SWITZERLAND – Bühler Holding AG, a Swiss multinational plant equipment manufacturer, in a joint venture (JV) with Givaudan and Migros has launched Cultured Hub to support innovation in cultured foods.
Located in Kemptthal, Switzerland, the Cultured Hub is equipped with a product development lab, cell culture, and fermentation capabilities.
Companies and food startups coming to the hub will have access to facilities, technology, and expertise to support the scale-up of cultured meats, cultured fish, and seafood, as well as precision fermentation products.
Yannick Gächter will lead the Cultured Hub as Managing Director which is aimed at supporting and accelerating the large-scale development of fermentation and cultivated food products.
Ian Roberts, CTO at Bühler Group said: “We have broken ground on the future home for cultured food in the heart of Europe in Kemptthal, Switzerland.
“We have received the necessary approvals to form the joint venture and we have a Managing Director in place and are on track to be helping companies scale from early 2023.”
Roberts added that the Hub can enable start-ups to eliminate funding rounds to build small-scale facilities, thus avoiding equity dilution.
Furthermore, given the pressure on global supply chains, the JV can provide a ready-made solution that becomes delivery-time independent, he stated.
Fabio Campanile, Global Head of Science and Technology, Taste and Wellbeing at Givaudan commented that Givaudan brings in a wealth of knowledge in every aspect of taste and the development of meat alternatives and exceptional expertise in biotechnology and product development.
While Bühler contributes with industry-leading solutions applied in the scale-up and production of thousands of food products on a global level, at the same time Migros is known for its strong competence in customer interaction and the cultivation of markets.
In response to the challenges posed by climate change, increasingly depleted resources, and a growing global population expected to exceed 10 billion people by 2050, sustainable food cultivation is key to meeting these challenges, Bühler said.
With the combined exceptional knowledge, the JV will accelerate the development of a more sustainable food system and enables it to penetrate the market of high-quality alternative food products.
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