11 Oct 2021 — A collective led by Hollywood A-lister Ashton Kutcher and Guy Oseary, an Israeli-American talent manager, together with strategic players such as Effie Epstein, is partnering with MeaTech 3D, a key player in the cultured meat space, to accelerate MeaTech’s growth in developing and commercializing the company’s proprietary cultured meat production technologies.
The move comes just weeks after Leonardo DiCaprio invested an undisclosed sum in cultivated meat start-ups Mosa Meat and Aleph Farms. He’s also joining their advisory boards and is hailed as helping to “usher in a new age of meat production.”
Alternatives for large-scale animal farming
MeaTech is creating an animal-friendly, sustainable alternative to industrialized animal farming by developing its proprietary cultured meat production processes based on advanced 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering technologies. MeaTech aims to be a key player in cultivated meat production for various species offerings, including beef, chicken and pork.
MeaTech recently acquired Belgian start-up Peace of Meat, which develops cultured animal fats such as chicken, duck and geese, as a taste-enhancing ingredient for plant-based “hybrid” alternative meats.
The company is also developing cultured foie gras from laboratory-grown duck liver cells.
A pilot plant for scaled-up production of cultivated fat is planned for 2022, which MeaTech expects to reach the consumer market within the next two years.
MeaTech aims to be a key player of cultivated meat production for various species offerings, including beef, chicken and pork.Celebrity backing
Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher says he is delighted to partner with MeaTech and assist it in its journey to become the market leader in cultured meat production.
“We are excited about MeaTech’s innovative technologies, which we believe position MeaTech to be the leader in industrial-scale production of cultured meat, a key for more sustainable and clean meat production. We intend to work closely with MeaTech’s management to help MeaTech implement its strategy and achieve its goals and global success by leveraging our marketing, strategic expertise and network,” he explains.
The engagement with MeaTech is in line with the group’s mission to provide sustainable solutions through company building, investment, and acceleration of companies and technologies across various sustainability domains, adds Kutcher.
Sharon Fima, CEO of MeaTech, says the company is “extremely excited to announce its strategic collaboration with such an entrepreneurial, visionary group.”
“We believe this engagement will help accelerate our journey in becoming the global leader in the cultivated meat industry. We will leverage their expertise and relationships with key industry players to help us propel our strategy, go-to-market activities and brand.”
Meanwhile, MeaTech’s wholly-owned subsidiary, MeaTech Europe, recently commenced food-tech development activities, with an initial focus on hybrid food offerings composed of both plant and cultured fat and protein ingredients.
Edited by Elizabeth Green
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