UK-based Ivy Farm Technologies announces it has signed a manufacturing agreement with Synbio Powerlabs, a Finnish leader in synthetic biology, to produce its cultivated meat products in large fermenters. According to Synbio Powerlabs, cultivated meat will be produced on an unprecedented scale in Finland.
The Finnish firm is converting a sizeable food-grade facility into a fermentation hub supported by a €2.99 million grant from the Finnish government. Expected to be operational by early 2025, the facility will include production scales at 10,000 and 27,000 L and six 250,000 L manufacturing vessels. Once opened, it will be the largest facility of its kind in the world, according to the announcement.
Gaining access to Synbio Powerlabs’ expertise and facilities, Ivy Farms will scale up its cultivated meat production to 10,000 L, reducing the risks associated with scaling while embracing a light CAPEX approach.
Richard Dillon, CEO at Ivy Farm Technologies, shares, “The partnership with Synbio Powerlabs represents a significant milestone for Ivy Farm and our ambitions to scale cultivated meat.”
Scaling mammalian cells
Ivy Farm says it will be the first to demonstrate the scalability of mammalian cells in food-grade vessels at this level. Further partnership plans include reaching higher production scales and efficiencies over the coming years.
Ivy Farm, a spin-off from the University of Oxford, has developed a platform to cultivate mincemeat from Wagyu Beef, Aberdeen Angus, and English Large White Pork cells. Cultivated meat is not yet approved for consumption in the UK, but the company has developed several prototypes, including meatballs, sausages, and, recently, scotch eggs.
Dillon adds, “Ivy Farm is committed to partnering with fermentation experts and licensing our technology in order to accelerate the transition to cultivated meat globally.”
Tasting cultivated Angus beef
Ivy Farm and the Icelandic molecular farming company ORF Genetics co-hosted a tasting of cultivated beef during Iceland Innovation Week. The event featured cultivated premium Angus beef prepared by chef Ólafur Örn Ólafsson from Brút Restaurant. Attendees included Icelandic government officials, food innovators, and tech leaders.
The Nordic region is seen as a promising market for cultivated meat due to its forward-thinking consumers, regulatory efforts to enhance food security, and abundant renewable energy and tech expertise.
In February, the Icelandic Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttir, had the opportunity to taste cultivated meat for the first time at a tasting event hosted by Vow and ORF Genetics, which was claimed to be Europe’s first cultivated meat tasting featuring dishes made with Vow’s cultivated quail.
Alejandro Antalich, Chairman of Synbio Powerlabs, comments: “By converging our cutting-edge technology and innovative thinking, we are not only revolutionizing the way meat is produced but also paving the way for a more efficient, scalable, and environmentally friendly approach to mass-scale food production.”
