Inside the Bill Gates-backed startup on a mission to reinvent meat

The world's population could reach nine billion people by 2050.

The bad news for carnivores: There aren't enough resources on the planet to support sustainable animal agriculture at that scale. Raising chickens, pigs, and cattle already takes up 30% of the Earth's surface.

A number of companies are tackling the challenge with meat and dairy alternatives, but one stealthy startup out of Redwood City, California, has garnered buzz with a veggie burger it says is indistinguishable from real beef.

Impossible Foods recognizes that most veggie burgers resemble pan-fried Frisbees more closely than meat. Their mission to reinvent the burger targets the most ardent meat-lovers, with an offering that sizzles, smells, and even bleeds on the griddle.

The Impossible Burger became available at Momofuku Nishi in New York over the summer. Starting October 13, people on the West Coast can try the burger at three restaurants in San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Business Insider recently toured the lab and test kitchen at Impossible Food's headquarters to see how the future of plant-based meat comes together.