SAN MATEO, CALIF. — Sustainable food company Zero Acre Farms raised $37 million in an oversubscribed Series A funding round co-led by Lowercarbon Capital and Fifty Years.

The San Mateo-based startup aims to develop a new category of sustainable oils and fats made by fermentation. Its products will be positioned as alternatives to vegetable oils like soybean, sunflower, canola and palm oil, which have been linked to increased rates of obesity and chronic disease, according to the company.

As the fastest-growing sub-sector of global agriculture, vegetable oils also are a driver of deforestation around the world, said Jeff Nobbs, co-founder and chief executive officer of Zero Acre Farms.

“Fermentation is the original culinary art, after fire,” he said. “We use this ancient technique to produce oils and fats with significantly lower levels of the bad fats that have been linked to inflammation and disease while having a fraction of the environmental footprint. We're proud to be the first company stepping up with the mission to completely remove industrial ‘vegetable’ oils from our food system.”