Finnebrogue, one of the UK’s leading food producers, has announced plans to collaborate with cell-based meat company Ivy Farm Technologies, to create one of the “world’s first” commercially available cell-based wagyu beef burgers.
The new partnership will see the two companies work together to produce cell-based wagyu beef burgers once the industry is given the regulatory green light.
Finnebrogue has its own world-class herd of wagyu cattle on its estate in County Down, Northern Ireland – cells from the herd are currently being cultivated by Ivy Farm. The company’s traditional wagyu beef burger was named the UK’s best burger of the year by Which? magazine in 2022.
Finnebrogue says that Ivy Farm’s cell-based meat process will enable it to “explore a new way of meeting the growing demand for its wagyu products, creating tonnes of delicious meat with a smaller carbon footprint”.
The process of creating the cell-based wagyu beef burger involves taking cells from Finnebrogue’s herd and cultivating them in fermentation tanks at Ivy Farm’s facility in Oxford, UK, where it is then harvested.
The wagyu cells will join Ivy Farm’s existing product range, which includes British pork and Aberdeen Angus beef. The two companies say that future innovations could include cell-based meat from Finnebrogue’s premium venison.
Jago Pearson, chief strategy officer at Finnebrogue, said: “Our task is always to make food that is nutritious, delicious and sustainable for food-loving consumers up and down the land – and so we are excited to strike a partnership with Ivy Farm that will allow us to explore the future potential of cultivated meat…In time, we are excited to help realise the potential this may bring in producing sustainable food that can feed a growing global population.”
Rich Dillon, CEO at Ivy Farm, added: “Appetite from consumers for sustainable and delicious meat has never been higher. This new collaboration with Finnebrogue showcases how cultivated meat can work with traditional farming, helping to reduce the pressure on producers to intensify operations to meet growing demand, while boosting consumer choice.”
He continued: “In Finnebrogue we have found a partner who has a long history and track record of producing premium products that do not compromise on taste and quality”.
