Business of the Month: Mermade

Meet Mermade, an Israeli startup that exists at the intersection of taste, innovation, and sustainability.

Picture this: you're seated at a sunlit table, the gentle coastal breeze carrying the faint scent of the sea. As you eagerly dive into a seafood platter, you feel a sense of harmony with the ocean, knowing that your dish– cultivated using circular cellular agriculture– aligns with your environmental values.

Meet Mermade, an Israeli startup that exists at the intersection of taste, innovation, and sustainability.

Mermade specializes in sustainable, cell-based aquaculture. By tapping into recyclable fermentation processes, the company mass produces protein-rich and tasty seafood. Mermade furthers its commitment to sustainability by using biowaste, which most seafood providers discard, to feed algae that supports the growth of their cell-based foods.

Beyond producing delicious food, Mermade believes their innovative products will help combat food insecurity. By producing at a commercial volume, the company will keep costs low while satisfying the rising global demand for healthy proteins.

Balancing health, sustainability, and affordability requires chutzpah and expertise, and co-founders Dr. Tomer Halevy, Daniel Einhorn, and Dr. Rotem Kadir have both. Mermade will soon enter the $8B scallop market with their first cell-cultivated product.

At GCI, sustainability and innovation are everything. GCI’s Flagship Immersion Program,, our revolutionary twelve month culinary arts program launching May 7, 2024, will dive into regenerative and sustainable agriculture as well as responsible waste management. We applaud Mermade’s creative approach to sustainable aquaculture and recycling biowaste.