Israeli Startup Building World’s Biggest Cultivated Meat Facility

Israeli startup Believer Meats says work has started in the USA on what will become the largest cultivated meat production center in the world.

The $123 million facility in Wilson, North Carolina, will cover 200,00 sq ft and produce at least 10,000 tonnes of animal-free meat a year.

Last year Believer Meats announced the biggest ever investment in a cultivated meat company globally, with the the completion of a $347 million Series B financing round.

The company, then known as Future Meat Technologies, was founded in Rehovot, central Israel, in 2018 by Prof Yaakov Nahmias of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

The company says it is “focused on developing the world’s most efficient cell-cultivation technology, so we can make delicious meat available and accessible to everyone—without harming animals or our planet”.

The new factory will create more than 100 new jobs over the next three years and will use custom-made bioreactors to produce cultivated meat using patented processes.

“Our facility propels Believer forward as a leader in the cultivated meat industry,” said the company’s CEO Nicole Johnson-Hoffman.

“Our brand has continually proven our commitment to scale production technology and capacity, and with our new US production center, we are one step closer to commercialization. Believer is setting the standard globally to make it possible for future generations to eat and enjoy meat.”

The company rebranded as Believer Meats last month as it prepares for US regulatory approval and the commercial launch of its products.