Cultivated pork producer Mission Barns has announced that its products will be sold at Berkeley Bowl, an independent grocery store in California, in a few days’ time.
The company’s cultivated meat will be brought to consumers through a limited four-event tasting series called Bites from the Barn, which will be held once per month from November 2025 to February 2026. As part of the first event on November 1, Mission Barns’ Italian-style cultivated pork meatballs will be available to buy; according to the company, this will mark the first time cultivated meat has ever been sold for retail worldwide. The limited-edition product will be priced at $13.99.
The tasting schedule is as follows:
- November 1, 2025 – Cultivated pork meatballs (limited retail sale at 3 PM, product demo at 4 PM).
- December 12, 2025, 11 AM – Cultivated pork salami.
- January 17, 2026, 11 AM – Cultivated pork meatballs.
- February 21, 2026, 11 AM – Cultivated pork meatballs.
An option for meat-loving customers
Each event is free to the public and will feature live cooking demonstrations, along with opportunities for shoppers to meet Mission Barns’ scientists and learn about the technology behind cultivated meat.
“We are thrilled to offer these cultivated pork products in our meat department,” said Anthony LeBlanc, Head Meat Buyer at Berkeley Bowl. “Berkeley Bowl has long been a launchpad for innovative food brands. We’ve been excited to work with Mission Barns for many years, and these meatballs — made with their cultivated pork fat — deliver the same flavor and texture as conventional pork while offering an option for our meat-loving and flexitarian customers. We’re proud to be the first US grocery store to offer cultivated pork to our customers.”
Researchers at Tufts University’s Center for Cellular Agriculture will observe the tastings to inform future study design and public acceptance frameworks. The events come in the wake of Mission Barns’ restaurant debut, which took place at Fiorella in San Francisco last month. The restaurant is claimed to be the first worldwide to have served cultivated pork meatballs and bacon.
“Every bite is a small act of change”
In March of this year, Mission Barns became the first company ever to receive FDA clearance for cultivated pork fat. It went on to achieve USDA inspection authorization in July, clearing the path for commercial sales.
Mission Barns cultivates fat with the aim of achieving the flavor, aroma, and mouthfeel of conventional pork while enabling efficient, scalable production. The company’s meatballs combine cultivated Mission Fat™ with plant-based proteins and traditional seasonings.
“Every bite is a small act of change,” said Cecilia Chang, CEO of Mission Barns. “This isn’t just our story — it’s an open invitation to join the mission for meat that’s both tastier and healthier than current options on the market. We talk about scaling technology, but real change scales through people voting with their plates. That’s why this series matters — it’s where health meets flavor, innovation meets community, and the movement truly begins to grow.”
