Meatly Raises £10.4 Million for Europe's Largest Bioreactor Facility

Meatly, a pioneering company in the cultivated meat sector and the first in Europe to commercialize such products, has announced a significant Series A funding round, raising £10.4 million. This capital is earmarked to support the ambitious project of constructing a bioreactor facility in London, which, with a capacity of 20,000 liters, will be the largest of its kind on the European continent.

This investment underscores the growing confidence in the potential of cultivated meat as a sustainable solution for food production. Since its launch in 2022, Meatly has focused on overcoming the key technical and economic challenges that have historically hindered the scalability and accessibility of this technology, paving the way for more efficient and cost-effective production.

Technological and Commercial Progress

The company has demonstrated remarkable progress in reducing production costs, a critical factor for the large-scale commercialization of cultivated meat. In 2024, Meatly announced it had lowered the cost of its chemically defined, protein-free medium to just £0.22 per liter, an industry-leading value. The following year, in 2025, the company further improved efficiency by reducing bioreactor costs by approximately tenfold.

These technical developments have enabled Meatly to achieve significant commercial milestones. After obtaining regulatory authorization in 2024, the company made history in 2025 by selling the world's first cultivated pet food. This success not only validates the feasibility of the technology but also opens new perspectives for the application of cultivated meat beyond direct human consumption.

Strategic Vision and Investor Support

The new funding, which brings the total capital raised to £17.4 million (including £7 million in seed funding from Agronomics and Pets at Home), comes from a consortium of investors including Oyster Bay Venture Capital, Clean Growth Fund, and JamJar Investments. This financial support is seen as a strong vote of confidence not only for Meatly but for the entire UK foodtech and biotech ecosystem.

Owen Ensor, CEO of Meatly, articulated his vision, stating that the company's primary goal is "to make commercially viable cultivated meat a reality." He emphasized how the team has systematically worked to reduce key costs and build a strong technical foundation for growth, declaring the company ready to scale production with its own industry-leading technology. Connor Duffy of Clean Growth Fund added that "rethinking how we produce protein is an essential part of tackling the climate crisis," highlighting how Meatly is demonstrating the possibility of producing real meat cost-competitively and with a significantly lower environmental impact. Elise Schumacher of Oyster Bay Venture Capital concluded that Meatly is "laying the foundations for an entirely new protein category."

Future Prospects and Industry Impact

The immediate commencement of fit-out work for the new London facility marks a crucial step towards achieving Meatly's objectives. With the first product releases expected in 2027, the company is preparing to solidify its leadership position in the emerging cultivated meat market. The production capacity of the new facility will be essential to meet growing demand and to demonstrate the industrial scalability of this innovative technology.

This development not only strengthens Meatly's position but also contributes to shaping the future of the food sector, offering sustainable and ethical alternatives to traditional meat production. The focus on costs, scalability, and environmental impact positions Meatly as a key player in the transition towards more resilient and responsible food systems.