Fable Food Co has launched its omnivore-favourite blended meat range at Central Market stores in Texas, the US’s largest beef-producing state – and to great success.
Texas is the leading cattle producer in the US, with beef being its third-largest economic generator. However, this also means the state has an outsized impact on the planet, since beef is the food system’s single-worst polluter.
But the Republican-led government in Texas has gone to some impressive lengths to protect the industry’s economic interests. In June, Governor Greg Abbott signed a bill to ban cultivated meat, a product that is still in its infancy. In fact, no company has yet been approved to sell cultivated beef in the US.
Of the startups cleared to sell, only Wildtype’s salmon made it to a Texan restaurant, and was swiftly taken off the menu as the ban took place. Now, the state is being sued for its anti-cultivated-meat legislation.
And while Texans love their beef, they also live in a state amongst the most vulnerable to climate change in the US. With the Trump administration’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill rolling back tax credits for green energy, they’re also set to pay higher utility bills, given Texas’s leading wind power capacity.
So they need innovations that are kinder to the planet than incumbent options, cultivated meat among them. But while the courts sort that ban out, one startup has taken a shrewd approach to fulfil Texas’s appetite for meat while lowering its climate footprint.
Fable Food Co is blending beef with shiitake mushrooms to produce a range of ‘balanced protein’ products with better health and environmental outcomes. Taste tests have already proven their potential to attract meat-eaters, and the company has just launched the lineup in Central Market stores in Texas.
Fable Food Co’s Shiitake Infusion beats beef in taste tests
Based in Australia, Fable Food made its name with mushroom-based meat alternatives, but last year, it forayed into the burgeoning blended meat space with the Shiitake Infusion offering.
“At the moment, the plant-based options in the market – including ours – require most omnivore consumers to make some sacrifice. And that’s why the plant-based market has remained small,” Fable Food founder and CEO Michael Fox told Green Queen at the time.
“We started brainstorming new ways to help consumers who want to reduce their meat consumption. We decided to try and meet those consumers where they are: reducing with smaller portions of meat, and altering recipes by substituting vegetables for some meat.”
Fable Food combines the stems of shiitake mushrooms (which make up 89% of the product) with water, rice, canola and coconut oils, yeast extract, mushroom powder, and salt. Compared to an 80/20 beef mince, Fable Food’s blended protein is 35% lower in saturated fat, has half the cholesterol and 17% fewer calories, and contains 8g of fibre per serving (versus zero).
The innovation is also 10-15% cheaper than 100% beef, a crucial advantage at a time when beef prices are at an all-time high in the US. Plus, it’s much more climate-friendly, using less land, water and feed.
But taste is the primary driver of food choices, and this is where Fable Food delivers its biggest win. The shiitake mushrooms add a rich umami flavour that enhances the taste of conventional beef, a feature that has impressed omnivores and flexitarians.
Sensory testing by non-profit Nectar in the US has shown that Shiitake Infusion outperforms 100% beef on taste, with three in four meat-eaters preferring a blended burger over one made just from beef.
Blended meat rollout successful, mirroring global trends
At Central Market, Fable Food is rolling out five products: burgers, sliders and meatballs mixed with beef, and two koftas featuring lamb and beef.
“If you’ve ever been to Central Market, you’ll know it’s no ordinary grocery store,” Fox said. “They’re culinary innovators – with their own cooking schools, world-class produce, and a track record of launching some of the most exciting specialty food brands in the US. We couldn’t imagine a better launch partner.”
And the early results are impressive. Fox noted that selling five to 10 units in each store per week is considered a success for the plant-based category, but in-store sampling shows that Fable Food’s shiitake-infused products are selling 20 units per hour. In fact, one in two people who sampled the innovations have bought it on the spot, the same conversion rate it has witnessed in Australia.
When you consider the Nectar taste test results, this isn’t a surprise. The organisation’s research has previously found that blended meat is more likely to appeal to omnivores and flexitarians than plant-based alternatives.
The launch mirrors similar developments in Europe. Supermarkets in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium, including discounters like Lidl and Aldi, have brought out balanced protein products under their own-label brands. Albert Heijn, meanwhile, has a 13-strong range of blended meats.
For food producers, the shift to hybrid proteins makes financial sense. Fable Food itself saw revenues expand by 50% in 2024, and anticipates even nimbler growth this year, thanks to its shiitake-mushroom-based products.
The product’s early success in Texas highlights the potential of eco-minded innovations in climate-vulnerable areas. The state is one of seven (all Republican-led) that have banned cultivated meat, while several more have sought to restrict the labelling of meat-free products.
The irony, though, is that while Republicans play down or even flat-out deny climate change, it’s red states that actually need and would benefit the most from sustainable proteins.
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