Upside Foods, previously Memphis Meats prior to its rebrand this May, today announces a new centre called EPIC, containing custom-made, patented cultivators to produce over 50,000 pounds of cultivated meat, with a future capacity of over 400,000 pounds per year, and offering the public the opportunity to see how cultivated meat is produced.
The San Francisco company released the world’s first cultivated meatball in February 2016 and the world’s first cultivated poultry in March 2017. Pending regulatory approval UPSIDE’s chicken product is due to be served by three-Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn, the first female chef in the US to be awarded three Michelin stars, marking the first time Crenn will serve meat since removing it from her menus in 2018.
At the EPIC center, UPSIDE will develop new product formats, types of meat, and production processes. At full capacity, the new facility will employ around 50 staff members in roles across production, maintenance, quality & food safety, engineering, and general plant management.
Dr. Uma Valeti, CEO and Founder of UPSIDE Foods said, “When we founded UPSIDE in 2015, it was the only cultivated meat company in a world full of skeptics. When we talked about our dream of scaling up production, it was just that — a dream. Today, that dream becomes a reality. The journey from tiny cells to EPIC has been an incredible one, and we are just getting started.”
“Today, our team at UPSIDE has made history,” said Dr. Konrad Müller-Auffermann, Senior Director of Engineering at UPSIDE. “This facility is a gamechanger not just for UPSIDE Foods, but also for the entire food system. I’m so proud of our team for helping to define the future of food, and I can’t wait to share our delicious, real meat with the world. ”
The first consumer tours of the facility will occur in January 2022. To watch the virtual ribbon cutting ceremony, visit www.upsidefoods.com.