Canada’s Evolved Meats, formerly known as CaroMeats, announces it has raised $2 million in a seed round led by meat giant Maple Leaf Foods Inc., joined by Big Idea Ventures amongst other investors, to accelerate product development and initial scale-up of production processes.
“Maple Leaf Foods’ vision is to be the most sustainable protein company on earth,” Michael McCain, President and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods
The cultivated meat company states that its “species agnostic platform grows whole cuts of meat that are structurally and biochemically identical to conventional cuts of meat” such as steak, pork belly, chicken breast, or fish fillets. CEO Alireza Shahin developed a novel technique during his PhD and post-doctoral work during which he discovered that he was able to create functional tissues that could then be arranged to replicate any cut of meat from any species.
Evolved states that this novel approach allows it to recreate the fibrous texture, marbling, taste, mouthfeel, and nutrition of conventional meat directly from cells, without the need for any exogenous materials, such as scaffolding or binders.
“Maple Leaf Foods’ vision is to be the most sustainable protein company on earth. We are committed to supporting promising new technologies with the potential to nourish people and protect the planet,” said Michael McCain, President and CEO of Maple Leaf Foods. “We are excited to invest in Evolved, as they pursue their vision to produce cultivated meat production using their unique technology.”
Says Shanin: “Our ambition is to recreate meat in a way that is identical to nature by biofabricating functional muscle tissues and capturing the entire muscle to meat transition. The proprietary technologies underlying our modular system allow us to do exactly that. However, recreating whole cuts of meat is only part of the challenge. Our unique ability to create functional tissues will help us scale out our production while driving towards price parity with conventional meat.
“This mix of familiar cuts and affordable prices will enable Evolved to lead a massive transformation of the food system”
“This mix of familiar cuts and affordable prices will enable Evolved to lead a massive transformation of the food system, and we are excited to work with Maple Leaf Foods and Big Idea Ventures to usher in that change,” he adds.
John Cappuccitti, co-founder and COO, states: “We have a once in a generation opportunity to reimagine our relationship with natural food, and we owe it to ourselves, the planet, and nature to make sure we do things sustainably. By creating whole cuts of meat directly from cells, we are enabling consumers to enjoy meat without compromise. We encourage anyone who wants to join this mission to reach out.”
