Meatable, the Dutch producer of cultivated pork meat, announces that, in preparation for US market expansion, CEO and co-founder Krijn de Nood has stepped down from the role and has been succeeded by Jeff (“Trip”) Tripician effective June 17. Concurrently, Dean Banks, former president and CEO of Tyson Foods, joins the Board of Directors. Krijn de Nood will continue to serve on the Board.
Meatable is known for its cost-effective production platform using pluripotent stem cells, which it claims takes just four days to develop product “from cell to sausage”, making it the quickest cell-cultivating method in the world. “This process is 60 times faster than traditional pig farming and involves nothing more than pulling a single cell once from a pig without causing harm,” says the Dutch startup, which last month became the first company to hold an officially approved cultivated meat tasting in the EU,
Jeff Tripician to bring Meatable to US market
Mr. Tripician, with over 25 years of experience in the American meat industry, will lead Meatable’s US market expansion following its commercial launch in Singapore later this year.
This move aligns with Meatable’s strategy to enter the broader Asian market. Tripician was previously CEO of Grass Fed Foods and President of Perdue Premium Meat Company. According to the company, he brings deep expertise in the US meat supply chain, “sustainable” meat marketing, fundraising, and M&A.
At Grass Fed Foods, he facilitated a merger between Teton Waters Ranch and SunFed Ranch, creating a leading grass-fed beef platform. At Perdue, he drove growth for premium brands like Niman Ranch and Coleman Natural and managed the acquisition of Panorama Organic Grass-Fed Meats and Alexander & Hornung.
“I am thrilled to welcome Trip to Meatable as he is incredibly well qualified to lead us into this very exciting and important phase of growth for the Company,” said Cees de Jong, Chairman of the Board of Directors at Meatable. “With our launch in Asia planned for the fall, the next critical part of Meatable’s growth strategy is to drive expansion into the US, and we believe that Trip’s long and successful experience in the organic and natural meat industry will be invaluable in helping Meatable achieve those global commercialization and growth goals. We look forward to his immediate impact as we take Meatable to new heights in Asia, the US and beyond.”
“Positioned to lead the industry in a paradigm shift”
“Meatable is a one-of-kind food tech innovator with patented technology that can produce real and delicious meat at unprecedented speed, allowing product to be produced at lower costs than any other player in the industry,” comments Mr. Tripician. “With global population growth stressing the world’s ability to meet accelerating demand for sustainable proteins, Meatable is positioned to lead the industry in a paradigm shift that will address key global issues including climate change, water use, soil quality, humane animal care, food security, and, importantly, consumer acceptance – delivering an affordable and remarkable eating experience that could change the world.
“Our global supply chain as it stands is not able to feed eight billion people without destroying the environment. Throughout history, technology has helped many industries evolve and solve significant challenges in transportation, medicine, communications and food. We expect cultivated meat to do the same, as an alternate solution to help feed a hungry world sustainably. The meat industry should be at the forefront of this initiative through innovation, and Meatable will play a major role in driving this meaningful change,” he adds.
Dean Banks of Tyson Foods joins Board
To further expedite US market entry, Meatable also announces the appointment of Dean Banks, former president and CEO of Tyson Foods, to its Board of Directors. Banks is the latest addition to Meatable’s notable Board of Directors, which features food and technology executives with significant expertise in the Asian, US, and European markets.
“Meatable has enormous potential to disrupt the cultivated meat space with its unique approach to product development and commercialization,” said Mr. Banks. “I look forward to leveraging my expertise in food, technology, and biology to work with Jeff and the rest of the Board to help Meatable gear up for its launch in the US.”
“Meatable has enormous potential to disrupt the cultivated meat space”
Mr. de Jong states of the appointment: “Dean is an exceptional leader with a proven track record in successfully leading major food companies through every stage of their evolution. His experience in the food and technology industries and his deep understanding of the food supply chain will be invaluable to us as we develop and execute upon our growth plans.”
Outgoing CEO Krijn de Nood states, “I am incredibly proud of the team and their accomplishments since I founded Meatable in 2018. We turned a vision and a dream into some of the most important and impressive technology in the cultivated food industry. Our insights and efforts led to a fundraise of a $100 million from strategic investors, including more than any company in our industry last year. As a result, Meatable can now deliver tasty meat in only four days, well ahead of the rest of the market, and the company is on track to launch in Singapore this year before expanding to the United States. I am proud to be able to hand off leadership at Meatable to Trip with a strong foundation, with a promising future ready to take on the next phase of its growth journey.”
“…it is important for us to have a leader in the critical US market”
De Jong concludes, “I want to thank Krijn for establishing Meatable as the leader in cultivated pork and the innovator it is today. Krijn has always agreed that at this stage of the Company’s evolution, it is important for us to have a leader in the critical US market and relocating was not an option for him. However, I look forward to continuing to work with him and [receiving] his valuable contributions as a member of the Board of Directors. We are exceedingly grateful for his continued leadership and guidance.”
