Why the UK is the right choice for technologies in the “future of food” supply chain
By Sofia Giampaoli, founder of Cell Farm
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As you may know, meat is engrained in Argentinean culture. Growing up, I would consume meat but could not fully enjoy it because of the impact I knew it had on the animals. When older, I understood the environmental issues that animal husbandry has, especially in Latin America, in the Amazon, and in the Argentine forests since we are world meat producers and exporters. As an engineer, I like solving problems and finding solutions. When I realized that all the talking about climate change led to a lack of real action and solutions, I set my mind to work.
In 2013, when I found out about cultured meat technology and all the challenges to overcome, I decided to make this my life project. At that moment in Latin America, nobody was working on this technology, but a region that produces so much food for the entire world cannot lose track of the future of food and its implications.
Because of my belief that companies can be one of the best vehicles to make massive positive impacts on the planet, I decided to take action and founded Cell Farm — Latin America´s first cultured meat start-up. Cultured meat, which is meat grown from animal stem cells, is a sustainable alternative to animal farming. There are four main components of cultured meat: cell lines, cultured medium, scaffolding, and bioreactors. Each area has its particular challenges for cultured meat to become mainstream. Today, there is a lack of access to validated cell lines from popular food species, so there is a barrier to research and upscaling progress in the field. Not only that, but there is an issue of cost and scale. Cell Farm is addressing all of it to make a positive global impact.
We are developing a stem cell bank solution to enable the production of cultured meat at scale in a cost-effective way working with the best Argentinean bovine genetics. This means the market can continue to have the best meat, but no animal is harmed in the process.
When we secured our first investor, a biotech fund from Buenos Aires, we had the means to look to the world. As this is a global issue, it would only make sense to find the most advanced markets for this new technology.
The conversation about cultured meat in Europe has been going on for a while. In 2013, the first-ever lab-grown burger was showcased at a news conference in London. Produced by a lab from the Netherlands, the burger was cooked by chef Richard McGeown, from Cornwall, and tasted by food critics.
Researching in Europe, I learned about SHAKE — an accelerator in the UK working with start-ups that focused on tech-based projects in the areas of agriculture to combat climate change. They support start-ups like Cell Farm with funding, training, business and science experts advice to take your company to the next level.
Furthermore, I found the UK has a specific programme for tech businesses: the Global Entrepreneur Programme (GEP). Promoted by the UK Government, GEP offers mentoring and business support to non-UK-based entrepreneurs and helps them set up and scale their business from a UK headquarters.
I reached out to the British Embassy in Argentina and was introduced to their local Department for International Trade (DIT) team. They supported me to enter the GEP while also helping Cell Farm contact relevant venture capitals and universities for technical collaborations
With all this support available, the UK was the best option to achieve Cell Farm’s vision more effectively.
From the UK to the world, Cell Farm will keep on powering the cultured meat revolution and helping Humanity achieve a sustainable future by transforming the food system.
