Wildtype

Proveg NFH underwater landscape

Image: ProVeg International

Cultivated Seafood

Uncovering the Future of Seafood, Minus the Sea

The seafood sector is a vast and continually expanding industry, currently valued at over USD 257 billion[1] and experiencing annual growth. To illustrate the magnitude of this expansion, global fish consumption has risen by approximately 30% since 1998.[2] However, experts anticipate a further 80% increase by the year 2050.[3] Furthermore, analysts forecast that the Earth’s oceans will struggle to meet such escalating demands, as more than 90% of ‘fish stocks’ are currently either over-exploited.[4] [5] Luckily, innovative food tech brands are working on sustainable alternatives that can meet rising demands for seafood products. To learn more about cultivated seafood, in a New Food Hub interview, ProVeg International’s Gemma Tadman recently caught up with Justin Kolbeck, the co-founder of cultivated salmon company, Wildtype Foods. Taking cultivated …

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Wildtype_Salmon_Nigiri_On_White

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Wildtype Expects to Launch Sushi-Grade Cultivated Salmon in US Restaurants This Year

San Francisco’s Wildtype, which raised an incredible $100 million in Series B last year from investors including Leonardo DiCaprio, says it expects to launch its cultivated sushi-grade salmon in restaurants later this year. Wildtype’s co-founder Justin Kolbeck told IntraFish that the company is waiting to complete the FDA’s pre-market consultation that studies the safety of its cultivated salmon and that when the process concludes, Wildtype will be able to commercialize. If the company receives the FDA’s green light, Wildtype would become one of the first to launch commercially cultivated food in the US. What the No Questions letter means According to Kolbeck, UPSIDE Foods, which received a No Questions letter from the FDA last year for its cultivated chicken, had to complete a similar pre-market …

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Wildtype salmon

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Investments & Acquisitions

South Korea’s Third-Largest Conglomerate SK Invests $7M in Wildtype Cultivated Salmon

SK Inc., the investment arm of South Korea’s third-largest conglomerate SK Group, has announced a $7 million investment in US-based cultivated salmon producer Wildtype. The Korean firm explained that it is looking to increase its investments in companies with excellent environmental, social, and corporate governance credentials. The conglomerate also reveals that it is working to form a joint venture between Perfect Day and Korean dairy producer Maeli Dairies, with the intention that Maeli will manufacture, distribute, and sell products made with Perfect Day’s animal-free milk proteins. SK Chairman impressed by Wildtype visit “[Wildtype’s cultivated salmon] can dramatically reduce carbon dioxide emitted during the process of fishing, farming, and transportation, and protect the marine ecosystem that faces the risk of extinction with bycatch,” said Chey Tae-won, …

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Plantbased Business Hour

Is Cultivated Fish Possible at Scale? Find Out From Co-Founder Arye Elfenbein of Wildtype

What will it take to make enough fish from cells to feed the world? If so, what will it take to make enough fish from cells to feed the world? Find out from Co-Founder Arye Elfenbein of Wildtype on this episode of The Plantbased Business Hour with Elysabeth Alfano.  Specifically, they discuss: The benefit of cultivated fish over wild-caught or commercially farmed fish, How Wildtype procures their cell lines, What is the medium used for cell growth? How hard is it to scale, and Is FDA approval pending? Here is a short clip and transcript from their conversation. Podcast here. Display “Where Does Cultivated Fish Come From? Wildtype Co-Founder Arye Elfenbein Explains” from YouTube Click here to display content from YouTube. Learn more in YouTube’s privacy policy. …

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Cultivated Seafood

Is Cultivated Fish Possible at Scale? Find Out From Co-Founder Arye Elfenbein of Wildtype

What will it take to make enough fish from cells to feed the world? If so, what will it take to make enough fish from cells to feed the world? Find out from Co-Founder Arye Elfenbein of Wildtype on this episode of The Plantbased Business Hour with Elysabeth Alfano.  Specifically, they discuss: The benefit of cultivated fish over wild-caught or commercially farmed fish, How Wildtype procures their cell lines, What is the medium used for cell growth? How hard is it to scale, and Is FDA approval pending? Here is a short clip and transcript from their conversation. Podcast here. Display “Where Does Cultivated Fish Come From? Wildtype Co-Founder Arye Elfenbein Explains” from YouTube Click here to display content from YouTube. Learn more in YouTube’s privacy policy. …

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Omakaseed Vegan Sushi

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Food & Beverage

Omakaseed at Plant Bar Bringing Exclusive Vegan Sushi Experience to NYC

Omakaseed at Plant Bar, a new plant-based sushi concept, will open on April 30 to bring innovative vegan sushi to NYC’s NoMad neighborhood. Created by the team behind the successful Sushi by Bou restaurant brand, Omakaseed will offer intimate omakase-style dining, where all of the meal’s dishes are specially selected by the chef. “Transforming vegan sushi” Omakaseed is being launched as a joint partnership by NYC bistro Plant Bar, hospitality agency SimpleVenue and the Vegan Warrior Project, an organization that connects restaurant kitchens to plant-based delivery concepts.  Led by Michelin-starred chef Roberto Romero,  the seasonal sushi menu will feature plant-based Japanese-inspired dishes like Watermelon Tuna with Pickled Kelp, Vegan Nigiri, and Sunomo Style Pulled Oyster Mushroom Salad. “Each omakase course will incorporate eclectic global flavors,” …

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Wildtype raises $100 million

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Cultivated Seafood

Wildtype Raises $100 Million in Largest Ever Series B Round for Cultivated Seafood Company

