Oct 24, 2023

Photo: Zero Acre Farms SAN MATEO, CALIF. — Zero Acre Farms, a creator of cultured cooking oil, is partnering with Shake Shack and Hopdoddy Burger Bar to replace soybean oil in the fryers at a dozen restaurants. Zero Acre oil is produced by fermenting raw cane sugar in tanks over a few days, then pressed, purified and tested for quality, according to the company. The method uses 99% less water than olive oil and 87% less land than canola oil, per Zero Acre Farms. The oil has a high smoke point and high oxidative stability, with more monounsaturated fat than olive oil and avocado oil, according to the company. Shake Shack in September began testing Zero Acre oil at two of its locations in New York City to prepare crinkle cut fries, vegetable burgers, chicken sandwiches and more. “Like many food businesses, our menu items depend on the natural environment so we can continue serving guests the food they love,” said Jeffrey Amoscato, senior vice president of supply chain and menu innovation at Shake Shack. “It’s why we are continuously exploring new ways to reduce our environmental footprint, including partnerships with companies like Zero Acre who are creating sustainable food solutions. We remain committed to exploring initiatives that help us become a more sustainable business including the reduction of waste across operations, and collaborating with farmers, and suppliers on a regular basis.” Hopdoddy Burger Bar, based in Austin, Texas, will use Zero Acre oil at all 10 locations in Austin, San Antonio and San Marcos, Texas, as part of its pledge to eliminate seed oil from its restaurants nationwide. Menu items using Zero Acre oil include french fries, loaded brussels sprouts, chicken tenders and the Nashville hot chicken sandwich. “Our guests have been asking us to go seed oil-free, and Hopdoddy listened,” said Chef Matt Schweitzer, vice president of innovation at Hopdoddy. “We found that Zero Acre was the best fit for us, as it has a neutral, clean taste that improves the flavor of our product. It offers a high level of healthy fats while also being immensely better for our planet. We're really proud that this change falls right in line with our mission to serve high quality food that leaves the planet better than we found it. We hope Hopdoddy can be an example to other brands and lead the charge to more fully leverage products like Zero Acre in foodservice in the near future.” Founded in 2020, Zero Acre Farms is backed by a group of investors and chefs including Lowercarbon Capital, Fifty Years, S2G Ventures, Collaborative Fund, Virgin Group, Chipotle's Cultivate Next Fund, Robert Downey Jr.'s FootPrint Coalition Ventures and others. Enjoying this content? Learn about more disruptive startups on the Food Entrepreneur page.