A local startup is betting that a peculiar, shaggy mushroom with a surprisingly meaty texture is the future of plant-based dining. Too Mush, a new food brand from Corbera de Llobregat, has launched a line of pre-prepared meals featuring lion’s mane mushroom, including ready-to-sear “steaks” that it hopes will soon find a home in supermarket aisles across Spain.

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The lion’s mane mushroom (Hericium erinaceus) boasts a tender, creamy, and somewhat slippery texture, often compared to seafood or tender meat. Founders Jose Ildefonso and Julia Pastor of Too Mush aim to harness these unique qualities, creating a compelling, natural alternative for consumers reducing meat.

The duo brings complementary skills to their venture. Ildefonso, with an advertising background, sought to align his career with animal welfare activism. On a train journey, he found inspiration while reading about a UK chef crafting lion’s mane steaks, as reported by El País. Pastor, a food technologist, previously worked with renowned Barcelona mushroom purveyor Bolets Petràs. A friend connected them, suggesting Pastor was the ideal partner. “Besides her food science background, she’s crazy about mushrooms,” the friend told Ildefonso. A tasting session sealed the deal, with Ildefonso recalling, “It was a perfect match.”

From Niche Fungus to Mainstream Meal

Despite their enthusiasm, launching their online store in December proved challenging. Lion’s mane is relatively unknown in Spain, and securing a consistent supply of high-quality fresh mushrooms was difficult. After an initial prototyping phase with a Dutch supplier, they found their current partner, Setas Vallondo, a producer in La Rioja which was expanding from powdered supplements into fresh cultivation.

While the mushroom initially gained prominence in wellness circles for its potential health benefits, including compounds with neuroprotective properties, its culinary potential now captivates. “Lion’s mane has a very interesting nutritional profile,” Pastor explained. “It’s low in fat and has a good level of fibre, making it a potent prebiotic.”

Too Mush has entered the market with three products, all priced at €5.90 per 180-gram pack. Two are whole mushroom “steaks,” one seasoned with an Argentinian barbecue marinade and another with a Korean barbecue flavour. These offer a plant-based twist on tastes popular at events like the What the Foc! Barbecue Festival. The third product, “pinchitos,” features mushroom pieces ideal for tacos, pasta, or sandwiches, seasoned with a blend of paprika, cumin, and turmeric.

A ‘Clean Label’ Alternative

Too Mush differentiates itself through its commitment to natural ingredients. “We’ve received very positive feedback,” said Ildefonso. “People enthusiastically welcome a product that offers a meat-like experience without being ultra-processed.” Pastor adds that their investment in technology has allowed them to avoid unnecessary additives. “We are a clean-label product, meaning we use simple ingredients everyone can recognise.”

This commitment to naturalism has found a receptive audience, although the mushroom’s striking resemblance to raw meat is sometimes divisive. “Its texture and appearance can remind people of raw meat, causing rejection,” the founders admit. For others, however, this very quality is the main attraction.

Therefore, to cater to all tastes, the company is developing a neutral, unseasoned version following customer requests. They are also working on new formats, such as a “pulled pork” made from a different mushroom variety and a lion’s mane pâté, to minimise the raw meat association.

Scaling Up for Supermarkets

The founders envision mushrooms as a future food source, valued not only for their nutritional benefits but also for efficient cultivation. Although their brand grows within a dynamic Catalan business environment, where the government invests heavily in sectors from artificial intelligence to regional tourism, Too Mush focuses on a more tangible goal: the supermarket shelf.

“The big leap involves moving from our current artisanal model to a more industrial one, allowing us to grow and supply a supermarket chain,” they stated. An ongoing investment round, which has already raised €100,000, aims squarely at funding this expansion.

For now, Too Mush products are available online and in select vegetarian and vegan shops. In Barcelona, they can be found at Vegan Family Terrassa. With a growing online community built through social media, the brand is poised for growth. If Ildefonso and Pastor succeed, shoppers may soon find lion’s mane steaks sitting right next to the familiar button mushrooms in their local grocery store.