UPSIDE Foods Hosts First Public Tour of its Cultivated Meat Production Facility

BERKELEY, Calif., March 7, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- UPSIDE Foods (formerly Memphis Meats), the leading company in the cultivated meat, poultry, and seafood industry, hosted the first public tour of its Engineering, Production, and Innovation Center (EPIC) in Emeryville, CA, today. This is part of a broader effort to introduce consumers to cultivated meat and its ability to offer consumers real, delicious meat grown from animal cells in a sustainable and humane way.

"In order for cultivated meat to have a positive impact on the world, consumers need to understand it and embrace it," said Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of UPSIDE Foods. "We know that the more people learn about cultivated meat, the more excited they become about it. That's why we intentionally designed EPIC to be a place where people can come and see for themselves how our process works. These tours offer an unprecedented view into meat cultivation and production. For the first time, delicious and sustainable meat can be produced under one roof, in the middle of an urban community, and in full view of consumers."

In newly released survey data collected by UPSIDE Foods in 2021, UPSIDE found that half of Americans would consider purchasing cultivated meat, up from 43% in 2020. The data also indicated that those most familiar with cultivated meat were also the most enthusiastic about it, highlighting the value of educating consumers about the process of cultivating meat, as well as the animal welfare and environmental sustainability benefits. Additionally, the survey found that many consumers (61%) mistakenly associated plant-based meat alternative brands with cultivated meat. These findings reveal how important it is for the cultivated meat industry to invest in consumer education platforms, such as the public tours that UPSIDE kicked off today.

UPSIDE opened EPIC, the world's most advanced cultivated meat production facility, in November 2021. The 53,000 square foot campus was designed to produce any species of meat, poultry, and seafood—in both ground and whole cut formats—directly from animal cells instead of relying on raising and slaughtering animals. Powered by 100% renewable energy, EPIC is located in an urban area filled with residences and restaurants, and will produce UPSIDE's first commercial products upon the completion of regulatory review.

Today's tour included a walkthrough of UPSIDE's facility, a presentation about how cultivated meat is produced, and a meet and greet with Dr. Uma Valeti, UPSIDE's founder and CEO. UPSIDE plans to continue hosting tours of its facility every quarter. Anyone interested in participating in a tour can now join a waitlist to receive updates on future tours, and can also check out this virtual walkthrough.

The first public tour of EPIC comes after a series of milestones as UPSIDE approaches commercialization, including the acquisition of cultivated seafood company Cultured Decadence, the grand opening of EPIC, and a partnership with 3-Michelin Star chef Dominique Crenn.

UPSIDE Foods had originally planned to host its first public tour of EPIC in January 2022, but postponed it due to increases in COVID-19 cases.

About UPSIDE Foods
Based in Berkeley, CA, UPSIDE Foods (formerly known as Memphis Meats) is developing a way to grow real meat, poultry and seafood directly from animal cells, without the need to raise and slaughter animals. These products are not vegetarian, plant-based or meat alternatives -- they are real meat, made without the animal. Founded as the world's first cultivated meat company in 2015, UPSIDE Foods has achieved numerous industry-defining milestones, including being the first company to produce multiple species of meat (beef, chicken and duck). The company believes that people shouldn't have to choose between the foods they love and a thriving planet, and is working to build a better food system where everybody has access to delicious, humane, and sustainable meat. UPSIDE Foods has raised over $200 million from a diverse coalition of investors including Richard Branson, John Mackey, Bill Gates, Kimbal Musk, Softbank, Threshold, Norwest, Cargill, Tyson Foods and Whole Foods. UPSIDE Foods has won various industry awards, including New York Times' Good Tech Awards, FastCo's Next Big Thing in Tech, and the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation by the National Association for Business Resources. For more information, please visit www.upsidefoods.com.

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SOURCE UPSIDE Foods