Fy is a nutritional fungi protein derived from a naturally occurring microbe (Fusarium strain flavolapis) with origins in Yellowstone National Park. Using our breakthrough fermentation process, we grow Fy, an animal-free, complete protein source with all 20 amino acids and minimal environmental impact. With Fy, we create a wide range of truly delicious foods—all free from animal products—that nourish your body and nurture our planet for future generations. Find out more here.

When our founders discovered this microbe in Yellowstone, they scientifically dubbed it Fusarium strain flavolapis (“yellow stone” in Latin). This inspired us to name our protein ​“Fy” to connect to its origins as the Fusarium of Yellowstone.

Fy is a nutritional powerhouse. It’s a complete vegan protein source with all 20 amino acids, including the 9 essential amino acids, which help build and maintain muscle. 

The novel protein is low in fat, with no cholesterol or trans fats. Fy is a good source of fiber, including beta-glucans and prebiotic fiber. Fy is highly digestible so our bodies can absorb its nutritious protein content easier than peas, peanuts, and many other plant-based proteins. Talk about nutrient-dense!

As an ingredient, it only has 1/​10th of the fat of ground beef. On top of that, Fy has 50% more protein than tofu and twice as much protein as raw peas*. 

What more could you ask for?

Well, research** suggests that eating Fusarium fungi helps maintain healthy blood cholesterol levels and blood glucose and insulin levels, promotes muscle synthesis, and increases satiety.

*USDA Food Data Central, May 2022. https://​fdc​.nal​.usda​.gov/​f​d​c​-​a​p​p​.​h​tml#/
**Finnigan, T. J. A. et al. Mycoprotein: The Future of Nutritious Nonmeat Protein, a Symposium Review. Current Developments in Nutrition 3, (2019).

No, Fy is not a plant-based protein. And it’s not an animal-based protein either. It’s made from a microbe that’s actually part of the third kingdom of life—fungi. Fungi are an omnipresent, almost invisible part of nature that is sometimes forgotten but can be found all around us.

Learn more about what makes fungi-based protein special.

Fy Protein is fungi-based and, along with many species of mushrooms, our protein represents one of that kingdom’s many edible organisms. Fy Protein is vegan and as an ingredient, Fy has only a tenth of the fat of ground beef. On top of that, Fy has 50% more protein than tofu and twice as much protein as raw pea. Learn more about the differences between plant-based, fungi-based, and several other alternative proteins here.

Fy is created from Fusarium strain flavolapis, a wild, naturally-occurring microbe with origins in Yellowstone National Park. The magic is in our unique, inspired-by-nature fermentation process, where we simply give it the nutrients it needs and an environment where it can thrive and grow into Fy, a nutritional fungi protein. We have not genetically modified the microbe in any way. Fy does not contain any detectable genetically modified material. 

No, we don’t add any antibiotics, hormones, insecticides, pesticides, or herbicides to grow Fy.

All protein sources can trigger allergies for certain individuals with sensitivities. The University of Nebraska Food Allergy Research and Resource Program (FAARP), one of the most well-known authorities on allergens in the world, deemed Fy, our protein, to be a low-risk allergen.

We do recommend that those with sensitivity to fungi species, including mushrooms, avoid consuming our foods.

We reluctantly did because most regulators in the world still mandate animal testing to prove that an innovative, new-to-the-world food product like Fy, is safe to eat. So we completed the required testing to assure the safety of our products.

We take the health and wellbeing of our customers seriously and have thoroughly reviewed the science supporting the safety of Fy. Fy has been confirmed to be Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). In addition, we have received a no-questions letter from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), accepting the unanimous conclusion of a panel of independent food-safety experts that Fy is safe to eat.

Visit our store locator for store information. If we aren’t available in your area (yet!), sign up for our emails and share your zip code, and we’ll let you know about new stores near you.

Due to Fy’s versatility, we can create a wide range of both meat and dairy alternatives, and many more of your favorite foods. To start, we’ve launched meatless breakfast patties and dairy-free cream cheese. Stay connected to learn more about the new products we’ll be introducing in the coming months.

Yes, our products are vegan.

Our products are produced without any animal ingredients, added animal products, additives, or byproducts. This includes animal meat, poultry, fish, and shellfish as well as eggs, dairy, honey, and gelatin.

