A Prairie farm kid turned agronomist built a mushroom-based protein that started as a Canadian Space Agency challenge entry and is now in Amy's Kitchen. Gavin Schneider of Maia Farms joins This Commerce Life to talk about stretching meat without anyone missing it.

Gavin grew up on his family's farm in Southern Alberta. He did agricultural research in Laos and scaled greenhouse robotics globally before entering the Deep Space Food Challenge in 2021. His first idea was "Space Bacon." What came out of it was Maia Farms, a Vancouver biotech that grows oyster mushroom mycelium into ingredients for food manufacturers. On the label it just says oyster mushroom.

Phil and Kenny, a self-described alt-protein skeptic who won't budge on his bolognese, dig into why Maia isn't anti-meat but anti-inefficiency. They talk about blended "balanced protein," like a 60/40 mushroom-beef bolognese that surprised one of Canada's big animal protein companies. They also cover why the ingredient swells when cooked instead of shrinking like ground meat, and where it's turning up beyond meat: ice cream, baking, pet food, and food bank pantries.

Gavin also shares how Maia beat Cargill and DSM for a global meat-solution award, early export shipments to Mexico and Japan, and what it takes to build a truly global Canadian food company.

Check them out at https://maiafarms.com/