BeneMeat opens scale-up talks with Shimadzu after senior Japan delegation visits Prague

BeneMeat has hosted a senior delegation from Shimadzu Corporation at its Prague laboratories, opening discussions around cultivated meat production, analytical technologies and the engineering needed to take cell-based manufacturing to industrial scale.

• Shimadzu Managing Executive Officer Masami Tomita joined the delegation visiting BeneMeat in Prague
• Discussions covered scale-up, automation, process control, analytical technology and 3D bioprinting
• BeneMeat is extending its engagement with Japan through BioJapan 2026 and the Japan Cell-Ag-READY Dialogue

The delegation included Masami Tomita, Managing Executive Officer of Shimadzu Corporation in Japan, alongside representatives from the company's European operations. Shimadzu selected BeneMeat as one of its key customers in the Czech Republic to introduce to the visiting Japanese delegation.

The relationship already has a practical foundation. BeneMeat uses several Shimadzu analytical and chromatography instruments in its laboratories, giving the two companies an established connection as discussions move into wider areas of biotechnology and industrial production.

During the visit, Shimadzu representatives toured BeneMeat's laboratories and were introduced to the Czech company's work across the cultivated meat production chain.

That includes cell line and culture media development, bioprocessing, analytical methods and quality control, as well as automation, software, production scale-up and final product development. BeneMeat now has more than 150 experts working across its technology platform.

The meeting also gave the companies an opportunity to discuss the challenges that emerge as biotechnology moves from research into industrial production, particularly around sterile manufacturing, automation and process control.

"Japan has an exceptionally strong combination of biotechnology, precision engineering and industrial know-how. We see an opportunity to combine these strengths with the practical industrial experience that BeneMeat has built in Europe. Industrial-scale cultivated meat production requires sterile manufacturing and specialized process control, areas in which Japanese industry has a high level of expertise," said Veronika Juřicová, Deputy CEO, Japan, BeneMeat.

Shimadzu's involvement in cellular agriculture extends beyond supplying laboratory equipment. The Japanese company is developing analytical technologies and edible cell-culture media for the sector and participates in the Consortium for Future Innovation by Cultured Meat.

Discussions in Prague consequently extended into 3D bioprinting, production automation and other technologies that could play a role as cultivated meat manufacturing develops.

The Shimadzu visit comes just days after BeneMeat hosted a senior delegation from Austrian bioprocess engineering company ZETA at its Prague production and development facility.

That meeting, led by ZETA Managing Director Alfred Marchler, focused on industrial bioprocessing, production scale-up and potential areas for closer technical cooperation. Together, the visits show BeneMeat increasing its engagement with established technology and engineering companies as its platform moves further toward industrial production.

BeneMeat's technology has already moved into commercial use in pet food.

The company became the first in the European Union to register production of cultivated meat as a feed material for pet food. Its cultivated meat is now used in Coolty Meat, a complete wet dog food launched by Italian pet food brand FORZA10 at Interzoo in May.

The monoprotein formulation contains 26% cultivated meat supplied by BeneMeat and was introduced by FORZA10 as the world's first commercially launched complete wet dog food containing cultivated meat.

BeneMeat has also been extending its work beyond pet food. The company has submitted a UK novel food application covering cultivated meat for human consumption, although it said in September that further progress with its UK expansion plans had been put on hold while it waits for clarity over the proposed UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement.

Japan is becoming another focus for its international activity.

BeneMeat is due to exhibit at BioJapan 2026 in Yokohama, where CEO Roman Kříž will also speak. The company will then participate in the Foodtech Co-Creation Seminar with Hokkaido's Food Industry in Sapporo, a related event of the Japan Cell-Ag-READY Dialogue 2026.

BeneMeat is attending the seminar at the invitation of Megumi Avigail Yoshitomi of the Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture. It is being co-organized by the Hokkaido Bureau of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Japan Association for Cellular Agriculture.

The meetings add a Japanese dimension to BeneMeat's recent push to connect its cell-cultivation work with the analytical systems, process engineering and manufacturing capabilities required outside the laboratory.

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