Gourmey is a cell-based poultry startup working on lab-grown foie gras
Gourmey is a cell-based poultry startup working on lab-grown foie gras
Gourmey is a new French startup that raised a $10 million seed round in equity and debt recently. The startup is developing laboratory-grown meat from animal cells. The company is concentrating its efforts on poultry and hopes to persuade chefs to incorporate the company's products into their restaurants.
“We've been raising animals for 20,000 years,” Nicolas Morin-Forest, co-founder and CEO, told me. “We grow cells, which is significantly more efficient because you produce only what you consume.”
The other two co-founders, Victor Sayous and Antoine Davydoff, have backgrounds in molecular and cell biology. When they joined forces to form a startup, they began researching intensive livestock farming.
“Once you dip your toe in, you realize that this isn't just about animal welfare; it's also about the planet and humans,” Morin-Forest explained.
Gourmey is a member of a group of startups dedicated to developing meat alternatives and commercializing them. The first generation of startups aimed to replace traditional meat with plant-based alternatives placed a premium on plant-based alternatives. Among the more well-known examples are Beyond Meat and Livekindly Collective.
Recently, a new generation of startups, such as Eat Just, Mosa Meat, and Meatable, have focused on cell-based meat. Gourmey is France's first startup focused on lab-grown meat.
Gourmey, like other lab-grown meat startups, is based on stem cells. When the appropriate nutrients and temperature conditions are met, those cells mature in a bioreactor.
Gourmey Strategy
Gourmey is launching with a high-end product and distribution strategy. The startup has been working on cultivated foie gras, or, as they put it, foie gras that is not slaughtered. Replicating the flavor of foie gras is also a difficult task, which means Gourmey is setting high standards.
In some countries, foie gras has been stigmatized to the point of being removed from supermarket shelves. As a result, some individuals may be enticed by laboratory-grown foie gras. Gourmey hopes that chefs in particular will experiment with its first product and incorporate it into their upscale restaurants. Gourmey hopes to sell its product at a price point comparable to that of regular foie gras.
The idea is to scale the startup by launching more mass-market products. Once the company optimizes its production lines and there is sufficient demand for Gourmey's products, additional chicken and duck products are expected.
Before lab-grown startups can sell their products globally, there are a few regulatory hurdles to clear. Eat Singapore has only recently begun selling lab-grown meat, but it could be several years before cultivated meat is available in Europe, for example. Regulators of food safety will have to approve those new products.
Point Nine and Air Street Capital are co-leading Gourmey's $10 million seed round. Heartcore Capital, Partech, Big Idea Ventures, Eutopia, Ataraxia, and Beyond Investing are also investors, as are a number of angel investors. Additionally, Gourmey received assistance from public institutions such as Bpifrance and the European Commission.
“Cultivated meat is one of the most promising solutions for supplying the world with energy-efficient, sustainable proteins,” said Christoph Janz, managing partner of Point Nine. “However, taste parity will continue to be a critical factor in success. We have been blown away by Gourmey's delectable products and the company's ability to advance science and flavor at breakneck speed.”
The company intends to use this funding to establish a pilot production line in Paris. It anticipates being able to sell foie gras in late 2022 or early 2023.
