Quorn\u2019s approach with its latest \u2018Nothing to Hide\u2019 advertising campaign. No, the business isn\u2019t educating consumers about what mycoprotein is, rather about what it isn\u2019t. <\/p>\n
The campaign focuses on Quorn\u2019s frozen mycoprotein products, which it highlights contain \u2018no artificial ingredients\u2019. \u201cPeople are paying closer attention to labels and ingredients and they want simple, clear nutritional cues like high in protein and fibre and low in saturated fat,\u201d says marketing lead Grogut. <\/p>\n
But it could be that in further promoting Quorn, the wider mycoprotein sector suffers. The main barrier to mycoprotein success is that consumers think it\u2019s made by just one brand, says Smaqo\u2019s Nair. \u201cFor many reasons, the average consumer still associates fungi or mycoprotein primarily with Quorn.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter years of activity, by mostly B2B companies in the space \u2013 including my previous company Mycorena \u2013 market adoption of mycoprotein as a standalone ingredient remains limited.”<\/p>\n
![\"Smaqo](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/T5C5UD6AJRHUNON5ANGQ4K3BKM.png\")
Smaqo founder Ram Nair wants consumers to know Quorn isn’t the only brand to make mycoprotein. (Image: Smaqo)<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the education piece that\u2019s missing, believes Nair. It\u2019s not about how mycoprotein is made, but consumer understanding that mycoprotein does not equate to a single ingredient. \u201cRather, it\u2019s a versatile ingredient that can be produced from multiple fungi strains and used across a variety of brands and product types.\u201d<\/p>\n
If you want consumers to trial, they need to know more <\/p>\n
There\u2019s another argument, a research-backed one, that consumers need more all-rounded education about mycoprotein. <\/p>\n