Vow (company)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Cultured meat |
| Founded | 2019[1] |
| Founders | George Peppou, Tim Noakesmith |
| Headquarters | Sydney , Australia |
Area served | Singapore[2] |
Key people | George Peppou, CEO |
| Products | Forged Parfait, a cultured meat product from Japanese Quail DNA[2] |
Number of employees | 65 |
| Website | eatvow |
Vow is an Australian company that grows cultured meat for commercial distribution,[3] and is headquartered in Sydney, Australia.[4]
History
Vow was founded in 2019[1] by George Peppou (CEO) and Tim Noakesmith (CCO).[5][6] In July 2019, Vow demonstrated a kangaroo dumpling, the first non-farmed meat demonstrated using cultured meat technology.[1][7] In August 2020 they demonstrated a further five species in partnership with Australian chef Neil Perry.[8] During 2020, the company was criticised for plans to produce zebra meat.[9]
In August 2021, the company announced they were developing hybrid products containing cultured meat and ingredients produced using precision fermentation technology.[10] The company said that work was being done in the areas of chicken, crocodile, kangaroo and water buffalo meat.[11] During an interview on The Drum in January 2022, the company announced that their first product would be crocodile and would be launching in Singapore.[12]
In November 2022 Vow announced they are launching Morsel, which is cultured Umai Quail.[13] In 2023, it developed a "mammoth meatball" as a publicity stunt, which was put on display at Museum Boerhaave.[14] The meatball was made from portions of lamb, mammoth, and African elephant DNA, piecing together DNA similar to the mammoth genome, then grown in a sheep muscle cell.[14]
Australian and New Zealand regulatory bodies began reviewing Vow's cultured meat products for approval in December 2023.[15] In April 2024, Singapore was the first government to approve the meat for commercial sale.[16] That month, Vow began selling its first commercial product there, Forged Parfait, made with Japanese quail cells.[17][2] On 7 April 2025, Vow quail became the first cultured meat product to be offically approved for sale in Australia and New Zealand.[18] In mid-June 2025, Vow expected to be serving its cultivated quail in restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne "within weeks".[19][20]
Product offerings
Vow develops and markets cultured meat products,[4] grown over a four-week process,[2] with a process similar to a sourdough culture or brewery.[21] Vow is the name of the company, whereas its consumer brand is called Forged.[2] Japanese quail cells multiply in a bioreactor with vitamins, amino acids, and minerals.[2]
References
- ^ a b c Cherney, Mike (2019-08-08). "Lab-Grown Kangaroo Meat: It's What's for Dinner?". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
- ^ a b c d e f Kan, Ethan (April 4, 2024). "Forged Parfait by Vow made with cultured quail launches in Singapore". Tatler Asia. Retrieved May 10, 2024.
- ^ Watson, Elaine (2024-04-03). "Vow becomes third company to launch cultivated meat, but it isn't starting with chicken nuggets…". AgFunderNews. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ a b "Vow". www.vowfood.com. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
- ^ "Our people". www.vowfood.com. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
- ^ "Vow Food: Cultivating a new meat paradigm - Food & Drink Business". www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
- ^ Bronner, Stephen J. (24 October 2019). "Lab-grown meat also creates an unexpected benefit: Ethical zebra burgers". Inverse. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
- ^ Waters, Cara (2020-09-01). "Blackbird-backed Vow serves up lab-grown meat with Neil Perry". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
- ^ "Exotic Lab-Grown Meats Face Boring Reality and Problems". Mirage News. Retrieved 2024-05-28.
- ^ De Lorenzo, Daniela (2021-08-25). "Cell-Cultured Meat Meets Animal-Free Fermented Fat In First-Of-A-Kind Collaboration". Forbes.
- ^ "Next on the Menu: Cellular Agriculture Could "Domesticate" Any Animal on the Planet". www.builtwithbiology.com. Retrieved 2022-01-15.
- ^ The Drum Tuesday January 4, ABC News, 2022-01-04, retrieved 2022-01-15
- ^ "Vow's first cultured meat product close to Singapore unveiling after $49.2M Series A". www.techcrunch.com. 14 November 2022. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
- ^ a b Hunt, Katie (March 28, 2023). "Meatballs made with mammoth DNA created by Australian food startup". CNN. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ Reynolds, Matt (February 14, 2024). "The Leading Lab-Grown Meat Company Just Paused a Major Expansion". Wired. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ Sofia, Nurin; Wright, Keira (April 4, 2024). "Singapore Gives Woolly Mammoth Meatball Firm Nod for Lab-Grown Quail". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ Tan, Cheryl (April 4, 2024). "Singapore approves lab-grown quail for consumption". The Straits Times. Retrieved May 28, 2024.
- ^ Mridul, Anay (7 April 2025). "Cultured Quail Startup Vow Gets FSANZ Regulatory Approval in Australia & New Zealand". Green Queen. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ Southey, Flora (June 18, 2025). "Cultivated meat hits the market in Australia". Food Navigator. Retrieved June 27, 2025.
- ^ Mridul, Anay (19 June 2025). "Vow Makes History As First Startup to Serve Cultivated Meat at Australian Restaurants". Green Queen. Retrieved 9 July 2025.
- ^ Fitzsimmons, Caitlin (May 20, 2024). "Vow cultured meat seeks to meet global demand without emissions, land clearing". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved May 28, 2024.