Aleph Farms, a cultivated-meat business based in Israel, has laid off nearly a third of its employees.
Approximately 30 employees, out of a workforce of around 100, have been made redundant.
This announcement follows a recent partnership with two companies to produce meat grown in a lab at a new facility in Thailand.
According to Israel-based technology news website Ctech, the layoffs may be due to challenges faced by cell-based meat firms in securing significant investment over the past year.
The company stated, “As we transition towards larger-scale production and commercialization, we are maintaining R&D and production in Israel while expanding globally through co-manufacturers, in line with our capital-efficient and asset-light approach.”
“We are adapting our organization to align with this next growth phase and need to part ways with approximately 30% of our local employees. We care for all affected employees and will be supporting them in the new job search.”
In February, Aleph Farms announced plans to produce nearly 1,000 tons of cultivated beef in the first year of operations in Thailand.
Earlier in January, the company received regulatory approval in Israel to sell steak grown from cow cells and unveiled plans to introduce its Petit Steak hybrid cultured-meat and plant-based ingredients product in select restaurants.
Aleph Farms is also seeking regulatory approval in the UK and Switzerland.
With investments totaling $140 million, backers of Aleph Farms include Brazilian meat giant BRF, seafood major Thai Union Group, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Founded in 2017 by Didier Toubia, Dr. Neta Lavon, Professor Shulamit Levenberg, and the Kitchen FoodTech Hub, which is a partnership of the Strauss Group and the Israel Innovation Authority, Aleph Farms has made significant strides in the cultivated-meat industry.
