In South Carolina, mushroom materials maker MycoWorks will bring a new production facility online in September. The facility will add millions of square feet of capacity for the company’s Reishi-brand vegan leather.
The Union plant will employ over 350 people, according to Retail Dive, and was financed through a $125 million funding round closed in early 2022. The site will supply Reishi and other fungi-based materials to a growing list of MycoWork’s brand partners, which include brand Hermès and GM.
“There have been two barriers to the decades-long search for a luxury leather alternative: product quality and scalable manufacturing,” said Matt Scullin, MycoWorks CEO. “In 2016 we eliminated the first by introducing Reishi to the world, and in September 2023 we are answering the question of scale with this state-of-the-art facility in South Carolina.”
The news comes just weeks after Bolt Threads halted production of its mycelium-based leather alternative, citing lack of funds to scale.