Cultivated meat pioneer Meatly, Europe’s first company to sell cultivated meat, has relocated to Grapht Works, Imperial College London’s pilot and advanced manufacturing site in Old Oak Innovation Cluster.

Meatly’s move marks the next stage in scaling cultivated meat and preparing for the opening of Meatly’s first production runs in 2027. The move is supported by the company’s £10.4 million Series A funding round announced in May.

As London’s first dedicated facility for pilot and demonstration manufacturing, it was created in response to rising demand from deep tech scale-ups moving from R&D into scalable production. Part of Imperial’s Old Oak Innovation Cluster within WestTech London, it provides flexible industrial space where science and technology businesses can develop, test and scale their manufacturing processes.

Highlighting the milestone for the sector, Owen Ensor, CEO of Meatly, said: “Moving to Grapht Works is a significant step as we prepare to scale cultivated meat and become fully operational next year. We will be creating Europe’s largest cultivated meat facility and begin the move to large scale production. Imperial has created the perfect space and community for innovators like Meatly who are making the transition from R&D to commercialisation, and we’re looking forward to growing together at Grapht Works as we work to make cultivated meat more widely available for pets.”

Founded in 2022, Meatly develops cultivated meat for the pet food market. Following UK regulatory authorisation in 2024, it became the first company to sell cultivated meat in Europe, launching the world’s first cultivated pet food in 2025. To ensure commercial viability across the supply chain, the company has successfully developed its own proprietary bioreactors and culture medium to bring down production costs.

Commenting on the partnership, Alice Sewell, Imperial’s investment director, said: “Our investment in Grapht Works was built on a belief that this is where the UK’s next generation of industrial companies could be built, if they had the right infrastructure. With Meatly taking this step towards full scale production in 2027, it shows that our vision is starting to be realised. Cultivated meat is exactly the kind of frontier industry the UK should be anchoring, and by backing the space that enables companies like Meatly to scale, we’re helping to make sure the jobs, manufacturing capability and economic value they create stay in London and the wider WestTech London ecosystem.”

Grapht Works serves as a dedicated environment where ideas leave the lab and move into industrial production. Offering flexible, secure space for prototyping, pilot, and demonstration manufacturing supported directly by Imperial, the site is positioned as a premier hub for engineering biology, advanced materials, and next-generation food technology businesses.