Last June, Rose Marcario shocked many when she stepped down after six years as CEO of Patagonia. Her tenure there, 12 years in total, included improving its supply chains and streamlining production, developing new material technologies, expanding its Fair Trade certified standards, and investing in regenerative agriculture. She established the company’s sustainable food offshoot Patagonia Provisions, as well as Worn Wear, the company’s e-commerce market for used goods, focusing on reducing waste and extending the life of its gear. And in 2018, the innovative company launched Action Works, a digital platform that’s part social network, part recruiting tool aimed at connecting its customers with grassroots environmental organizations.
“We all want to have a world where people feel good about the work they do every day, and they feel like they’re helping the planet and society instead of hurting it,” says Marcario. “I believe we can create an economy like that, and we should be working towards creating that economy. The food system is one of the most broken systems we have, so it feels like an important place to be and put my energy into.”
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Started in 2014 by a group of University of Colorado doctoral students, Meati uses mycelium—the root-like part of mushrooms—to create fungi versions of steak and chicken breasts that look and taste like the real thing. CEO and cofounder Tyler Huggins says that landing Marcario on the company’s board is a dream come true, and that her work has long-been an inspiration. “As we developed this company, we always had Patagonia as our North Star, and the gold standard of what companies can be, and what they should be looking to the future,” says Huggins. “Not only in providing high-quality, uncompromising products, but also standing for something and trying to drive cultural change for the benefit of people and the environment.”
In October 2020, Meati raised a $28 million Series A round led by Acre Venture Partners, including investments from former Annie’s CEO John Foraker (currently cofounder and CEO of the baby-food brand Once Upon A Farm), as well as two of the Sweetgreen cofounders, Nicolas Jammet and Jonathan Neman.
The value Marcario sees herself offering Meati is a balance between the practicalities of scaling production to meet demand, and working with governmental agencies and trade associations, but also in instilling confidence in their vision. “The position that I always felt was important with our food at Patagonia was to not compromise,” she says. “You see a lot of compromise in the current offering of food out there. GMO products, chemical fertilizers, chemical pesticides and herbicides. That to me is a huge compromise, and it’s not something I’d ever sign up for. I think being helpful to the team there, in terms of having them trust their instincts to create this product as responsibly as possible. Building a responsible (food) brand to the scale I did at Patagonia, that brings with it experience that I think will be valuable to Tyler and his team in Boulder.”
Marcario recently told The New York Times that she felt comfortable moving into the advisor and teacher phase of her life and career. Meati marks just her second board role, the other being with electric vehicle company Rivian. “I’m really excited about it,” says Marcario. “Tyler is very thoughtful entrepreneur and he’s approached this with a blank sheet of paper. I feel like, in this next decade and century, we need more entrepreneurs to say this old system doesn’t work, hasn’t served humanity or the planet, [so] let’s start with a blank sheet of paper and do it better. To make a better world.”
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