Paul Shapiro: Clean Meat, Rhiza Fermentation, Alaskan Crab Fishermen,Better Meat co & technology 153

January 24, 2023

Paul Shapiro, the CEO of The Better Meat Co, is revolutionizing the way we think about meat and protein by using a modern twist on the age-old art of fermentation. The company uses a controlled, indoor farming process that maximizes efficiency while allowing nature to unfold. The process, called Rhiza fermentation, takes less than one day and uses far less land and water than animal proteins do, and requires even less processing than other plant protein isolates typically used in plant-based meat. The process uses Rhiza mycelium, which is a type of fungi, and the mycelium is processed differently than the fruit. The company’s products include Rhiza-Enhanced Crab, which is made with a percentage of Rhiza and other ingredients. The products are vegan-friendly, and the company’s best-selling product is Rhiza for cheaper than traditional beef, protein. Paul Shapiro compared Rhiza to other plant and alt proteins, stating that it is objectively superior to textured plant protein isolates commonly used to make plant-based meat today. We discussed the challenges and advantages of the approach, as well as how it will change the livestock industry and the roles of traditional farmers.


Paul Bio
Paul Shapiro is the CEO of The Better Meat Co., the author of the national bestseller Clean Meat: How Growing Meat Without Animals Will Revolutionize Dinner and the World, a four-time TEDx speaker, and the host of the Business for Good Podcast.
Paul Shapiro’s links

https://www.paul-shapiro.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Shapiro_(author)

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJneMAoOqncmT8MPPVpx_Lw

https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-shapiro-6a9aa282

https://www.bettermeat.co/executive-team/paul-shapiro


PODCAST INFO:

The Learning With Lowell show is a series for the everyday mammal. In this show we’ll learn about leadership, science, and people building their change into the world. The goal is to dig deeply into people who most of us wouldn’t normally ever get to hear. The Host of the show – Lowell Thompson- is a lifelong autodidact, serial problem solver, and founder of startups.

LINKS

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzri06unR-lMXbl6sqWP_-Q

Youtube clips: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-B5x371AzTGgK-_q3U_KfA

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lowell-thompson-2227b074

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LWThompson5

Website: https://www.learningwithlowell.com/

Podcast email: lowell@learningwithlowell.com

Timestamp/chapters 

00:00 Intro Paul Shapiro

00:30 Rhiza fungai explained

01:40 Choosing Rhiza fungi

04:45 Trade offs

06:10 Stage of Better Meat Co.

07:30 Building in the midwest / Madison, WI

08:30 Local government competition

09:30 Rhiza vs cellular agriculture / clean meat comparison

11:50 Fetal bovine serum 

12:50 Vegan friendly

13:20 B2B ingredients company

14:20 Ambition for better meat

15:30 Crab fisher repurposing & alaskan port nexus 

18:20 Hurdles needing to overcome

20:15 Cost to build Better Meat co. plant

22:10 Richard branson TV screen story, and agility at Better Meat co

24:45 Rhiza Shelf life 

25:11 Pemmican 

25:40 Factory throughput concerns

26:30 Fermentation technology

27:25 Microbe-brewery / microbrewery / madison

28:00 Alt protein making up ⅓ of what we eat

31:10 Labeling and food regulation

32:30 Benefits of alt protein

36:30 Startups that start cell ag, but go plant based

38:50 Keeping investors happy and engaged

40:30 Example of keeping investors engaged

41:30 Decentralized vs centralized in alt protein

45:30 Bronze age collapse & emergency management

49:10 Future of farming / food production

51:30 Career transition, mentorship, apprenticeships

53:30 Touching the change

54:45 Traditional farming interest or opposition

56:40 Currently improving personally

59:20 What happiness means to him

1:00:15 Conservation

1:01:30 How he helped his book, Clean Meat, become a bestseller

1:02:30 How old Paul feels mentally

1:04:30 Teddy Roosevelt stories

1:05:55 Thoughts on psilocybin 

1:07:50 Staying up to date with Paul Shaprio’s work

1:08:40 Mission vs just making money at Better Meat co

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