The Cultivated B. expands cellular agriculture operations to Canada with facility

BURLINGTON, Ontario. October 27, 2022 – The Cultivated B. (TCB), the bioengineering company that provides access to plant-based and cell-based alternative protein sources, announces the opening of its Canadian manufacturing facility and innovation hub. Alongside this opening, TCB is implementing the necessary infrastructure to scale up cellular agriculture production through a strategic partnership with Ontario Genomics, a not-for-profit organization funded by the Ontario government and Genome Canada, and leading the application of genomics-based solutions. TCB is working closely with the Canadian government to shape the policies around cellular agriculture production and drive forward economic development within this field.

Since 2019, Ontario Genomics has been driving the growth of the cellular agriculture community in Ontario and Canada. In November 2021, Ontario Genomics was responsible for a report Cellular Agriculture – Canada’s $12.5 Billion Opportunity in Food Innovation featuring extensive stakeholder input and economic analysis. The report found that the cellular agriculture industry is rapidly evolving and presents the opportunity for Canadian revenues to go as high as $12.5 billion per year with the creation of up to 142,000 jobs. To achieve this, the country must develop a national vision and strategy for the Canadian cellular agriculture industry in the near term, establish a clear and transparent regulatory framework for cellular agriculture products in Canada, and provide supporting mechanisms for research and commercial development. On October 6th, TCB and Ontario Genomics signed a memorandum of understanding to drive forward this vision of developing the cellular agriculture ecosystem within Ontario. With this projection and support from the government, Canada is an ideal location for TCB’s expansion, complementing the company’s Heidelberg research and development center. 

On October 27th, TCB will host a red ribbon event at the facility to celebrate its opening with the backing and support of many Canadian officials. Attending the opening will be most prominently the Minister of Economic Development of Ontario, Vic Fedeli; Member of Provincial Parliament for Burlington, Natalie Pierre; the Mayor of Burlington, Marianne Meed Ward; Trade Commissioner and Senior Investment Counselor at Government of Canada, Detlef Engler, members of the Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), Invest in Canada, Halton Region, Toronto Global, and additional congressional representatives.

Located in Burlington, Ontario, the new manufacturing facility is 130,000 square feet, covering three floors. The facility will develop and produce bioreactors from 500 ml ranging up to 25,000 liters, as well as photobioreactors and high-precision devices for cellular agriculture and precision fermentation. This will enable other businesses to produce alternative proteins at an industrial scale, whether that is in the cultivated meat, pharmaceutical, or cosmetic industries. TCB has a budget of over $50 million CAN to invest in this facility and estimates it will have over two hundred employees within Canada in the next year.

In collaboration with Ontario Genomics, approx 20,000 sqft area of the building will be dedicated to growing an innovation hub, providing smaller and mid-size cellular agriculture and other biotech companies with access to laboratory space, bioreactors and, if needed, mentorship, to test and scale up their products. Enabling access to the necessary and expensive infrastructure that will help shape the landscape of the cellular agriculture industry within Canada and drive forward further growth. 

The facility will further house PreFer Industries, a subsidiary of The Cultivated B., focusing on the development of alternative, particularly plant-based protein sources through precision fermentation. PreFer Industries will keep the production of key plant-based resources within Canada and produce them with the desired proteins to optimize their use. This technology will transform a low-value resource, like grains, into something of high value.

“Canada, and specifically Ontario, has an opportunity to be at the forefront of a transformative industry. Our partnership with TCB will support biotechnology startups as they scale up their capacity to produce much needed foods and ingredients,” says Bettina Hamelin, President and CEO at Ontario Genomics. “There is undeniable growing consumer demand and huge industry momentum for these new and innovative products. This partnership is a critical next step for Canada to act on a window of opportunity to enhance resiliency in food supply chains while meeting common food security and sustainability goals.”

“Cells are essentially machines, and we are redesigning cells and plants to have them operate in the exact way we desire. Our new facility in Canada is a massive leap forward and a driving force behind this next industrial revolution,” says Raphael Heiner, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of The Cultivated B. “We are striving to use natural resources more efficiently, and our innovation hub will support other businesses working toward the same goal.”

“This facility in Canada is more than just a production site. Alongside the development and production of pioneering technology and bioreactors, we want to help other enterprises in the cellular agriculture and pharmaceutical industry flourish,” says Hamid R. Noori, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of The Cultivated B. “Our innovation hub, in particular, will help shape the landscape for cellular agriculture in the country and fill a major gap that we saw. We have aligned our goals with the government and Ontario Genomics, and I look forward to seeing how we will drive forward innovation and economic development together.”

“This is excellent news for the research and innovation sectors in Burlington and Ontario,” says Natalie Pierre, MPP for Burlington. “This important investment will help companies locally and across Canada compete on a global scale in the Bio-Technology field while promoting agricultural sustainability, and economic development by providing highly-skilled jobs.”

“The arrival of The Cultivated B is tremendous news for our city,” Marianne Meed Ward, the  Burlington Mayor. “Once again, Burlington is being chosen by forward-thinking, innovative companies because of our strategic location, top talent, connectivity, and our quality of life that is second to none. The Cultivated B. will create more than 200 jobs in our city, and their plans to open an innovation hub at their facility will put Burlington on the map as a premier destination for Bio-Technology. I am thrilled to officially welcome The Cultivated B. to Burlington.”

For additional details find Toronto Global’s statement here: https://torontoglobal.ca/about-us/News/2022/The-Cultivated-B-Opens-130,000-Square-Foot-Facili