Two Women Are Turning Mushroom Roots Into Alternatives to Plastic and Meat

Two entrepreneurs from different parts of the world are exploring an unusual material that could help replace some products made from plastic and animal-based ingredients: mycelium, the root-like network of fungi.

Julia Bialetska, co-founder of S.Lab, is developing protective packaging made from mycelium and plant waste. Kimberlie Le, co-founder of Prime Roots, is using mycelium to create alternatives to meat and seafood.

A Beach in Bali Inspired a New Business

Bialetska’s journey began during a trip to Indonesia. While she and her husband were taking surfing lessons in Bali, they saw large amounts of plastic washing onto the beach.

The experience encouraged the couple to look for a biodegradable replacement for polystyrene packaging. They eventually turned to mycelium, which can grow through plant-based materials and bind them together.

The result became S.Lab, a company developing packaging designed to provide protection without relying on conventional plastic foam.

Starting Again After Leaving Ukraine

Bialetska’s business journey was interrupted when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine forced her family to leave the country in 2022.

She and her husband moved to Spain with their two children and rebuilt their business there.

The experience added another difficult chapter to a company that had already begun with the challenge of developing an entirely different approach to packaging.

From a Family Kitchen to Alternative Protein

For Kimberlie Le, fungi had a much more personal connection.

Le grew up in Canada in a family closely connected to food. Her mother is a Vietnamese chef who used koji, a type of fungus containing mycelium, in cooking.

Years later, while studying at the University of California, Berkeley, Le became involved with research into alternative proteins. That work helped inspire the creation of Prime Roots, which develops foods using koji mycelium.

Why Mycelium Is Interesting

Mycelium can form a dense network of microscopic threads as it grows. Researchers and businesses are exploring this natural structure because it can be used to create materials with useful textures and properties.

For packaging, mycelium can help bind plant-based materials into protective shapes. For food, it can be cultivated and processed to create textures that resemble some traditional meat products.

Different Products, Similar Idea

Bialetska and Le are working in different industries, but their approaches share the same basic principle: using biology to create alternatives to products that have traditionally depended on petroleum-based materials or animal agriculture.

Their businesses also show how scientific ideas can emerge from everyday experiences. For Bialetska, it was seeing plastic pollution on a beach. For Le, it was a combination of family food traditions and university research.

Building Businesses Around Fungi

Mycelium-based materials are still an emerging field, and companies face challenges including production costs, manufacturing scale and consumer acceptance.

But the growing interest in fungal materials is giving entrepreneurs like Bialetska and Le an opportunity to experiment with new ways of making familiar products.

Their stories demonstrate how an organism that most people associate with mushrooms can become the foundation for new ideas in packaging and food.

Sources

• BBC World Service — “Women getting to the root of mushrooms” — September 28, 2026.
• BBC World Service, The Conversation — “Women getting to the root of mushrooms” — September 28, 2026.
• S.Lab — Company information and founder interviews, 2026.
• Prime Roots — Company information and founder profile, 2026.