BERKELEY, CALIF. — Plant-based deli meats company Prime Roots and UK-based mycoprotein product manufacturer Quorn are joining forces after establishing a recent partnership.

Both companies focus on the fungi protein space, and partnering together will enable them to expand the market with more plant-based products. Quorn is entering the partnership after its parent company, Monde Nissin Corp., faced recent setbacks on its US expansion strategy.

“Prime Roots is doing great things in developing the US meat-free deli category, and we’re excited by the opportunity we now have to share knowledge and collaborate with Kimberlie and her team,” said Marco Bertacca, chief executive officer of Quorn.

Prime Roots offers Koji deli meat in ham and turkey flavors, Koji charcuterie with salami, pepperoni, bacon, pate, foie gras products, and Koji bacon. Prime Roots products are formulated from koji mycelium, which mimics the taste and texture of meats. Prime Roots recently raised $30 million in a Series B funding round, which will enable them to use the funds to expand retail and foodservice distribution for their deli meat products. 

Quorn is known for manufacturing its mycoprotein alternative meat products and has a large presence in the frozen aisle. 

The two companies found each other through a trade association called the Fungi Protein Association. Sharing the same goal of bringing cleaner, plant-based products to consumers sparked the partnership. 

“We’re very mission aligned, that’s something that makes the partnership very strong and exciting,” said Kimberlie Le, co-founder and chief executive officer of Prime Roots. “We want to bring better products to more peoples’ plates and making products that are good for people and good for the planet.” 

Meeting consumers where they are is a part of the partnership as well. 

“We always want to provide great experience and great taste in a wide variety of different applications, so partnering together to explore what that looks like and how we can bring our products to the masses,” Ms. Le said. 

As a newer company that launched in 2017, Prime Roots will use Quorn’s knowledge of the industry to their advantage.

“Quorn has a lot of industry experience being at a large scale,” Ms. Le said. “For us we’re still getting off the ground and we’re still making a product that’s very pioneering in the category and deli space. So having those insights and working together makes us stronger.”