Slovenian plant-based meat maker Juicy Marbles has teamed up with Austrian mycoprotein firm Revo Foods to launch a whole-cut cod alternative tailored for the US market.
Meat and seafood alternatives may have suffered a 7% fall in sales in 2024, but that isn’t stopping two companies from debuting a new product that taps into what Americans are looking for from these products.
Juicy Marbles, the Slovenian startup known for its ultra-realistic plant-based marbled steaks, has partnered with Austrian mycoprotein seafood producer Revo Foods on a raw, flaky vegan cod packed with fibre and omega-3.
Seafood alternatives typically make up a fraction of the plant-based market, as well as the overall seafood sector. Consumers remain dissatisfied with the majority of the products, which tend to be in a breaded format. Complaints often surround their rubbery texture, translucent appearance, or disappointing flavour.
The two companies decided to develop a vegan seafood product because people kept asking for it, Juicy Marbles co-founder Luka Sinček tells Green Queen. “Our customers – the ones who cook, explore, improvise – wanted a plant-based fish that wasn’t breaded, gummy, or just a vague fishy shape,” he said.
“Kinda Cod is our answer. It’s not chasing a trend, it’s filling a need. A raw, whole-cut fish alternative you can actually cook with.”
Vegan cod delivers texture enhancements and key micronutrients
The new vegan cod, available in 110g packs on Juicy Marbles’s website, has its roots in Europe. The latest among Revo Foods’s portfolio of 3D-printed seafood products is El Blanco – Inspired by Black Cod, which it released in April.
Its computer-guided models transform unstructured proteins (like mycoprotein) into products with aligned, heterogeneous fibres. The integration of fat into the protein matrix is key, leading to a ‘flaky’ texture reminiscent of black cod, which is produced using a new 3D extrusion technology.
“Revo created something special – a structured, flaky fish filet using fungi and tech we deeply respect,” explains Sinček. “Together, we refined the recipe to better suit the American palate, but the essence remains theirs. It’s unlike anything in our current lineup: lighter, leaner, subtler — yet unmistakably Marbles.”
He notes that Juicy Marbles’s role wasn’t technical, instead strategic and curatorial. “We didn’t throw our tech into a blender. We shared a vision,” he says. “We know our audience, we know food culture, and we knew this product needed to be brought to the stage – with a few flavour and texture tweaks to suit the American scene. That’s the real magic: taste meets timing.”
The Kinda Cod is produced at Revo Foods’s production site in Austria, and is designed for a variety of cooking methods and cuisines, for both home cooks and professional chefs. “It’s priced to be accessible for the quality and innovation it delivers,” says Sinček.
It contains 212g of DHA and EPA per serving from microalgae oil, making up a large portion of the daily recommended intake of omega-3 fatty acids in the US. It also boasts 40% of the daily value of vitamin B12, 30% of vitamin B6, 40% of folate, and 29% of fibre
Juicy Marbles kicks off partnership model after 242% growth
The cod follows the launch of several new products by each of the companies. Alongside its black cod alternative, Revo Foods brought out The Prime Cut, a novel product format that doesn’t aim to replicate meat, and focuses on nutrition.
Juicy Marbles itself unveiled its Meaty Meat line of products this year, starting with Lamb-ish (with 34g of protein) and Pork-ish (with a Nutri-Score rating of A) in the US. These are precursors to the brand’s retail debut in the country, while the company is planning a wider rollout for them in Europe.
“Last year, we grew 242% – not in hype, but in actual product moving from shelf to plate,” reveals Sinček. “Our Thick-Cut Filet is a retail anchor, and Meaty Meat is carving its own cult following. It’s humbling and thrilling.”
The Revo Foods partnership isn’t a “one-off” – it’s rather the start of a new line of whole-cut alternative proteins imported for sale in the US, dubbed Juicy Marbles & Friends. The idea is to bring a wider range of innovations to consumers without relying on more investment (which fell by 27% sector-wide in 2024) or diverting from its core product line.
The line will include products meeting various taste profiles, health goals, and price ranges. “This wouldn’t be possible if we insisted on doing everything in-house,” says Sinček. “Nothing beats developing your own idea and taking it to market, but if our customers want something we cannot produce – that someone else has already done a fantastic job with – why not find a way to bring it to them?”
Revo Foods founder and CEO Robin Simsa, points to how many startups “tried to do everything themselves” at the start of the decade while facing capital challenges – and says that letting startups combine their different strengths can bring the whole industry forward.
“Juicy Marbles has built an international brand and distribution network, which most European brands have never achieved. We have pent-up demand for our products from the US that we’ve been unable to supply,” he explains. “So the end result fulfils both of our companies’ missions. I think this collaborative mindset is key to ushering in a new, more mature era for the plant-based industry.”
As for Juicy Marbles & Friends, the future is “fluid”, according to Sinček. “More announcements are coming soon,” he says, adding that the brand has “many friends”. “And they’ve all been working on something weird and wonderful.”
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This post was originally published on Green Queen.