Grown Against
the Grain
About Us
Forager emerged from cutting edge research into mycelium materials, and in response to the pressing need for circularity in the fashion, apparel and automotive industries. Drawing from Ecovative’s Mycelium Foundry and AirMycelium production platform, we are working with industry leading brands and product designers to reimagine the way we make things. Watch this space for the next chapter in biomaterials and sustainable industry.
Milestones
Forager™ hides and foams officially launch, together with Ecovative’s Fashion for Good Cooperative and a raft of high profile brand partnerships in the fashion, footwear, and automotive industries.
Ecovative raise 60 million in series D funding to advance its business plan and continue refining technology for market-ready mycelium alternatives for leather hides and plastic foams.
As the company grows, so does the scale, and by this point Forager and our parent company Ecovative are operating the largest mycelium farm on Earth.
Ecovative’s Mycelium Foundry opens, offering fast, high-throughput research and experimentation into new mycelium strains and materials to support market exploration in apparel, footwear, beauty, food, and beyond.
The first unveiling of the MyOMy mycelium leather handbag prototype shows the first real-world test of mycelium as a leather alternative in fashion, with an attractive bag that withstood wear, water, and stains, while remaining fashionable and functional.
Clothing company Bolt Threads licenses 1st-generation AirMycelium Technology for leather-like materials. Today, they have a non-exclusive license to our first generation textile IP, which remains the foundation of their mycelium materials.
Exploration of biopolymers leads to the launch of the AirMycelium technology, which allows for the commercial production of 100% pure mycelium at industrial scale, for uses including leather-like products and high performance foams.
Research begins into mycelium biopolymer exploration, to determine the different types of materials and qualities that can be produced with pure mycelium, directly leading to new categories of leather-like hides, proteins, and foams.
Ecovative CEO Eben Bayer provides the opening keynote at the UN Climate summit, focused on the role of adaptation in Nature and the urgent potential for humanity to adapt our material needs with the Earth through biotechnology.
Ecovative enters a partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to develop compostable, mycelium-based foams for the footwear industry, inspiring the first experiments with pure mycelium material.