Thailand’s Betagro to invest in Dutch cultivated-meat company Meatable

NETHERLANDS – Betagro, a major player in Thailand’s meat industry, is investing in Meatable, a Netherlands-based company specializing in lab-grown meat.

Details of the financial arrangement have not been disclosed.

The funding is being channeled through Betagro Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of the Thai group.

This will be the first time an Asian meat company has backed Meatable, which develops cultured meat products derived from animal cells. 

Meatable described the investment as a “landmark achievement” and an important step in its mission to transform protein production in response to growing global demand for meat.

The collaboration is expected to accelerate Meatable’s expansion into Asia, with both companies exploring joint projects. 

Jeff Tripician, Meatable’s CEO, described the partnership as a key opportunity to bring lab-grown meat to consumers in Asia.

“This investment reflects interest from established food companies like Betagro in supporting innovative approaches for a sustainable food future. With Betagro’s extensive knowledge of the Asian market and its network, we anticipate rapid progress in making cultivated meat accessible in the region,” Tripician said.

Meatable says its proprietary Opti-ox stem cell technology enables the production of pork and beef with taste, texture, and nutritional properties comparable to conventional meat. 

The company claims this process can create high-quality meat without requiring animal slaughter.

Meatable, which uses pig cells to produce items like pork sausages and dumplings, recently opened a larger facility in Leiden, Netherlands. 

The 3,300-square-meter site at the Bio Science Park has quadrupled the company’s bioreactor capacity from 50 liters to 200 liters, with plans to scale up to 500 liters for increased production and testing. 

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