Umami Bioworks Establishes European Operations in the Netherlands’ Agrifood Ecosystem
The Singapore-based producer of cultivated seafood will innovate sustainable food solutions in Wageningen
Photo: Umami
The Singapore-based sustainable agrifood start-up Umami Bioworks has expanded to the Netherlands. The producer of cultivated seafood established operations in Wageningen, joining the Netherlands’ world-renowned agrifood ecosystem. From the new base, centrally located between Asia and the US, Umami will further develop its products that provide a sustainable alternative to traditional fishing practices.
Umami aims to provide a solution to the traditional seafood system, which is vulnerable due to overfishing and issues with aquatic pests and diseases. Since it was founded in 2020, the company has been working to transform the future of seafood by developing an automated, modular production platform for producing tasty, nutritious and affordable cultivated seafood that is good for both health and the environment, in particular the oceans.
Some of the categories that Umami is working on are eel, tuna and whitefish. Its focus is on premium, endangered species that are difficult to farm and face limitations in supply.
Umami merges stem cell biology, machine learning, and automation, to create advanced and cost-effective solutions. By eliminating mercury, antibiotics, microplastics, and ocean pollutants, the company aims to ensure that its offerings are both tasty and nutritious. Umami’s technology is geared at creating customized products that align with consumer requirements from a taste, texture, and experience perspective.
Start-up support in the Netherlands
Umami’s choice to locate in the Netherlands was due its participation in a start-up program called StartLife Accelerate. Umami Bioworks founder Mihir Pershad explained that the Netherlands was strategically located between the US and Asia. He had previously collaborated with companies in the Netherlands and the innovative Dutch ecosystem felt like a natural fit for Umami Bioworks to set up its European base. Umami Bioworks was introduced to StartLife through the Dutch Embassy in Singapore and was assisted in its expansion by the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) and the East Netherlands Development Agency, both partners in the Invest in Holland network.
Accessing the European market for novel food
While in the US and Singapore, there are already approvals for cultivated meat, EU regulations for novel food are slower in being defined. “An advantage of the Netherlands is that it is the first European country to approve tastings of cultivated meat and seafood – an important step”, said Mihr. Tastings could provide momentum towards the approval of novel food like cultivated seafood.
Umami Bioworks is working on getting the first regulatory approvals. The goal is to have the first products on the market in 2025.
Sources: Umami Bioworks and Startlife
24 January 2025