Here's What To Know About Shroomacon From Shark Tank

Meat the Mushroom, a small Baltimore-based start-up, will bring its unique food product, Shroomacon, to "Shark Tank," but will any of the sharks bite? The company definitely has a novel product. Shroomacon is a plant-based bacon substitute with one key ingredient: mushrooms. And there's certainly a lot of interest in healthy, plant-based meat substitutes. Just look at the success of such companies as Impossible Foods, the brand behind the popular Impossible Burger, or Beyond Meat, which produces its own take on a faux burger patty.

Shroomacon faces direct competition with other bacon substitutes from more established food companies, such as LightLife. There's also a faux bacon from Umaro Foods, which landed a $1 million deal with businessman Mark Cuban during its appearance on "Shark Tank," as reported by CNBC. Umaro's bacon is made from red seaweed protein and is currently only available wholesale. Despite this crowded playing field, Meat the Mushroom's Shroomacon still has a great opportunity to make its mark in the vegan food space with its remarkably short list of ingredients and its wealth of positive reviews.

Shroomacon is the brainchild of Marvin Montague Jr. and his wife Aleah Rae. They founded Meat the Mushroom in 2021, driven by their commitment to creating healthy vegan food. Marvin turned to a vegan diet to help him address some personal health issues. As he explains on the company website, "In less than a year after going vegan, I was able to beat an early diagnosis of heart disease and cure the asthma that had bothered me since childhood!"

At first, Marvin thought about opening up a vegan restaurant. But he later decided it would be more helpful to create a product that could reach more customers than a single storefront could. Marvin then tinkered with the recipe for Shroomacon for about a year before he was satisfied with it. The resulting product has only five ingredients: mushrooms, olive oil, natural smoke flavor, and salt and black pepper. The mushrooms — the company uses king oyster mushrooms (also known as king trumpets) — are cut into long strips, not chopped and pressed in a mold.

Customers seem to be enjoying Shroomacon. So far, the product has earned five stars from more than 85% of reviewers on the company website. One reviewer claimed, "It tastes just like bacon." Many also made suggestions on how best to cook Shroomacon. Making it the air fryer is highly recommended. And the product has attracted at least one celebrity fan. TV host and vegan cookbook author Tabitha Brown loved Shroomacon so much that she let the company share her video in which she made a BLT sandwich with the product on Instagram. 

Shroomacon is marketed to people looking to enjoy the taste of bacon without all the fat and cholesterol found in pork bacon. The product is currently available at select markets across the country. It's also sold through the company's website. A four-pack of Shroomacon costs $48, and an eight-pack is $88 (shipping costs are included). There are eight to 10 slices in each pack.