Ivy Farm & Synbio Powerlabs sign agreement to scale and produce cultivated meat at the world's largest cultivated meat and precision fermentation facility in Lappeenranta, Finland

Oxford & Helsinki: Synbio Powerlabs Oy and Ivy Farm Technologies Ltd., the UK’s leading cultivated meat company, have announced a new, groundbreaking scale-up and manufacturing partnership aimed at pioneering the use of mammalian cells in large food-grade fermenters at Synbio’s new cutting edge hub.  

With the support of a €2.99 million grant from the Finnish government, Synbio Powerlabs is transforming a large food-grade facility close to the capital of Helsinki into a cutting-edge multi-purpose haven for food innovation, positioning Finland as a centre of excellence for alt-proteins.  

The new facility, which will go live in early 2025, has been designed to help scale the production capabilities of start-ups operating in innovative industries such as precision fermentation, biomass fermentation and cultivated meat. The facility has pilot scale equipment and production scales at 10,000L and 27,000L and will boast 6X250,000L manufacturing vessels, which, once opened, will make it the largest facility of its kind in the world.  

As part of this exclusive partnership, Ivy Farm will be the first to demonstrate the scalability of mammalian cells in food-grade vessels at this level of output.  For Ivy Farm, this partnership offers a strategic advantage, mitigating capex costs and risks associated with scaling up production by gaining access to Synbio Powerlabs' expertise and existing facilities. This next phase of the partnership will focus on tech transfer and scaling up to 10,000L fermenters, with plans to push the envelope on production scales and efficiencies over the coming years.

First ever cultivated beef tasting in the Nordic region

The new partnership was publicly announced at Iceland Innovation Week on Thursday, where Ivy Farm co-hosted the first ever tasting of cultivated beef in the Nordics with ORF Genetics, a producer of recombinant animal growth factors derived from barley seeds. The event was attended by Icelandic government officials as well as other food innovators and tech leaders, where Ivy Farm’s cultivated premium Angus beef was showcased with an exclusive tasting for a selected few, cooked by leading chef Ólafur Örn Ólafsson from Brút Restaurant.

The Nordic region represents a promising region for cultivated meat, where forward thinking consumers and regulators are seeking to streamline regulatory approvals to boost national food security and unlock the economic potential of cultivated meat. These regions, much like other innovative and food insecure regions such as the Middle East, are high net-importers of meat but have an abundance of renewable energy and tech expertise to take advantage of the high tech cultivated meat opportunity.

Commenting on the partnership, Richard Dillon, CEO at Ivy Farm Technologies: "The partnership with Synbio Powerlabs represents a significant milestone for Ivy Farm and our ambitions to scale cultivated meat. By leveraging Synbio Powerlabs' expertise and cutting-edge facilities, we are de-risking our scale-up journey with a CAPEX light approach. Ivy Farm is committed to partnering with fermentation experts and licensing our technology in order to accelerate the transition to cultivated meat globally.  

Alejandro Antalich, Chairman of Synbio Powerlabs, added: “Through this partnership with Ivy Farm Technologies, we aim to pioneer a new frontier in high-quality food manufacturing by harnessing the potential of mammalian cells within large fermenters, offering sustainable solutions that meet the growing demands of a rapidly expanding population. 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.  

“With the support of Clingate Oy and the Finnish government, we are proud to lead the charge in transforming our vision into reality, positioning ourselves as a global leader in food innovation. Together with Ivy Farm Technologies, we are committed to pushing the boundaries of what is possible and shaping the future of food.”   

About Ivy Farm Technologies:  

Ivy Farm Technologies is an innovative cultivated meat company on a mission to create guilt-free, real meat to tackle one of the world’s biggest polluters - industrial agriculture - and to help the world reach its net-zero goals. Initially spun out of Oxford University, the company has unique technology that enables it to tackle the scale-up and cost down challenges of the industry.  

About Synbio Powerlabs:  

Synbio Powerlabs is a renowned leader in the field of synthetic biology with headquarters in Finland, dedicated to harnessing the transformative power of genetic engineering, metabolic engineering, and innovation to tackle the world's most pressing challenges. With a focus on sustainability, strategic collaborations, research partnerships, and continuous innovation, Synbio Powerlabs is driving the development of next-generation biotechnologies that have the potential to revolutionize industries and improve lives. It employs state-of-the-art technologies and cutting-edge methodologies to design and optimize biological systems with enhanced functionalities and novel capabilities for a wide range of industrial applications.   

About Clingate Oy  

Clingate is a pioneering company based in Lappeenranta, Finland at the forefront of managing industrial infrastructure dedicated to precision fermentation and beyond. Nestled within one of the largest precision fermentation facilities in the world, Clingate serves as a dynamic Hub, fostering innovation and collaboration among a diverse array of companies, from established enterprises to burgeoning startups. The facility ensures optimal conditions for advanced fermentation techniques and related industrial processes. Clingate acts as a catalyst for progress in the fields of biotechnology, bioengineering, and industrial fermentation. By providing a world-class infrastructure backbone and a collaborative environment, Clingate propels companies and projects towards success, driving the next wave of advancements in precision fermentation and beyond.