London startup launches £2.7m seed round to create meat-free animal fat alternative

A meat alternatives startup has announced a £2.7m seed round to fund its animal-free fat solution.

Hoxton Farms, based in London, has launched the round to cultivate a realistic animal fat alternative to replace the plant oils currently used in vegetarian meat options.

The funding will be used to cultivate fat, starting with a tiny sample of animal cells and growing purified animal fat in cultivators, much like the fermentors used for brewing beer.

The startup will be using proprietary computational models to reduce the cost of the process.

Max Jamilly, co-founder of Hoxton Farms, said, “We want to bring back fat: it’s the single most important ingredient in the meat that we eat.

“The technology we’re developing will allow us to customise fat for any application – and we’re making it healthier too.

“Cultivated fat is the hero ingredient for meat alternatives, and it will solve a huge problem in this growing industry.

“We believe the future of meat alternatives will be a blend of plant-based protein and cultivated fat.”