Mission Barns

Mission Barns is a biotechnology company that specializes in cell-cultured animal fats. The company’s flagship product, Mission Fat, has been cultivated using pig cells and claims to offer similar qualities as animal-derived fat.

Mission Barns also produces other products, including pork sausages, meatballs, and bacon, which are developed by combining Mission Fat and plant-based proteins to offer sustainable, guilt-free alternatives to meat that aim to overcome common consumer hurdles, like flavor, mouthfeel, and meatiness associated with plant-based meat products​.

In August 2024, Mission Barns unveiled a new bioreactor system designed specifically for high-volume, low-value food production. This new system was engineered to work with naturally adherent cells, allowing both cell proliferation and tissue formation in the same production vessel.

Key customers and partnerships

In October 2021, the company entered a multi-year partnership with US-based gourmet sausage maker Silva Sausage to produce a hybrid sausage that blends plant-based meat and cell-cultured fat. This partnership would provide Mission Barns access to Silva Sausages’ 50,000-lbs-per-day production facility in Gilroy, California, along with the distribution, packaging, and logistic capabilities to bring Mission Barn’s branded products to the market.

Funding and financials

In April 2021, Mission Barns raised USD 24 million in a Series A funding round. The proceeds were earmarked for scaling the company’s cell-cultured fat technology and to build a pilot production facility in the Bay Area.