French start-up company Gourmey has received major funding to build a 4,270 sqm plant. in Paris for the production of foie gras. This gastronomic delicacy, considered a hallmark of France, is in short supply, especially on the eve of Christmas, so its laboratory cultivation will to some extent fill this gap. Gourmey said yesterday that the company has raised 48 million euros to build a new building that will house commercial production and research activities. In an interview, Gourmey co-founder Nicolas Moran-Fauré noted that “we are now approaching the stage of production and commercialization of our product.” The main hurdle for Gourmey foie gras, which is farmed using duck cages but not artificially and controversially fattening and slaughtering ducks, is that the product still needs to be approved by the relevant French authorities before it can be sold in stores. . This was reported by Nicolas Moran-Foret.

Lab-grown foie gras could one day be an alternative to farm-raised poultry, which has often been plagued by illnesses like bird flu in recent years. Such a disease is forcing many breeders in France to cull their herds, causing shortages. Producers have warned that foie gras may be too scarce to meet demand during the critical Christmas period. According to a report in the newspaper Le Figaro, there will be 30-40% fewer ducks available from French breeders this year. The industry also has to deal with the ethical dilemmas involved in handling ducks, such as force-feeding them several times a day until their livers swell. And this has led some countries to ban the production of foie gras.

French startup Gourmey has raised 48 million euros to build its 4,270 sqm factory in Paris.

Moran Fauré predicts that the first cultured meat products will be allowed in the United States in the coming months, followed by Southeast Asian approvals. According to him, the EU will accept the new product with some delay compared to the US due to more stringent rules. In addition, she mentioned that she also works with chefs and plans to introduce her product to high-end restaurants. Meanwhile, Gourmey’s new facility in Paris will be Europe’s largest meat-growing center, with construction work expected to take between 18 months and two years. Planned annual production capacity is projected to reach tens of thousands of pounds of high-quality lab-grown meat. The funding round will come from new investors led by Earlybird Venture Capital backed by Keen Venture Partners and Instacart CEO Fiji Simo backed by past investors including Heartcore Capital, Point Nine Capital and Partech.

Gourmey, currently with 40 employees, plans to triple its workforce to 120 over the next two years, Moran-Faure said. Finally, his company is reported to have raised €56 million in funding to date.