DELFT, THE NETHERLANDS — Cultivated meat producer Meatable and plant-based food company Love Handle announced a partnership to build the Future of Meat innovation center in Singapore. At the new center, the two food manufacturers will collaborate to develop hybrid meat products, using cultivated meat and plant-based ingredients.

“We’re delighted to announce this partnership with Love Handle to build the world’s first innovation center for hybrid cultivated meat products,” said Krijn de Nood, co-founder and chief executive officer of Meatable. “Ken Kuguru and the Love Handle team are the number one specialists in plant-based meat and have built an incredible business focusing on transforming perceptions of alternative proteins. Not only are they the best partner to help us develop an excellent hybrid product because of this extensive knowledge, but they also share our vision to satisfy the world’s growing appetite for meat without harming the environment, animals or people.”

Meatable and Love Handle plan to open the new center in 2023. Combined, the companies are investing $6 million in the project and will employ up to 10 employees locally. Through the Future of Meat innovation center, the companies plan to commercialize their created hybrid products, with the expectation to have a range including dumplings, pulled pork, pork belly, meatballs, cold cuts and patties. They hope to bring the products to local restaurants in Singapore in 2024 and to supermarkets in 2025. 

“This is a really exciting moment for Love Handle,” said Ken Kuguru, co-founder and CEO of Love Handle. “As Asia’s first plant-based butcher, we’re creating products and services so that people no longer need to make a choice between delicious meat and being kind to the planet. The new innovation center we’re setting up with Meatable will help us develop new hybrid and plant-based meat products as well as provide a space for existing plant-based players to further drive innovation in the food industry. We’re looking forward to working closely with Meatable and for consumers to be able to try these new and exciting products as early as next year.”

In addition to the Future of Meat innovation center, Meatable has invested in preparations to commercialize its products through the Singapore market as soon as possible. With Singapore being the first country to approve cultivated meat in 2020, Meatable entered into a partnership with ESCO Aster, a company with regulatory approval to produce cultivated meat. Together they will produce Meatable’s pork products.

Through the ESCO Aster and Love Handle partnerships, Meatable will invest over €60 million ($62 million) in the commercialization of cultivated meat in the global market and will employ more than 50 people over the next five years.