Yes, all of our products are gluten-free.

Yes, all of our products are nut-free—they don’t contain tree nuts or peanuts. 

Our Dairy-Free Cream Cheese is soy-free, but our Meatless Breakfast Patties do contain soy.

Fy Protein is Kosher Pareve certified by STAR‑K. Currently, our finished products are not certified as Halal or Kosher. We’re looking for opportunities to be Halal and Kosher certified in the future.

Nature’s Fynd products are not currently certified organic.

Curious about the facts? The nutrition facts panels for our foods are available on the individual product pages listed here.

Stovetop (recommended method):

Pre-heat your non-stick skillet over medium heat and generously coat the skillet with oil (approximately one tablespoon for every two patties). Then, heat the patties for 2–3 minutes on each side, 4–6 minutes total. Only heat patties until very lightly browned. Please don’t overcook.

Alternative microwave heating instructions (if you don’t have a stovetop):

Please cook the patties on a stovetop for optimal experience. If you don’t have access to a stovetop, below are instructions to cook the patties in a microwave. All microwave appliances vary so please use these as guidelines only. Remember: please do not overcook—it’s not meat!

• Microwave cook instructions (assuming 1100 watts)
  • Remove two (2) patties from packaging.
  • Place on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a paper towel.
  • Microwave on high for 45 seconds or until hot.

Heat to a minimum temperature of 165°F.

Our products should be stored in the fridge and consumed by the ​“Best By” date on the packaging. After opening the cream cheese or breakfast patties, please consume within 7 days. Please do not freeze either our Dairy-Free Cream Cheese or Meatless Breakfast Patties.

Please consume our breakfast patties and cream cheese by the ​“Best By” date or within 7 days of opening (whichever comes first). The ​“Best By” date is located on the left-side panel of our breakfast patties and on the lid of our cream cheese tub.

Growing Fy is incredibly resource-efficient. Working with Life Cycle Analysis experts, we determined that Fy emits roughly 94% fewer greenhouse gases, and uses 99% less land, and 99% less water than beef, with no methane emissions, and minimal waste.*

Fy is also quite efficient because we are able to produce 8x more Fy per acre than chicken and over 10x more than pork.

*Source: Fy environmental performance modeled at scale, 2021.

No. We retrieved a small sample of Fusarium strain flavolapis and thanks to its remarkable capacity for growth and self-sufficiency, the original sample collected from Yellowstone National Park is all we need to grow unlimited amounts of Fy using our breakthrough fermentation method.

Nature’s Fynd is a company of optimists, explorers, and scientists who are dedicated to solving the biggest challenges facing humanity. We believe human ingenuity along with scientific curiosity will reveal Nature’s solutions to our planet’s challenges. We’re deeply committed to our mission of creating amazing foods that are nutritious, taste great, and help renew our planet for future generations. Learn more about us.

Our food landscape, what we eat, where it’s made, and the choices we have will be radically altered in the coming decades. 

Climate change and the challenges facing the food supply system aren’t a problem facing one company or industry—it’s a cultural, global challenge, with solutions requiring innovation, curiosity, and most of all—optimism.

Solving the challenges that face our food supply system is the moonshot of our time. Providing a method to feed the world in a way that’s good for humans and the health of the planet is an audacious goal, but it’s one Nature’s Fynd has the technologies and capabilities to meet.

We began commercial manufacturing in early 2020 at our new 35,000-square-foot manufacturing facility on the site of the Union Stockyards on Chicago’s South Side. But we’ve been working with Fusarium strain flavolapis for much longer than that. Discover our origin story.

Our story starts with an extraordinary microbe named Fusarium strain flavolapis, with origins in Yellowstone National Park. Our food ingredient name, Fy, is inspired by this extraordinary microbe and our unique origins.

As we considered our company’s objective of unlocking the unmatched nourishing power of our planet for future generations, it became evident that we wanted to capture this origin story and a core part of our identity and purpose, right in our brand name.

Hence, Nature’s Fynd was born as a way to tell the story of who we are, and inspire the possibility of what we will do. The new spelling of the word ​“Fynd” is a nod to our remarkable protein and pays homage to the power of nature’s technology. We were just the ones who found it.