Impossible doesn’t seem to be in acclaimed biochemist Pat Brown’s vocabulary. But that word is central to the revolutionary Impossible Foods brand he pioneered. Looking behind the scenes in the documentary “Wild Hope: Mission Impossible” at this year’s Coronado Island Film Festival (CIFF), attendees glimpsed insights into this pioneering scientist’s quest to create the best meaty vegan burger and make the world a better place.
Brown grew up living all over the world and knew he was interested in science from age eight, but admits to not being a foodie growing up. Now he favors the delicious vegan pizza he makes, and his wife Sue Klapholz’s Indian-style creations like potato curry. Klapholz was also involved in the company as Vice President of Health, Nutrition, and Food Safety.
After choosing to become a scientist rather than a pediatrician, he made breakthrough discoveries on how HIV integrates and then went on to Stanford, where he pioneered work in genomics, as well as starting PLOS, the Public Library of Science, to create free access to scientific materials.
In 2009, at the top of his profession, he took a sabbatical and pondered how to make the world the best possible place. Biodiversity and how to affect the animal agriculture industry became his quest. Fortunately for him, venture capital funding was just a three-mile bike ride from his house in Silicon Valley and he found investors were interested in new technology to revolutionize the meat industry.
There were lots of unanswered questions, such as “What makes meat taste like meat?” Heme, which is essential for all life and carries oxygen, turned out to be the key. At first, Brown thought he would hand off the idea to someone else, but then decided to pursue it himself. His target audience was meat eaters, for maximum impact on the planet.
With the motto “blast ahead,” he knew that to be successful the new product had to taste, smell, feel, and cook the same as meat, all with no climate impact. It turned out that soybean root nodules were the best source of heme, and he figured out a way to harvest it for testing. As part of the burger reverse engineering process, he began inserting soy DNA into yeast cells and the trial-and-error process began. He and his team knew they had a hit when the Impossible Burger was preferred in blind taste tests. In 2019, the Impossible Burger was a megahit when it launched at Burger King. Impossible Foods products are available at thousands of restaurants worldwide and in regular grocery stores.
After the screening of the film, when asked how he came up with the name for the meat-free foods, he shared with CIFF Director Merridee Book that they went through four rounds of about 40 names, each suggested by their marketing agency until impossible was proposed. It stuck because it was the challenging and provocative name Brown had been searching for.
Impossible Foods products are actually less expensive than animal meats and include hamburgers, meatballs, sausage, chicken, and more. Future plans involve creating steak, with the goal of eventually replicating and replacing all animal products.
His latest venture is the Carbon Ranch in Emmet, Arkansas, where he is looking at how to best revitalize farmland and monetize carbon capture as an industry for farmers. His plan includes planting 300 trees over the next few years. He noted that the meat and dairy industry generates more greenhouse emissions than air travel, and we can all do our part, with even minor dietary choices, to make a difference.
Brown states, “you need optimism to be a scientist” and he is truly a visionary who is changing the way people see food. As an extreme introvert, he noted that that he agreed to do this documentary to help get the environmental message out to resonate with more people.
After the film, attendees enjoyed a sweet and savory gourmet buffet, featuring Impossible Food products and other vegetarian delicacies, by Chef Martin of the Green Door Café. his film is just one in the Culinary Cinema Series at the ninth annual CIFF running through Sunday.
Don’t miss “Marcella,” the U.S. premiere featuring the inspiring and emotional story of the godmother of Italian cooking on Sunday, November 10 at 10 am or “Buddha Jumps the Wall,” the West Coast premiere highlighting Michelin stars Chef David Yarnoz and Chef Kai Ho, as they combine ethnic cuisines on Sunday, November 10 at 1:30 pm. Both films will be held in the John D. Spreckels Center. It’s not too late to see one of the other 100 not-to-miss films this weekend. Hurry to check out the schedule and get tickets at coronadofilmfest.com.
