Full-Time
Process Engineer
Posted on 12/27/2024
Meati Foods
51-200 employees
Produces plant-based meat alternatives from mycelium
Compensation Overview
$85k - $110kAnnually
Mid, Senior
Thornton, CO, USA
- BS or MS in biochemical, chemical engineering, or equivalent
- 3+ years’ experience in process engineering within the food manufacturing and packaging industry
- Experience with automated production systems, packaging technologies, and process control systems
- Understanding and experience with Clean-in-Place (CIP) systems design and operation
- Knowledge and experience with Sterilize-in-Place (SIP) design and operation for aseptic systems
- Construction oversight and commissioning experience
- Experience with mass balance process flows and calculations, biological and engineering systems modeling, biological systems optimization, automation engineering, engineering research, and/or sustainability engineering is desired
- Strong communication and teamwork abilities
- Apply engineering principles to manufacturing processes and equipment selection.
- Analyze and improve food manufacturing and packaging processes to enhance efficiency, reduce waste, and improve quality
- Specify and design production equipment, instrumentation & controls and provides training to operators on new and existing processes and equipment.
- Develop cost justifications, scope, schedule, and budget estimates for new process systems and process upgrades.
- Support manufacturing startup and commissioning activities, including onsite field engineering at new production facilities, new system validation and checkout, and the development of standard operating procedures.
- Prepare Best Value Option Analysis (BVOA) to compare solutions and cost for best value and provide recommendations to project teams.
- Interface with Project Managers and/or contractors, vendors, and maintenance to ensure installation and completion of capital projects.
- Review, mark up, and approve drawings and other technical documentation for process systems.
- Develop Factory Acceptance Test (FAT) planning and executes successful FAT.
- Provide field installation supervision, leads commissioning, and field troubleshooting during startup phase.
- Identify and resolve technical problems.
- Communicate project status throughout the organization.
- Develop and execute IQ, OQ, PQ with project team during installation, commissioning, qualification, and verification project phases.
- Add value by influencing through innovation and continuous improvement.
- Identify, develop, and implement process improvement projects to increase productivity, reliability, sustainability, and cost reduction.
- Support a High-Performance Organization (HPO) environment by utilizing a total team approach to process improvements.
- Understanding of PLC programming and process control fundamentals
- Experience with AutoCAD or Visio
- Lean Six Sigma Certified (Green Belt)
- Statistical Process Control
- Experience with packaging equipment (ADCO, Multivac, Harpak Ulma, JBT)
- Experience in conveying, singulation, and accumulation systems
Meati Foods creates plant-based meat alternatives using mycelium, the nutrient-rich root of mushrooms. Their products are designed for health-conscious and environmentally aware consumers who want sustainable food options. By mimicking the taste and texture of traditional meat, Meati Foods provides a solution that avoids the environmental impact of animal farming. Their products are sold through major retailers like Super Target and directly to consumers via their website. What sets Meati Foods apart from competitors is their focus on mycelium, which is high in protein and free from common allergens like soy, gluten, and wheat. The company's goal is to meet the growing demand for animal-free meat products as more people seek healthier and more sustainable dietary choices.
Company Size
51-200
Company Stage
Series C
Total Funding
$370.9M
Headquarters
Chicago, Illinois
Founded
2017
Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- Meati Foods expanded to 7,000 retail locations, increasing market reach.
- The company raised $100M, the largest alt-protein investment since 2022.
- Advancements in fermentation technology may reduce production costs for Meati Foods.
What critics are saying
- Meati Foods faces an IP dispute with The Better Meat Co., risking financial damage.
- Frequent leadership changes may lead to strategic instability for Meati Foods.
- The plant-based meat market is highly competitive, challenging Meati Foods' market share.
What makes Meati Foods unique
- Meati Foods uses nutrient-rich mushroom root for its meat alternatives.
- The company offers soy, gluten, and wheat-free products, appealing to health-conscious consumers.
- Meati Foods focuses on sustainability, reducing environmental impact compared to traditional meat.
Help us improve and share your feedback! Did you find this helpful?
