Dutch cultivated meat company Meatable announces it has received a strategic investment from Betagro Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of Betagro, a major agri-industrial and food company based in Thailand, producing and distributing meat (chicken and pork) and animal feed.
The news comes six months after Meatable onboarded meat industry veteran Jeff Tripitcian, with over 25 years of experience in the American meat industry with roles including president of Perdue. At the same time, Dean Banks, former president and CEO of Tyson Foods, joined the Board of Directors.
“We are delighted to welcome Betagro as our first investor from the traditional meat industry”
The investment will help accelerate Meatable’s growth and market presence in Asia beyond Singapore, a region with a growing demand for meat that needs sustainable, scalable alternatives to animal farming. The collaboration also anticipates opportunities for co-development projects and strategic partnerships across Asia.
Jeff Tripician states of the investment, “We are delighted to welcome Betagro as our first investor from the traditional meat industry. With their deep understanding of the Asian market and extensive network, we are confident that this partnership will significantly enhance our ability to bring cultivated meat to tables across Asia.”
Sustainable change across the food industry
According to Tripician, the partnership reflects confidence in Meatable’s technology to drive innovation for a sustainable future, aligning with both companies’ missions.
Meatable uses pluripotent stem cells with patented opti-ox technology, recognized by TIME as a top invention of 2024, which enables cells to multiply and differentiate into mature muscle and fat cells in days. The result is real pork meat without harming animals while reducing the environmental footprint of traditional meat production.
“We firmly believe in the underlying technology and vision of Meatable”
Prior to this investment, Meatable had totaled $95 million in capital funding, including $35 million raised last year to launch a new pilot facility in the Netherlands. Recently, it received €7.6 million as part of the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) Innovation Credit program to improve its cultivated pork platform as it progresses toward commercialization. The biotech has showcased its cultivated pork products in Singapore and the Netherlands, where the event marked the European Union’s first official cultivated meat tasting.
Chayadhorn Taepaisitphongse, Managing Director of Betagro Ventures, commented, “Betagro Ventures’ investment into Meatable represents our Group’s commitment to innovation and driving sustainable change across the food industry.
“We firmly believe in the underlying technology and vision of Meatable, and look forward to partnering with the company to bring cultivated meats to consumers across Southeast Asia.”
Meatable, a member of the APAC Society for Cellular Agriculture (APAC-SCA), operates in Singapore, where its cultivated pork products are pending regulatory approval from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), with plans to launch by 2025.