Wildtype raises $100 million from investors including Leonardo DiCaprio to expand production capacity in preparation for market launch. San Francisco-based cultivated salmon startup Wildtype has raised $100 million in its Series B funding round. Led by L Catterton, the round is the largest ever for a cultivated seafood company. The list of investors includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Bezos Expeditions, Temasek, Cargill, several notable chefs and athletes, and more. The round takes the total amount raised by Wildtype to over $120 million. Wildtype says it will use the funding to expand production capacity. The startup is preparing for a market launch at fine dining restaurant partners as soon as its cultivated salmon gains regulatory approval from the FDA. Pilot plant Wildtype initially launched a preorder list in …

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Pokeworks

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Gastronomy & Food Service

Pokeworks Expanding Vegan Offerings with Trial of OmniPork’s Spam Musubi

As part of a continuing commitment to offer diverse protein options, Pokeworks, the world’s largest fast-casual poke chain, is partnering with leading plant-based pork supplier OmniFoods to trial vegan musubi.  Plant-based Spam  The two brands will collaborate on a test launch of new Omni Musubi – a recreation of Pokeworks’ popular Garlic Spam Musubi – in seven corporate restaurants in Irvine, CA, Seattle, Silicon Valley and New York City. Musubi is a lunch item consisting of grilled luncheon meat sandwiched with rice and wrapped in nori seaweed.  The first product of its kind, the OmniPork Luncheon is a plant-based pork protein meant to offer the same savory flavor and juicy texture as traditional SPAM. OmniPork Luncheon is made from non-GMO soy, peas, shiitake mushrooms and …

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founders of cultivated salmon company Wildtype

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Cultivated Seafood

Cultivated Salmon Producer Wildtype Announces Retail & Restaurant Partnerships Across USA

In what may be a first for the industry, US cultivated salmon producer Wildtype has announced distribution partnerships with SNOWFOX and Pokéworks. SNOWFOX operates sushi bars at 1,230 grocery locations across the US, while Pokéworks is a rapidly-growing fast-casual restaurant chain that currently has 65 locations. These partnerships will ultimately allow customers to sample Wildtype’s cultivated sushi-grade salmon for the first time. “We believe that people should have the option of fresh fish without the harmful metal toxins, microplastics, or antibiotics commonly found in seafood today,” co-founder and Chief Scientist Aryé Elfenbein told vegconomist earlier this year. However, Wildtype will need to significantly scale its production and gain regulatory approval from the FDA before a market launch is possible. The company took a step towards …

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Aryé Elfenbein Wildtype

Aryé Elfenbein ©Wildtype
Interviews

Wildtype: “Pioneering Cellular Agriculture to Grow Delicious Cuts of Sushi-Grade Salmon Outside of the Fish”

With recent reports showing that 78% of consumers are keen to try alt seafood, along with documentaries such as Seaspiracy making a real impact on global consciousness, alt seafood producers such as Wildtype, creators of cell-based salmon, are set for exponential growth as consumers look for more sustainable seafood options. After recently being announced as semifinalists in the next XPRIZE Foundation Challenge – Feed the Next Billion, Wildtype is one of many companies working on a sustainable alternative to overfishing and environmental destruction. The young startup recently unveiled a new pilot plant in San Francisco to develop its groundbreaking products. Vegconomist talked with Wildtype co-founder Aryé Elfenbein about how a cell-cultured future could help save our oceans. Can you give us Wildtype’s elevator pitch? Wildtype …

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XPrize

Image courtesy of XPrize

Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Umiami and BlueNalu Announced Among Semifinalists of XPRIZE Foundation Challenge – Feed the Next Billion

28 alt protein innovators from 14 countries have been announced as semifinalists for the next XPRIZE Foundation Challenge – Feed the Next Billion. The multi-year $15 million competition is aimed at reinventing how humanity will feed future generations. The semifinalist list reads like a “who’s-who” of the plant-based, cell-based, and fermentation-based alt protein sphere, as the startups compete to create a winning structured chicken breast or fish fillet analog that replicates or outperforms their animal-based counterparts. Fresh after its €2.3 million funding raise, French private label plant-based meat and fish specialist Umiami was selected, hoping to use its proprietary technology to convince the competition’s panel of judges with its technical submission. Cell-cultured fish pioneer BlueNalu has also been selected, with plans to enter a cell-cultured …

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Wildtype's cultivated salmon nigiri

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Cultivated, Cell-Cultured & Biotechnology

Wildtype Unveils “World’s First” Cell-Cultured Salmon Pilot Plant and Sushi Bar

Sushi-grade cell cultured salmon pioneer Wildtype has announced the opening of its new pilot plant in San Francisco. Claiming to be the first operational pilot plant in the world, the facility will be able to produce upwards of 200,000 pounds of cell-cultured seafood per year when at maximum capacity. “Our pilot plant will showcase the promise and wonder of growing fish fillets using cell cultivation” Designed by acclaimed architect Shuo Zhai, the first-of-its-kind facility will host an educational center to help people learn about the emerging industry of cellular agriculture, as well as a sushi bar for cell-cultured seafood tastings. Wildtype claims to be the first company in the cell-cultured seafood sphere to be growing salmon cells at a dedicated and scalable production facility, rather …

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Wildtype

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Startups, Accelerators & Incubators

Lab-Grown Salmon Startup Wildtype Launches Pre-Order List to Mark Latest Product Iteration

Wildtype, a US-based startup producing lab-grown salmon, has announced that it is hoping to partner with selected chefs to get its sushi-grade product on the menu. While the company may not be ready for commercial production for several years, its new pre-order list marks the latest iteration of its product.

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