Meatable

Meatable, a Dutch food technology company, was established in 2018 by Krijn de Nood, Daan Luining, and Dr. Mark Kotter. The founding team combines deep expertise in biotechnology and business strategy. Luining is a pioneer in the cultivated meat sector, having co-developed the first lab-grown burger in 2013, while de Nood brings extensive commercial experience from his time at McKinsey & Company. The company's mission is to satisfy the global appetite for meat without the associated environmental and animal welfare drawbacks of conventional livestock farming.

The company's core business revolves around its patented Opti-ox™ technology, which enables the rapid cultivation of real meat from a single animal cell. This process uses pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), which can differentiate into both muscle and fat cells, creating a product with a taste and texture profile comparable to traditional meat. A key advantage of this technology is its speed, allowing the production of cultivated pork in as little as four days, a significant reduction from previous timelines. The process also eliminates the need for fetal bovine serum (FBS), a common and controversial component in cellular agriculture, and does not require antibiotics or hormones.

Meatable operates on a B2B model, aiming to become a technology and raw material provider to the existing meat industry rather than a direct-to-consumer brand. The strategy involves licensing its technology to food manufacturers, restaurant chains, and retailers, allowing them to integrate cultivated meat into their supply chains. This asset-light approach focuses on generating revenue through licensing fees and royalties, which are then reinvested into further research and development. The company's initial products include cultivated pork sausages and dumplings, which may be offered as hybrid items containing both cultivated and plant-based ingredients.

Since its inception, Meatable has secured significant funding, raising over $100 million across several rounds from a diverse group of investors, including strategic partners, venture capital firms, and government agencies. Key investors include DSM Venturing, Agronomics, Invest-NL, and Betagro Ventures. These funds are directed towards scaling up production, reducing costs to achieve price parity with conventional meat, and navigating the regulatory landscape. Meatable has made notable progress, holding the first legally approved cultivated meat tasting in the European Union in April 2024. The company is targeting commercial launch in Singapore and plans to enter the U.S. market, pending regulatory approvals.

Keywords: cultivated meat, cellular agriculture, food technology, Meatable, sustainable protein, lab-grown meat, Opti-ox technology, pluripotent stem cells, Krijn de Nood, Daan Luining, B2B food ingredients, food production, meat alternative, biotechnology, cultivated pork, sustainable food, food innovation, cell-based meat, agritech, alternative protein, food manufacturing