BELIEVER Meats announced that it officially broke ground on its first U.S. commercial facility in Wilson, N.C. Once operational, the 200,000-sq-ft facility will reportedly be the largest cultivated meat production center in the world with the capacity to produce at least 10,000 metric tons of cultivated meat.

"Our facility propels BELIEVER forward as a leader in the cultivated meat industry," says Nicole Johnson-Hoffman, CEO of BELIEVER Meats. "Our brand has continually proven our commitment to scale production technology and capacity, and with our new U.S. production center, we are one step closer to commercialization. BELIEVER is setting the standard globally to make it possible for future generations to eat and enjoy meat."

BELIEVER is making an initial planned investment of $123.35 million in Wilson County, located approximately 40 miles east of Raleigh, and includes plans to create more than 100 new jobs over the next three years. The facility will utilize proprietary, custom-made bioreactors that can achieve high cell densities and yield based on patented processes. In addition, the state-of-the-art facility will feature an R&D and innovation center, a contemporary kitchen to host tastings, as well as offices and conference room spaces.

"We celebrate this milestone and are thrilled to see the North Carolina and Wilson County officials and community providing critically important support to scale cultivated meat production. These steps pave the way for cultivated meat to come to market in the U.S. at scale and helps ensure as many consumers as possible have access to these groundbreaking products," says Liz Specht, Ph.D., vice president of science and technology at the Good Food Institute (GFI). "Further government investment like this will advance the sector toward commercialization, helping to feed a growing population more sustainably, spurring economic growth, and improving environmental and global health outcomes."