Mushlabs and the EIC Accelerator: Mushroom Roots as Meat

Mushlabs makes meat alternatives from mycelium, the root network of mushrooms. Founded in Hamburg in 2017 and trading as Infinite Roots, it grows edible mushroom mycelium by submerged fermentation, feeding it on by-products such as brewers' spent grain, and turns it into meat alternatives sold as Mushroots.

The European Innovation Council granted €2,426,375 towards a €3.47 million project that ran from November 2022 to October 2024. According to the CORDIS report, the company tripled its biomass yield, cut costs by more than 60% and tested a whole-cut product with about 4,000 consumers in South Korea. In January 2024 the EIC Fund joined a €53 million Series B with the Haribo shareholder Dr. Hans Riegel Holding and the retailer REWE. Its products are now on sale in Korea and Austria.

Where Infinite Roots Stands Today

In May 2026 Infinite Roots bought Bosque Foods, a Berlin mycelium start-up whose German arm had gone insolvent in 2024, adding a solid-state fermentation technology. Green Queen reported that Mushroots products were sold through Pulmuone's Earth Diet line in Korea, in Billa Plus stores in Austria and to German foodservice, that the company had withdrawn its US GRAS safety notification and that it still faced EU novel food hurdles. It also received a €2.6 million German government grant for research on turning whey into fermentation feedstock.

The Technology: Growing Protein on Brewery Waste

The report says the team reached "92% sugar recovery, 16x increased biomass yield and 20% energy reduction" when extracting nutrients from brewers' spent grain, confirmed the extracts and mycelium as safe to eat, and cut manual work in small-scale fermentation by about half with automation. It set up production through registered facilities and contract manufacturers.

What the EIC Project Promised, and What CORDIS Shows

The project promised to use "biotechnology to create the next generation of sustainable foods from the roots of mushrooms". The report shows the process gains above, a new whole-cut product in four cooking concepts, and the Korean test, in which "81% rated positive for likeability" and "79% had a positive purchase intention". Industrial scalability was confirmed, it says.

1. Cheaper, higher-yield fermentationDeliveredYield tripled, cost down 60%+.
2. Sidestream feedstocksDeliveredBrewers' spent grain.
3. Whole-cut product testedDelivered4,000 consumers in Korea.
4. EU market accessPendingNovel food hurdles remain.

What Has Happened Since the Award

The €53 million Series B, announced in January 2024 as the largest investment in mycelium technology in Europe, brought in the EIC Fund alongside Dr. Hans Riegel Holding and REWE. The commercial register shows the share capital rising to €54,990 in January 2024 and no insolvency.

The Money

Infinite Roots does not publish revenue. Its accounts are filed in Germany but not freely displayed. The EIC Fund's share of the Series B was not disclosed.

Why Europe Should Care

The EIC backed a German food biotech with grant and equity money, and a large German food and retail group joined it. Its products are on sale in Korea and Austria, while EU novel food approval remains an obstacle, according to Green Queen.

The Verdict

Infinite Roots has not been asked for comment for this article. It is based entirely on company statements, trade press, German register data and EU project data, linked throughout.