Memphis Meats Inc., a Leandro, CA-based company that is developing technology to grow meat in a lab using self-reproducing animal cells recently received a financial boost. In a statement on the company’s Facebook page on Aug. 23, the company reported that $17 million had been raised to make clean meat a reality. The capital came from a diverse coalition of individuals and organizations including Cargill, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Kimbal Musk, and two venture capitalist firms, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Atomico. “This powerful and diverse coalition will help us achieve the impact we seek: saving animals, helping the environment and protecting human well-being.” wrote Memphis Meats.” Asked how the investment aligns with Cargill’s current meat products, Sonya Roberts, president, growth strategies and strategic pricing, Cargill Protein, told WLJ, “We are committed to growing our traditional protein businesses such that we have invested $600 million in our traditional businesses recently. We are also interested in exploring new opportunities for future growth. This investment in Memphis Meats is really about broadening our portfolio to bring a full basket of goods—and protein choice—to our customers and consumers.” She went on to say, “We remain committed to growing our traditional protein business while exploring additional opportunities as they arise.”
