Food Science to Fungi Meat: The Future of Sustainable Protein with Kimberlie Le, Prime Roots
From Food Science to Fungi Protein: How Kimberlie Le Is Reinventing the Deli Counter
What if the next revolution in food did not come from animals at all, but from fungi?
That is the question Kimberlie Le set out to answer when she founded Prime Roots, a Berkeley-based food company creating deli meats made from fungi protein. What started as a bold idea rooted in food science has grown into one of the most innovative brands in the new generation of sustainable foods.
On this episode of The Wild Party Podcast, we sit down with Kimberlie to explore how Prime Roots is tackling one of the most familiar foods in America, the deli sandwich, and turning it into something healthier for people and dramatically better for the planet.
From her early love of cooking to the science behind fungi protein, Kimberlie’s story reveals what it really takes to build a company that challenges the status quo of the global food system.
Growing Up Around Food and Possibility
For Kimberlie Le, food was always at the center of life. Raised in a mixed cultural household with a mother who was a professional chef, she grew up experiencing the joy that food could bring to a table.
That early exposure shaped both her palate and her perspective.
“My mom’s a chef, so food was really passionate my entire life,” Kimberlie explains. “I love being able to surprise and delight people and bring them together around food.”
But as she grew older, Kimberlie began to think about food in a much broader way. It was not just about flavor or tradition. It was about impact.
“The food that we eat connects to our health, our communities, and the planet,” she says. “I wanted to build something that aligned with those values.”
That desire to create meaningful change would ultimately lead her toward entrepreneurship.
The Idea That Sparked Prime Roots
While attending UC Berkeley, Kimberlie joined the university’s Alternative Meat Lab, a program focused on solving one of the biggest global challenges of the coming decades: how to feed a growing population sustainably.
The experience opened her eyes to both the scale of the problem and the opportunity for innovation.
“How do we feed 10 billion people by 2050 sustainably and cost effectively?” Kimberlie recalls asking.
The answer, she believed, was not simply creating more plant based products. It required rethinking how protein itself could be produced.
As Kimberlie explored the science behind alternative proteins, one ingredient stood out: fungi.
Instead of trying to force plants into the shape and structure of meat, she realized fungi already had many of the characteristics needed to replicate it.
“Fungi are incredible,” she explains. “In its raw form, it actually has fibers similar to meat. It has a natural umami flavor and grows through fermentation into long protein fibers.”
That discovery became the foundation of Prime Roots.
Why the Deli Sandwich Became the Target
When people think about alternative proteins, burgers often come to mind. Kimberlie took a different path.
Prime Roots focused on deli meats, one of the most widely consumed foods in the United States.
“Deli meats are the most consumed food in America,” Kimberlie explains. “People make almost as many sandwiches a day as they drink cups of coffee.”
The strategy was simple but powerful. Instead of asking consumers to learn new cooking methods or change their habits dramatically, Prime Roots wanted to create a product that fit seamlessly into everyday routines.
The company designed its products to be ready to eat, familiar, and easy to use.
“We want the experience to feel nostalgic,” Kimberlie says. “You can just slice it, put it on bread, and enjoy it the way you remember.”
That familiarity removes one of the biggest barriers to trying new foods: fear of the unknown.
A New Kind of Protein
Beyond flavor and texture, Prime Roots also focuses on something often overlooked in the conversation around plant based foods: protein quality.
Many plant proteins have lower bioavailability, meaning the body cannot absorb and use the protein as efficiently. Fungi protein offers a unique advantage.
“Fungi proteins are extremely bioavailable,” Kimberlie explains. “Scientific studies have shown that fungi based proteins can build muscle as effectively as traditional animal proteins.”
In addition, fungi naturally contain B vitamins and other nutrients that many plant foods lack.
For Kimberlie, this combination of nutrition, sustainability, and culinary performance makes fungi a powerful solution.
“We are using a whole food protein source that already has the texture and taste characteristics people love,” she says.
Building a Company from the Ground Up
Developing a completely new type of food product is not easy. In fact, Kimberlie and her team spent nearly five years in research and development before bringing Prime Roots to market.
“We wanted to create something that checked every box,” she explains. “Flavor, nutrition, texture, and clean ingredients without shortcuts.”
Because no other company was producing fungi based deli meats at scale, the Prime Roots team had to build much of the manufacturing process themselves.
“We had to do everything ourselves,” Kimberlie says. “There was no supplier or plug in solution for what we were creating.”
The result is a production process that grows fungi protein through fermentation and transforms it into deli meats like turkey, ham, bacon, and salami.
Creating Impact Beyond Vegan Consumers
While Prime Roots products are completely vegan, Kimberlie does not see vegans as the primary audience.
Her mission is much bigger.
“We are really targeting flexitarians and meat eaters,” she says. “If we cannot get meat eaters to swap their sandwiches occasionally, we will not make the impact we want.”
That philosophy reflects a broader truth about sustainability. Real change happens when millions of small decisions shift across everyday consumers.
Encouraging people to try fungi based foods even once a week could dramatically reduce environmental impact.
Prime Roots is designed to make that shift easy.
The Future of Food Might Start with a Sandwich
Innovation does not always mean reinventing everything from scratch. Sometimes it means improving the foods people already love.
A sandwich is simple, familiar, and comforting.
But with the right ingredients, it can also represent the future of sustainable eating.
As Kimberlie continues to scale Prime Roots and expand its product line, the company’s mission remains clear: create foods that nourish people while protecting the planet.
“We want to build a protein platform that can nourish billions of people,” she says.
If fungi based deli meats are any indication, the future of food might be closer than we think.
Listen to the Episode
To hear the full conversation with Kimberlie Le, listen to this episode of The Wild Party Podcast hosted by Stefanie LaHart.
Listen now on your favorite podcast platform or watch the episode on YouTube.
Make a fee good sandwich! Try Prime Roots
Interested in trying fungi based deli meats for yourself?
Visit Prime Roots to learn more about their products and find retailers near you.
