Israeli company acquires Belgian lab-meat producer
Israeli company Meat-Tech 3D announced this week that it has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the share capital of Peace of Meat PV, a pioneering Belgian producer of cultured avian products, for EUR 15 million in a combination of cash and Meat-Tech ordinary shares. The Company believes that it will be able to leverage Peace of Meat's technologies, including through novel hybrid food products, to expedite market entry while Meat-Tech develops an industrial process for cultivating and producing real meat using 3D bioprinting technology, without harming animals. The acquisition is expected to close in the coming weeks, subject to customary closing conditions.
Peace of Meat has developed a proprietary, stem-cell-based bioreactor technology for cultivating animal fats from chicken and ducks, without harming animals. It has conducted a number of taste tests, demonstrating the potential that its cultured fat has to enhance the taste of plant-based protein products. The technology's first expected application is in hybrid food products, combining plant-based protein with cultured animal fat, designed to provide meat analogues with qualities of "meatiness" (taste and texture) closer to that of conventional meat products. Meat-Tech estimates that the first hybrid products based on Peace of Meat technology could hit the market as early as 2022.
Pursuant to the acquisition agreement, Meat-Tech will pay half of the consideration immediately, with the payment of the balance subject to Peace of Meat complying with preset technological milestones over a period of two years, that were designed to scale up cultured fat production capabilities in preparation for market entry. To that end, it was agreed that Peace of Meat's management will continue in place to lead the development process.
"In an industry that is working towards a kinder, more sustainable planet, joining forces makes us stronger together. Peace of Meat has developed a powerful system for upscaled cultured biomass production and together with Meat-Tech we intend to accelerate product development toward commercialization. While Peace of Meat's core activity remains focused on the production of tasty, cultured fat as a B2B ingredient for meat alternatives, we see tremendous opportunity in jointly building a leading food-tech enterprise with Meat-Tech, based on a cellular platform. As entrepreneurs, we are excited about this acquisition as it poses a novel way of building and growing a company while significantly increasing the prospects of launching our product into the market," announced both Co-Founders of Peace of Meat, David Brandes and Dirk von Heinrichshorst.
This acquisition is consistent with Meat-Tech's growth strategy, aiming to streamline development processes and expand the Company's product range to penetrate cultured meat technology markets as quickly as possible. Meat-Tech is working to create synergy and added value for food manufacturers in the advanced production of cultured meat, while sustaining animal welfare and meeting the growing global demand for meat.
"Meat-Tech's novel technology for producing meat using 3D printing is gaining increasing international recognition. Boosted by our acquisition strategy, we believe we can turn Meat-Tech into a leading global center and home for innovative and groundbreaking cell-based food solutions that are both healthy and environmentally friendly. The combination of Peace of Meat's human capital and technology make this acquisition a significant step in that direction. I am pleased that both management teams share a common vision and strategy, and can join forces to advance the development of cultured food products with the potential to create real alternatives in the global meat market," declared Sharon Fima, Meat-Tech's CEO.
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