Shannon Falconer, CEO of Biocraft

Image courtesy of BioCraft Pet Nutrition

Interviews

BioCraft Pet Nutrition: “Pet Food Manufacturers Are Desperate for a More Stable Alternative”

Shannon Falconer is the CEO and founder BioCraft Pet Nutrition (formerly Because, Animals), a biotechnology company making cultured meat for cats and dogs. Shannon holds an MSc in Cell and Systems Biology from the University of Toronto (Canada), a PhD in Biochemistry from McMaster University (Canada), and is co-author of eight peer-reviewed scientific publications.  In 2016 she founded BioCraft, the first company to focus exclusively on developing cultured meat to meet the unique nutritional needs of cats and dogs. Since then, BioCraft was among the first cultured meat companies to eliminate animal ingredients from cell culture media–including fetal bovine serum (FBS) and to derive non-immortalized stem cell lines for the specific application of cultured meat. How would you describe the mission of BioCraft? BioCraft’s mission …

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Cultivated cat food/ pet food in a dish

Cultivated cat food ©BioCraft Pet Nutrition

Company News

Because, Animals Rebrands to BioCraft Pet Nutrition to Bring Cultivated Meat to Pet Food Market

Biotech company Because, Animals announces it is re-branding to BioCraft Pet Nutrition to focus exclusively on bringing cultivated meat to the pet food market. As part of the change, the startup will shift to working directly with pet food manufacturers rather than developing its own branded products. The company has also appointed Dr. Theresa Rothenbücher, former chief science officer of Austria’s Revo Foods, as its new chief product officer.  According to BioCraft, its name change follows the decision to dedicate its resources to prioritize commercializing cultivated meat for pet food, including R&D, infrastructure, and collaborative relationships. In late 2022, the company discontinued its plant-based products sold under the Because Animals brand, divesting from related formulations and provisional patents, but retained all intellectual property relating to …

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