Fable

Fable Food Co produces plant-based protein products made from upcycled shiitake mushroom stems. The company positions its products as a minimally processed, whole-food protein intended for use as a center-of-plate ingredient rather than as a conventional meat analogue, stating that its products are free from GMO ingredients, preservatives and artificial ingredients.

The product range is oriented toward professional kitchens and includes Pulled Shiitake Mushrooms, Jalisco Pulled Shiitake, Asian Sweet & Spicy Riblet, Pulled Shiitake for Meal Kits, a Shiitake Mushroom Burger and a Shiitake Infusion, sold in food service case formats such as 6 x 2.2lb and 60 x 6.35oz. The company also supports home cooks through meal kit and grocery channels, and publishes recipes and menu-engineering material for operators. Fable was featured in the Netflix series Down to Earth with Zac Efron (Season 2), where the company hosted the production for a mushroom foraging segment.

Founding story

Co-founder Jim Fuller began his career as a fine dining chef in Texas roughly 21 years before the company's current account, then studied chemical engineering and agricultural science before working as a mycologist; he leads research and development at Fable. Co-founder Michael Fox, an Australian who describes himself as a former meat lover, became interested in the environmental impact of food systems and in sustainability, home farming and fermentation, and sought to create an all-natural, whole-food-based protein, which became Fable. The company describes its origin as a meeting of a vegetarian, a chef and a mushroom specialist.

Business model

Fable sells packaged mushroom-based protein products in food service case sizes to restaurants, venues and distributors, and reaches consumers through meal kit and grocery partners and retail listings.

Traction

The company states its products are served in more than 1,500 venues and that 5 million dishes were served using Fable mushrooms in the prior year.

Latest developments

Fable promotes a food service product line including Jalisco Pulled Shiitake, Asian Sweet & Spicy Riblet, a Shiitake Mushroom Burger and Shiitake Infusion, a Purple Carrot partnership covering grocery, meal kits and ready-to-eat meals, and an operator resource on menu engineering.