Maia Farms

This interview details Maia Farms, an indoor farming company based in Canada. The interview is with Gavin Schneider, CEO & Co-Founder of Maia Farms.

Source: Maia Farms

What is the origin story of Maia Farms?

Maia Farms started when a farmer, an engineer, and a neuroscientist were tasked with growing a cow on Mars as a finalist in the Deep Space Food Challenge.

The team aligned around the global challenges facing protein production and how fungi offer the best solutions for taste and nutrition.

For the last two years, the company worked in the lab to produce a complete protein in seven days through biomass fermentation. In 2024 the company is launching their first mushroom protein ingredient, CanPro.

In 2021 the founders built the company's first mycelium lab in a 500 sqft studio in East Vancouver and began building a fungal library and testing different mycelium production technologies.

In 2022 the company entered the Creative Destruction Lab in Calgary Alberta, emerging as one of the only companies to complete the program that year and receive funding from the advisors.

In 2023 the company successfully completed a Pre-Seed Fundraising with Canadian and American value aligned investors. Additionally, the company raised substantial matching grant funding to further the fermentation process.

The name Maia stems from ancient Roman Mythology, who was the mother of Hermes and was representative of the concept of growth. 

Further, a dual play on the word Maia, is the acronym AI. As a company being built in the age of artificial intelligence, the team is committed to deploying new technology across all aspects of the business to drive growth. 

The company is committed to its mission to Nourish Life. Maia farms ethical protein with technology to feed brains, bodies, and planets. Maia is building a new pillar of protein to feed this world and the next.

Source: Maia Farms

What are some of the biggest challenges facing Maia Farms in the future? 

The company is scaling up a simple process of biomass fermentation to produce a mushroom protein ingredient that matches consumers' expectations of taste and texture.

The global challenge facing protein supply is that plant based proteins are underperforming in nutrition and chew while animal protein is resource intensive and inefficient. 

On the other side, cellular meat is facing serious technical hurdles despite massive investments in the leading companies.

There has not been a major shift to plant based proteins because of the taste, texture, and cost. 

That's where mycelium or mushroom protein solves the problem.

Naturally fibrous and meat-like, our planet's best solution for a scalable protein supply has been living beneath our feet millenia. 

Building sufficient fermentation capacity with a stable feedstock to meet the staggering demand for the product will be the main challenge the company will solve in the next couple of years. 

While the capital required for a new build is high, the potential return is enticing at the planned commercial scales.

As a whole, the North American alternative protein industry is challenged with maintaining appropriate pricing as global supplies of pea protein have created turbulence in the market. 

Source: Maia Farms

What is unique about Maia Farms compared to competitors? 

Maia is focussed on producing a simple protein ingredient that dramatically improves taste and texture over other plant proteins such as pea or soy protein.

Our technology and production process, which was originally designed to grow food on a future mission to the Moon or Mars, is a beacon of hope for sustainable food production.

Our unique and fast growing strain of fungi grows exceptionally well on a range of upcycled agricultural commodities. We create a circular food system that is better for human and environmental health.

Most importantly, we work directly with food manufacturers to integrate the product into their existing production process. Working with mushroom protein is still new, and we make that process simple. 

Source: Maia Farms

What are some other relevant metrics of the company (growing area size, production quantity, team size, etc.)?

As of January 2024 the team size is seven people, with multiple technical and business development positions open in 2024.

The team works out of our specialized Fungal Intelligence lab in North Vancouver and with multiple food-safe contract manufacturers across Canada. 

The company is finalizing plans to build a future commercial production facility in Western Canada. 

The team has commercial orders for tens of thousands of kilograms of CanPro, with deliveries already underway to initial customers.

What are some goals in 2024 and beyond for Maia Farms?

The 2024 trajectory is Growth. Growth in production capacity, growth in customer relationships, growth in sales and revenue, and growth as a team. 

The company will further its development of a robust IP portfolio through its ongoing R&D pipeline. 

In 2024 the company will be building the industrial and financial groundwork for Canada's first fungal biomass fermentation farm. 

In Spring 2024 the winners of the Deep Space Food Challenge will be announced, where Maia has partnered with Ecoation, a greenhouse technology company. 