Benefits
Health Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Company Match
Unlimited Paid Time Off
Mental Health Support
Parental Leave
Short-Term & Long-Term Disability coverage
Phone/Internet Stipend
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -1%1 year growth
↓ -3%2 year growth
↑ 1%Fungi-fueled alt meat startup Meati Foods almost doubled revenues in 2024 vs 2023 and is on course to achieve positive gross margins by the end of the year, says CEO Phil Graves. A high-profile player in the meat alternatives space with $365 million in funding, Meati has engaged in four “painful” rounds of layoffs over the past couple of years in a bid to streamline operations and accelerate the path to profitability. However, things are moving in the right direction, claimed Graves, who was speaking to AgFunderNews after launching a new line of breakfast patties into Sprouts stores nationwide (280 stores) and securing new listings in Raley’s (118 stores) and Harris Teeter (250 stores), taking its store count to around 7,000 doors
“The product is fantastic,” says Phil Graves, who took the helm at fungi-fueled alt meat startup Meati Foods in February. “But it was clear when I joined that the business needed to make some strategic shifts and needed to make them quickly.”. Meati, which has raised $365 million to support its mycelium-based steaks and cutlets since it was founded in 2015, has engaged in four “painful” rounds of layoffs over the past couple of years. But is also recruiting staff as it focuses on accelerating its path to profitability, says Graves, a former Patagonia executive who took the helm following the departure of CPG veteran Scott Tassani, who raised some eyebrows early last year after predicting Meati would generate $1 billion in retail sales in five years
The judge handling a protracted IP dispute between alt meat startups Meati Foods and The Better Meat Co (BMC) has ruled largely in BMC’s favor, throwing out Meati’s claim to BMC’s patents and accusing Meati of “inexplicable” tactics, “sandbagging,” and “shenanigans.”The litigation* between the two firms—which both use submerged biomass fermentation to produce fungi-based meat alternatives from Neurospora strains—began in late 2021, with BMC filing a lawsuit accusing Meati (then known as Emergy) of sowing doubt over its IP in a bid to thwart its fundraising efforts. Meati in turn accused BMC of stealing its IP.Colorado-based Meati was founded in 2015 by Dr Tyler Huggins and Dr Justin Whiteley, who initially focused on the potential of filamentous fungi to create infinitely renewable batteries, before pivoting to alt meat. The company—which has raised $365 million—recently started production at its ‘Mega Ranch’ in Thornton Colorado and now has steaks and cutlets in 6,000+ stores.California-based BMC—which has raised a more modest $27 million—was founded in 2018 by Joanna Bromley, Adam Yee, and Paul Shapiro with an initial focus on supplying plant-based meat enhancers. In June 2021, it revealed it had been working behind the scenes on another project to produce a filamentous fungi-based meat alternative called Rhiza at a demo-scale plant in Sacramento.The crux of the legal disputeIn July 2021 a US patent covering the above tech was assigned to BMC, with the named inventor listed as Augustus H. Pattillo, who had spent a year working with Meati through a Dept of Energy fellowship at the Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago. He went on to join BMC in early 2019.According to court filings, Meati founders “Huggins and Whiteley did not believe it was possible for BMC to have brought a product to market so quickly on its own unless Pattillo had taken something” from Meati, and argued that Huggins and Whiteley should have been named inventors on the BMC patent.BMC, in turn, argued that Meati had “provided no evidence that it had identified the novel claim terms of the BMC patent, had shared any of the concepts at issue with Mr
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google NewsIt’s been a long time since I’ve eaten at a fast food roadside stop. As a nearly lifelong vegetarian, I’ve had to be conscious of seeking out complete proteins and nutritional balance in order to stay healthy. But my own experience with fast food is pretty rare here in the States, as most individuals indulge in quick and convenient fast food 1-3 times per week, contributing to an annual expenditure of $160 billion.In our era of populism — that showy, spectacle-driven representation of the disadvantaged who are haunted by a shadowy elite class — fast food holds quite the allure as part of a pervasive, independent mindset. Fast food’s perceived daily value, enhanced by promotions and limited time specials, invites consumers to dig in and repeat.But the instant gratification and perceived affordability of fast food comes at substantial costs. The ingredients used in fast food are often low grade and ultra-processed with salt, sugar, and unhealthy fats — all of which are detrimental to good health.As an editorial in Nature describes, new technologies and business models are reshaping the way we produce, distribute, and consume food products
Mushrooms continue to be a big area for alternative proteins. Canada-based Maia Farms recently raised $1.7 million to develop a blend of mushroom and plant-based protein using biomass fermentation. There’s also MyForest Foods and Fable Food.Then there’s Meati Foods, which claims it’s like no other alternative protein. The company makes cutlets and steaks from mycelium, or mushroom root.“It’s truly a next generation revolutionary protein,” CEO Phil Graves told TechCrunch. “It’s a product that’s rooted in nature. It’s not genetically modified