The Cultured Hub in Kemptthal launches in the gateway of Europe for cultured foods

A new milestone of The Cultured Hub located in The Valley in Kemptthal near Zurich is now complete, it has been reported at the Bühler Networking Days 2022 customer event being held over the past two days. The joint venture was agreed by Swiss companies Givaudan, Bühler, and Migros in 2021 with the aim of supporting and accelerating the large-scale development of fermentation and cultivated food products.

The joint venture intends to provide answers to some of the most pressing issues concerning the food industry. The aim of the self-sustained enterprise, which is wholly owned by Givaudan, Bühler, and Migros, is to provide other companies with facilities, technology, and expertise to support the scale-up of cultured meats, cultured fish, and seafood, as well as precision fermentation products.

Equipped with a product development lab, cell culture, and fermentation capabilities, The Cultured Hub will help start-ups to develop market-ready products, accelerating our journey to readily available, sustainable, healthy, and affordable meat.

“We have broken ground on the future home for cultured food in the heart of Europe in Kemptthal, Switzerland," commented Ian Roberts, CTO at Bühler Group. "We have received the necessary approvals to form the joint venture and we have a Managing Director in place and are on track to be helping companies scale from early 2023. The first companies are booking time and facilities."

“The Hub can enable start-ups to eliminate funding rounds to build small-scale facilities, thus avoiding equity dilution. Furthermore, given the pressure on global supply chains, this means we can provide a ready-made solution that becomes delivery-time independent,” Roberts continued.

“Givaudan brings in a wealth of knowledge in every aspect of taste and the development of meat alternatives and exceptional expertise in biotechnology and product development," added Fabio Campanile, Global Head of Science and Technology, Taste and Wellbeing at Givaudan. "Bühler contributes with industry-leading solutions applied in the scale-up and production of thousands of food products on a global level, while Migros is known for its strong competence in customer interaction and the cultivation of markets."

It is suggested that Switzerland will play an important role in the evolution of cellular agriculture products. “We see Switzerland as the gateway to Europe when it comes to the development of cultured foods," stated Matthew Robin, CEO, ELSA-Mifroma Group at Migros Industries. "The location of The Cultured Hub is ideal for this exciting pioneering venture. We can now start building the necessary infrastructure and acquiring clients."

Yannick Gächter, who currently leads the project, introduced The Cultured Hub at the Bühler Networking Days 2022 customer event held yesterday and today. Gächter will lead The Cultured Hub after its formation as Managing Director. “With the launch date coming closer we are excited to make an important contribution towards the planet’s future sustainable food system," he said.

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