GEA and Believer Meats join forces to scale up cultivated meat production

Cultivated meat producer Believer Meats has signed a partnership agreement with GEA, a supplier of production-scale equipment and systems to the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries. The partners will co-develop technologies and processes to improve the unit economics and sustainability of cultivated meat production.

The companies plan to focus on optimising the performance, efficiency and environmental impact of cultivated meat production, starting with chicken and expanding to other products. Their collaboration is designed to drive advancements in bioreactor technology, perfusion systems and media rejuvenation while reducing environmental impact through optimised water usage, power consumption and circular economy initiatives like waste stream utilisation. Together, the two companies aim to lower production costs, streamline technology transfer and scale operations to make cultivated meat more affordable and accessible.

Salad with cultivated chicken. Image source: Believer Meats.

Gustavo Burger, CEO of Believer, said, “The partnership with GEA will help maximise production yields efficiently and sustainably, which are top priorities for Believer. The cultivated meat industry is forging a new path that has never been travelled. We are thrilled to partner with GEA and are very optimistic about the future.”

Stefan Klebert, CEO of GEA, said, “We share Believer’s vision that cell cultivation technology is the key to making safe, healthy meat broadly available and affordable. We are excited to partner with Believer in the development and scale-up of their operations — a collaboration aligned with our purpose: ‘Engineering for a better world’.”

The Believer Meats and GEA partnership also seeks to establish joint commercial ventures that will accelerate the growth of the cultivated meat industry globally.

Believer is currently constructing a cultivated meat production facility (pictured) in North Carolina in the US, featuring an innovation centre and tasting kitchen. Set to be operational at the beginning of 2025, the facility will have the capacity to produce at least 12,000 tonnes of cultivated chicken annually.

GEA will develop and commission proprietary bioreactors for Believer’s cell-cultivation technology, designed to achieve high cell densities and yields. Central to this collaboration is Believer’s centrifuge-based perfusion and cell media rejuvenation process for its cell lines, which is designed to optimise cell performance while saving water, nutrients and resources. This process reduces production costs by removing by-products and enabling media reuse.

The companies will further collaborate on process improvements, equipment optimisation and scaling innovations to support the large-scale production of cultivated meat.

Top image caption: In Wilson, North Carolina, Believer Meats’ production plant is set to open in 2025. Image source: Believer Meats.