You’ve heard of plant-based meat — now get ready for truly sustainable salmon

Bryson’s path to SDZ began when became fascinated by plant-based foods early on in the pandemic.

“I remember saying to myself, ‘You know, why are companies like Impossible Foods trying so hard to recreate the experience of meat, like why not just eat a regular burger?’” he said.

So, he decided to find out.

That’s when he learned about the many negative impacts of factory farming, the ethical implications of meat consumption, and how it affects the climate and the planet.

“It is both terrifying and abhorrent,” he surmises. “It seemed like the biggest issue that we're facing — both in terms of what we do to other species, and also in that it’s the biggest threat to our own species.”

Within the plant-based industry, he chose to explore salmon since competitors were more focused on plant-based products like steak, ground beef, chicken and bacon. Not only was there an environmental benefit to reducing salmon consumption, there was one to human health: plant-based salmon doesn’t consume harmful particles like microplastics and mercury.

“A plant-based alternative wouldn’t put that junk in your body. So, you could eat healthier and make a difference to the planet,” he offers.

So, Bryson put out a call for proposals to the top food science schools in the world, offering to fund a scientist’s work for a year if, in exchange, they could work on his product. Among the responses? A message from Rousseau. The expert in food structure was a perfect fit for Bryson’s operation. 

“Chris was just a really impressive person,” Rousseau said of their initial conversations. “He has a singular mindset to seek out success. That’s rare.”

After learning more about his quest, Rousseau set up a meeting with Bryson and de Vries.

“Chris explained his ultimate goal, and we admired his vision, his mindset and his drive. We quickly started to come up with some ideas, with all of us contributing components,” Rousseau continues. “I had a really good feeling about him.”

While they’re still tweaking things in the lab, Bryson and his team — there are now 20 staff on board — are nearing launch. They’ll do so as soon as construction has finished on specialized manufacturing facilities, likely in summer 2024. 

Their product will first make its debut in restaurants, and from there, they’ll expand distribution, with an ultimate goal to reach price parity with “real” salmon - and eventually, to cost even less.

“That’s the only way we’re going to get mass adoption,” Bryson notes plainly. 

That, and genuine taste.

“We need to make people feel like it’s the real thing and not a tofu compromise. They need to feel that they’re getting an upgrade,” he explains. 

He’s confident that they will — and says it’s just the beginning, with other prototypes underway in their lab at the university.

“All of it is super scalable,” he says in thinking about future plans. “There is so much potential with what we can do. TMU offers all this great infrastructure, and from what I understand, we haven't even fully scratched the surface.”