Ethan Brown, founder and chief executive officer of Beyond Meat, a company dedicated to creating meat products from plants, was inducted into the A. James Clark School of Engineering’s Innovation Hall of Fame (IHOF) in a ceremony on Thursday, February 20.
Brown M.P.M. ’97 gained an appreciation for agriculture and the natural world from his father, Peter, a University of Maryland professor, conservationist, and hobby farmer. This interest shaped the direction of his career.
Before founding Beyond Meat, Brown worked in the clean energy sector, including on the restructuring of the nation’s electric grid to support renewable power while at the National Governors Association. Subsequently, Brown joined the world’s leading proton exchange membrane fuel cell developer, Ballard Power Systems, rising to report directly to the company’s chief executive officer.
Though passionate about clean energy, Brown returned often to the role of livestock in our economy and became convinced that a change in the origin of the protein—from animals to plants—could simultaneously address human health, climate, natural resource, and animal welfare challenges. In 2009, Ethan founded Beyond Meat.
The company’s flagship product, the Beyond Burger, revolutionized the meat aisle by being the first plant-based burger sold in the meat case alongside beef at major grocery chains including Kroger, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods Market. In an effort to further establish plant-based meat, Beyond Meat has partnered with leading restaurant chains, including McDonald’s.
One of Beyond Meat’s key innovations lies in its groundbreaking approach to replicating meat at the molecular level. By deconstructing meat into its essential components—amino acids, lipids, carbohydrates, minerals, and water—and rebuilding them using plant-based ingredients, Beyond Meat has pioneered a process that develops products that are both environmentally friendly and widely appealing to consumers.
Early on, the company worked with the UMD Department of Nutrition and Food Science to improve the texture and mouthfeel of its first plant-based protein strip, similar to chicken, as well as how to produce it in volume. That work was conducted through a two-phase project funded by the Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program.
Ethan holds an MBA from Columbia University and an M.P.M. from the University of Maryland.
Launched in 1985, IHOF recognizes metamorphic innovations achieved by UMD alums, faculty, and members of the UMD community. Past recipients have included Glenn L. Martin ’51 (posthumously inducted in 1987), George J. Laurer ’51, Robert Briskman M.S. ’61, Angel P. Bezos ’69, Emilio A. Fernandez ’69, Jeong H. Kim Ph.D. ’91, Naomi Ehrich Leonard Ph.D. ’94, and Robert E. Fischell ’54, Sc.D. (honorary) ’96.