If the technology submission is successful, the team will win a significant cash prize and international recognition for its three-year effort. Currently, the team is a Top 4 Finalist.

New York Times called 2023 the year of the Mushrooms - watch for Maia to achieve big things in 2024 with a novel mushroom protein and valuable partnerships. 

How can people connect with you or learn more about Maia Farms?

The company can be visited at www.maiafarms.ca or on Linkedin. CBC did a great feature video that can be watched here Vancouver based company creates mushroom protein as a meat alternative.

Stay tuned for direct consumer ordering of CanPro from the website in early 2024. In addition, Azelis Canada is our official Sales and Distribution partner for the ingredients. 

For more information on ordering the ingredient, employment opportunities, or investment opportunities contact founders@maiafarms.ca 

Asia Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"For a target audience that is trying to understand the basics of vertical farming, this is a quality newsletter to subscribe to"

- James Pateras, CEO, Modular Farms Australia

North America Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download The Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"The North America Vertical Farming Companies Report 2023 aggregates many sources of public information on many different companies so that you don't have to do the research yourself, it's worth the money and saves a lot of time"

- John Ireland, CEO, NTP Technologies

Europe Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Helen Andrew Spare Harvest

"As a business development manager supporting the indoor agriculture, CEA, and food tech industries, I can say Urban Vine guides and their insider newsletter provide detailed information often difficult to find online."

- Irena Lundberg, CleanTech Invest Stockholm

Middle East Vertical Farming Companies: The 2023 Report

Download the Free Sample Report

Mark-Horler

"As a marketing professional in the indoor agriculture industry, Urban Vine's newsletters, reports and guides are an excellent resource for keeping up-to-date with news and developments in vertical farming."

- Steven Mitchell, Product Manager, Intelligent Growth Solutions (IGS) UK

All Indoor Farming Company Interviews

Tychon Packaging

January 21, 2024

This interview details Tychon Packaging, a Packaging and Containers Manufacturing company based in Canada. The interview is with Kevin Kantati, President & CEO of Tychon Packaging. To learn more about Tychon Packaging and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

AGronomic IQ

January 23, 2024

This interview details AGronomic IQ, a company based in Canada. The interview is with Jeffrey Baylis, Business Development and Sales Manager, Indoor Produce at AGronomic IQ. To learn more about AGronomic IQ and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Desert Aire

January 21, 2024

This interview details Desert Aire, a provider for humidity and climate control systems based in the United States. The interview is with Chip Seidel, CEA Market Manager at Desert Aire. To learn more about Desert Aire and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Hortipower

January 22, 2024

This interview details Hortipower, a company based in the Netherlands. The interview is with Marco van Trigt, Sales Manager at Hortipower. To learn more about Hortipower and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Indoor Ag-Con

January 21, 2024

This interview details Indoor Ag-Con, a company based in the United States. The interview is with Brian Sullivan, CEO of Indoor Ag-Con. To learn more about Indoor Ag-Con and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Rabobank

April 28, 2024

This interview details RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness, a research team at Rabobank based in the Netherlands. The interview is with Cindy van Rijswick, Global Strategist Fresh Produce and Farm Inputs. To learn more about RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Hyperfarms

January 22, 2024

This interview details Hyperfarms, a turnkey hydroponics solutions provider based in India. The interview is with Chinmay Rajwade, head of projects at Hyperfarms. To learn more about Hyperfarms and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms

June 27, 2024

This interview details Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms, a worker-owned cooperative based in the United States. The interview is with Katy Mejia, Co-Founder of Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms. To learn more about Mi Oh My Hydroponic Farms and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

HAWE Cultivation Systems

January 21, 2024

This interview details HAWE Cultivation Systems, an indoor farming technology company based in the Netherlands. The interview is with Jelmer Huizing, Commercial Manager at HAWE Cultivation Systems. To learn more about HAWE Cultivation Systems and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview

PerfoTec BV

January 22, 2024

This interview details PerfoTec BV, a company based in the Netherlands. The interview is with Bas Groeneweg, Director at PerfoTec BV. To learn more about PerfoTec BV and other indoor farming companies, click on this link!

View Full Interview